If you are a blogger or even a regular reader of blogs, you are probably familiar with WordPress even if you’ve never used it. Since its release in 2003 it has evolved from a basic blogging platform to a flexible yet easy-to-use content management system, thanks to the efforts of many developers and users. It is currently the most popular blogging platform on the internet.
Aside from the ability to post writing, images, or other media, one can also create and edit regular web pages – sometimes referred to as static content, in that it is information that is not time-sensitive as blog posts often are. Non-bloggers can forego the blog posting function altogether, resulting in what might be considered a more “traditional” website.
WordPress users have the option of changing the overall look and feel of their sites via the selection of a theme, which is essentially a series of templates dictating various elements such as layout, colour, typographical detail, and sometimes other special features. Additional functionality can be enabled with the integration of various plugins, chunks of pre-written code offering a wide range of special virtual gadgetry. The degree to which one can use these features to customize a WordPress site depends on whether the site is hosted at WordPress.com or self-hosted. Continue reading “WordPress: Why Self-Hosting WP Is Better Than Using WordPress.com”