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WP.com vs. WP.org

  1. tfockler60
    Member

    Ok, I am looking for some opinions here so that I can get a better grasp on which site is really the better choice. I am fairly new to formal blogging (however I have been writing on line for years now) and I am finding that I am getting a bit frustrated with the limitations I find here at WP.com, so I did some research into WP.org and now I am in a quandry as to which site is actually more functional when you want the ability to be creative with your blog? So I am asking you all for your opinions on the following questions:

    1. Do you find WP.com to be functional enough for your blogging enjoyment or does WP.org offer more?
    2. Have you tried WP.org? What did you think?

    The blog I need help with is tfockler60.wordpress.com.

  2. andrew
    Member

    The answers I'd give, and that you're likely to get from others here, are:
    1. WordPress.com is functional enough. Those who don't consider it functional enough tend not to hang out at these forums, although there are exceptions.
    2. The sticky post at the top of these forums does a really good job of explaining the .com/.org difference.

    Could you be specific about which limitations of .com bug you, and about the ways in which you want to "be creative with your blog"?

  3. t3ck
    Member

    Pros for WP.ORG you have the freedom to add anything to your site

    Cons for WP.ORG You need to buy a domain &hosting package requires some technical knowledge.Also site maintenance falls upon you/ Forum Support not that great nor quick with replies.

    Pros for WP.COM Mass community, the ease to sit back and worry about wrting content for your site. NO maintenance required! Great Peer to Peer forum help with quick response time. Global Tag page.

    Cons WP.COM Has Many Limitations.

    I also recommend reading this article about WP.com vs WP.org from the support page. » http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

  4. timethief
    Member

    @tfockler60
    I have both wordpress.com and wordpress.org blofs and I beleive the entry Staff have prepared that t3ck has linked to clearly states the differences between wordpress.com and wordpress.org blogs.

    I find I have everything I need to blog here at wordpress.com. I have no interest in monetizing my blog and there are many free features and I use only a few of them. The support is excellent and my blogs benefit from traffic that flows to them via the wordpress.com global tag pages.

    On the other hand wordpress.org provides free software installs only and that's it. There is a wordpress.org peer support forum but the timeframe within one can expect and answer to a support is nowhere near as quick as it is here at wordpress.com on this peer support forum. For the inexperienced self hosting blogger waiting for an answer and/or finally getting a technical answer that sails over one's head can be very frustrating. Volunteers on the wordpress.org forum expect those posting to their support be tech savvy and they do not "hand-hold" as we do here.

    WordPress.org does not provide web hosting. We must pay for our own web hosting and be prepared to deal with web hosting issues, upgrading wordpress software versions, upgrading any plugins we choose to use, and figuring out where they incompatibilities are so we can correct them when conflicts arise.

    All technical problems that arise on my wordpress.org install are my own responsibility to fathom and "fix" on my wordpress.org install. Here at wordpress.com all the technical help is provided by Staff free of charge to me.

    Although one can montetize a wordpress.org install doing so means dealing with the affiliate and advertising issues that arise and the increase in opportunistic spam, as well as, click fraud types and the impact that fraudulent ad clicks can have on your blog, it's ranking and it's continued participation in plans like Google Adsense. In the final analysis those bloggers I know who are creating quality content and who do have good traffic don't earn much more that what's required to pay for their web hosting every year.

    It's important to note that wordpress.org installs are stand alone islands. They are not part of the wordpress.com community and do not benefit from and traffic that comes to wordpress.com bloggers via they posts appearing on the wordpress.com global tag pages, and or in the Showcase and/or Off-Topic forums.

    BTW I have blogged on this subject > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2010/01/13/self-hosting-whats-your-hurry/

    Andrew asks:

    Could you be specific about which limitations of .com bug you, and about the ways in which you want to "be creative with your blog"?

    Once you answer that question I may have more that I can share with you.

  5. tfockler60
    Member

    Thanks for the input everyone...it helps a great deal.

    Andrew, I am a bit frustrated by the limitations on being able to easily change font styles, colors, and sizes without having to mess with the HTML, as well as photo alignments etc. Just some of the little things that help to make a blog more individual. While I have a pretty good background with HTML I really don't want to have to mess with coding all the time to try and set myself apart from others. I know that these sound like "picky" things to alot of people but surprisingly if those options were available in a much easier form I am postive many would take advantage of them. Just an opinion here...

  6. timethief
    Member

    @tglockeler60
    Re: changing fonts and font sizes without using HTML coding free of charge
    You can use TypeKit Fonts and provided you only use two fonts then it's free of charge. > Appearance > TypeKit Fonts
    See also > https://typekit.com/plans

    There's a tutorial here http://getook.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/typekit-guide-change-your-fonts/

    Re: aligning photos
    I find that using HTML tables which are easy to create and can even be created using an online generator is the easiest way to align images. Many bloggers use the tables I provide in the posts below every day.
    http://onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/how-to-make-html-tables-for-your-wordpress-blog/
    http://onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/align-images-html-tables-for-wordpress-blogs/

    I hope this helps you.

  7. tfockler60
    Member

    Thanks againg Time...will have to take a good look at those tables. Oh and I love the Live Feed you have on your site. Yet another cool tool I may have to think about. :)

  8. timethief
    Member

    You're welcome and hang in there. Volunteers can help you accomplish your objectives. :)

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