WordPress is the most popular, widely used blogging platform. Millions of bloggers use this platform on a regular basis. It’s been around since 2003, and has been through many chances since. Now, there are two different versions available – a free blog with the site itself, accessible via web browsers, and a self hosted platform. For those who want something more than a blog, the latter is most ideal.

WordPress Blog

The regular blogging system is for two people: beginners and those who want just a simple blog, and not an entire website. Everything is free, easy to understand, and requires no downloads. Still, WordPress provides a lot more than other blogging platforms. Users can categorize posts, add images, polls, tag their posts, interact with one another, manage their comments, submit their posts to RSS, and so forth.

There are tons of themes for users to choose from to change the appearance of their blogs. Members can create their own as well. Additionally, there is a powerful plug-in system that provides bloggers with a lot of functionality. The plug-ins can be plugged into a blog separately and easily. They are designed for maintenance and can be used for just about anything, including Twitter tweet displays, contact forms, photo galleries, iPhone theme, and so forth. There are nearly 10,000 plug-ins and widgets currently in WordPress’ system.

Self Hosted

Although blogging systems do provide a lot of options and flexibility these days, for some people, that’s not enough. A hosted blog is for those who want a full website. There are hundreds of web hosts that offer WordPress services. Some offer one-click installation that takes no more than a couple of minutes. In order for WordPress to run, a host needs at least PHP version 4.3 and MySQL version 4.1.2. The best servers are Apache and Nginx, but others will work fine just as long as they support PHP and MySQL.

Some of the web hosts are free and others cost money. The former can be used for experimentation, and the latter for more serious web development. Also, some hosts can handle more traffic than others, so it’s important to choose the right one that handles all of the webmaster’s requirements. While one-click installation is simple, some of the technicalities may still be too much for beginners to understand. More experienced users can have multiple blogs and domains hosted with just one server.

Pros of WordPress Blog:

– It’s simple enough for beginners to understand, yet fairly flexible for those who want more than just the basics.
– It’s completely free, and the purchase of a domain and hosting isn’t required.
– There are thousands of plug-ins, widgets, and themes available.
– There is automatic backup for each blog and free support.

Cons:

– It’s limiting for those who want more than a blog.

Pros of Hosting:

– There is a lot more flexibility and scalability.
– The installation is fairly easy to understand.
– Some hosts can support unlimited blogs.
– There are plenty of options for both personal and business blogs/websites.
– Web host servers offer more space than WordPress.

Cons:

– Not all WordPress hosts are reliable.
– Even though installation is simple, some less-experienced users might have trouble with maintaining their blog through self-hosting.

Author Bio: Creating a WordPress blog can be very easy! Not a lot of money or skill is needed to build a website with WordPress. Beginners and advanced designers alike can put together a site or blog without any problems. Visit http://www.ToMakeAWebsite.org/ to watch free video tutorials that show the step by step process of building a website!

Category: Internet
Keywords: WordPress,WordPress blog,WordPress website,WordPress hosting,WordPress self hosting,