The content explains the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com in the context of building a website or blog. WordPress.org is the official site where users can download the source code and host their own website, while WordPress.com is a service that allows users to create a blog on an existing system for free. Blogger, now known as Blogspot, is another platform similar to WordPress.com. The article advises using WordPress.org for more customization and control over your website, while WordPress.com is more limited. Blogger is recommended for simple blogging needs. Overall, the article emphasizes the importance of understanding the differences between the platforms for effective website building.
In the series Self-study basic WordPress from A – Z, many people ask why when they search Google, they see two pages that are quite similar wordpress.com and wordpress.org.
Because I can’t answer each of you individually, I’ll dedicate an article in this series to talk more specifically about this issue. With the power of technology, today learning, building, and developing a blog/website from scratch is quite easy for beginners.
You don’t need to learn programming to make a delicious website. There are two most popular platforms people use when thinking about making a website. They are: WordPress and Blogger. But WordPress has two sites: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. It’s quite difficult to distinguish for a newbie.
It’s actually very easy. I will learn about it with you right below.
Distinguishing WordPress (.com & .org) from Blogger
What is WordPress.org?
This is the official website address (also known as the official site) of the WordPress source code. In general, if you want to download the WordPress source code, go to this page to download it. Be careful of sites that share unofficial WordPress source code.
And people call it that you download WordPress, install it yourself, operate it yourself, do everything yourself Self-Hosted (i.e. install and operate WordPress yourself on your hosting). So what does this basic WordPress learning series actually teach you? That is your complete guide on how to install and operate WordPress from A – Z, not using WordPress.com’s existing system.
My blog (vothanhduy.com) and all the web projects I deploy for customers are self-hosted.
What is WordPress.com?
This is a service that allows you to create a completely free blog using WordPress source code on an existing system (instant noodle style). WordPress.com is a unique product run by Automattic, the same company that owns the WordPress source code.
This is a free service for those who want to have a WordPress website quickly and conveniently without having to install it themselves and then buy hosting of all kinds.
Using this service in the free package will have many limitations. Even if they give it for free, there must be some restriction, right? So that I can proactively spend money to upgrade to a higher package to use more features.
Specifically, you cannot upload your interface or paid interfaces purchased elsewhere, but can only use the available free interface that it provides.
In addition, the same goes for plugins, you cannot upload your plugins but can only use plugins that they allow. You will not be able to intervene deeply inside WordPress to customize it to your liking.
In general, everything has its price. Some features they allow you to use for a fee. If you really care and calculate the cost over and over again, it seems that the price you have to pay will be much higher than WordPress Self-Hosted.
What is blogger?
Previously, Blogger had the old name Blogspot. This is also a platform that helps users create blogs easily. Blogger was acquired by Google in 2003.
As for blogger, it is quite similar to WordPress.com. That means you don’t need to buy hosting and install anything. You just need a straightforward operation: register an account (like registering a Facebook account) and start using it.
However, because blogger is not as popular as WordPress in the Vietnamese market, so if you have any problems, there is little support from the community or individuals.
In general, my advice is that if you only focus on blogging without needing more complicated features, you can use blogger to experience it. In addition, blogger also has many interfaces for you to choose from.
There are a few people online who share templates for bloggers that are quite beautiful but perhaps a bit difficult to operate.
CONCLUSION
You finally understand why this series instructs on using the source code and self-installing from WordPress.org instead of using WordPress.com, right? You absolutely have the right choice.
However, to pursue this series most conveniently, use WordPress.org. Maybe I will have a more in-depth analysis of WordPress.com because it is a free service that you should experience.
See more Lesson 4: 3 pillars theory.
