Both WordPress.org and WordPress.com utilize the open-source software that is what we know as the user interface of “WordPress”, however the main differences between them mainly lie in what the intended purpose of using the program is. For example, WordPress.com is designed to be geared more towards a person who is looking to have their website materials hosted by a 3rd party, rather than hosted and managed by themselves. WordPress.org is geared more towards individuals who want full creative control and access to their website files (and can change and modify them as they see fit, whenever they see fit). Essentially, using WordPress.org allows more flexibility in hosting than WordPress.com, but WordPress.com is also more beneficial for those who are not as technically inclined, or for those who need a website but dont have the time to create it or manage it themselves.

One of the biggest differences between the .com & .org versions of WordPress is themes: WordPress.com has a library of pre-made theme templates to choose from, however there is no real option to import your own custom or 3rd party theme templates unless you pay for a Premium Membership, whereas there is that option for free while using the WordPress.org version. There is also a matter of difference between the 2 versions with regard to both domain names and plugins. With WordPress.com, similiar to the themes issue, use of plugins are limited unless you pay a Premium fee, and plugins are altogether free on the WordPress.org versions – the catch is that while WordPress.org is 100% customizable, you need to have the base knowledge to take advantage of that. WordPress.com’s domain names are also noted as typically ending with “.wordpress.com,” although this is because each account comes with a free “.wordpress.com” domain, but you also have an option to purchase and use your own domain name with it. Under the “Resources” section of my ePortfolio, I noted previously that I worked with XAMP, an Apache Server run off a USB flash drive to host my WordPress.org site. This is not possible with WordPress.com, as all the files, the user interface (UI), and core code is built into the WordPress.com website, and is not the same as downloading the .org version – you can only upload, modify, and update the files with WordPress.com, and the “host” (WordPress.com) does the rest for you.

As far as my prefences go, it’s similar to how I feel about the differences between Android & Apple products; Android (like WordPress.org) has that level of customization that Apple (like WordPress.com) does not. I prefer full creative control of my websites, and with my background in coding and graphics, I can’t accept anything less. Why pay someone to do something that I’m fully capable of doing myself? It saves the time in the end when I don’t need to send a bunch of emails back and forth with a 3rd party host specifying my design requirements for my website. The flexibility to do what I need whenever I want is highly desirable for me.

I am able to provide an example of a WordPress.com hosted site with a custom domain name, in the form of my wife’s blog – she isn’t quite so tech-savvy as myself, but wanted to have a blog without the worry of hosting it, then purchased a custom domain name for it. Karen Rose Thomas is a Tsleil-Waututh member, Archaeologist, Anthropologist, and instructor at Capilano University, and her blog is located here:
www.reluctantanthropologist.com

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