Should You Move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
If you’re on a wordpress.com site, you’ve probably visited another blog and wished you could make your blog look like theirs, get the add-on they have, or create a portfolio to display or sell your books. Maybe you’ve just gotten tired of running across other blogs that look exactly like yours. The solution is simple, but not for everyone.
Because so many of you asked about switching from wordpress.com to wordpress.org in the comments of my post on the Four Little-Known Factors that Could Destroy Your Blog’s Chances of Success, I asked Melinda VanLone, who recently made the switch, to write a series on whether you should transfer your blog and to walk you through the steps. I’m very excited to welcome her here today!
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Decision Time: Should You Move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
So you’re building your author platform and have decided a website/blog is the way to go. Good idea! You’ve probably noticed a lot of free services out there for blog hosting—Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, just to name a few. Free is an awesome word, but in this case, free actually comes with a price.
If you’re on the fence about whether to go with a free service or to ante up and pay for a hosted website, here are some things to consider:
1. Is this a career or a hobby?
Professional writers have a professional face to show the world. This is a business, and you are an entrepreneur. A free wordpress.com or blogger blog doesn’t look professional. If this is a hobby for you, and that book you’re writing is just something you do for fun, then go with a free blog. If this is a career, and you hope to one day make a living from your writing, then go ahead and pretend you are the author you hope to someday be. Paying for a hosted website isn’t that expensive, and it’s worth it to start out looking professional vs. trying to fake it later.
If you’re serious about your platform, change from your wordpress.com free site to a wordpress.org hosted site as soon as you possibly can. The earlier you do this, the less angst there will be.
2. Are you tech savvy, or do you have friends who are?
Everyone wants to keep costs down, and when you’re just starting out there’s probably not a big budget to spend on website development. That’s okay. There are many ways to have a professional website that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
If you are tech savvy, you can always design your own with software like Dreamweaver. If not, there are thousands (literally) of templates available free or for low cost that will make you look like you know what you’re doing, even if you don’t. It’s nothing to be afraid of. Embrace the madness and dive in. Having a friend who knows HTML is always a bonus, but it’s not required. You can do this.
3. Do you like having control over your stuff, or are you okay with someone else owning it?
If you go with a free host, the downside is they have limited options for customization, limited plug-ins, limited space (although they will sell you more), limited templates, limited…everything. That’s why it’s free. I’m not complaining. If you are a hobbyist and just doing a personal blog for family and friends, I’d definitely go with the free stuff.
If you are a professional, then sooner or later you’ll run into that brick wall. You’ll want to add a neat analytics plug in, or a calendar thing, or the latest gadget, and you’ll find that you can’t. Or you’ll see a fun website template, and discover you can’t use it because it’s not supported by the free platform you’ve chosen. Or you’ll love everything but the font. Guess what? You can’t change it. Unless, of course, you pay a small fee, and even then you’re stuck with a very limited list of options. If you like having control over how your site and brand looks, then paying for a host is the way to go.
What other concerns do you have about switching from a wordpress.com to a wordpress.org site? What do those of you who are already on wordpress.org love about it?
Melinda VanLone is a science fiction/fantasy author with a Master’s degree in Publishing. She spent too many years to confess to working in graphic design and production before moving on to explore life as a writer. She’s a Photoshop expert, technology addict, and MMORPG lover. Melinda’s current work-in-progress, The Demon You Know, will be published in 2012. You can visit her website at http://www.melindavan.com/.
Be sure to subscribe by email so you don’t miss the rest of Melinda’s series.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Make sure you read Kristen Lamb’s blog on June 1st for something really cool, and then come back here next Wednesday to find out how I’m involved. I’m incredibly excited about what Kristen has planned and what it will provide for writers and other creatives.
May 30, 2012 @ 06:45:59
These are all good points, Melinda. Although my personal author site is not a WordPress site, I contribute on a group blog that is. I get frustrated sometimes with the limitations of a free site.
May 30, 2012 @ 10:52:38
Oh, Brinda. What can of worms you have opened for yourself, my tech savvy buddy.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:13:31
You better watch out. The people on your group blog re going to want you to help them move to a hosted site 🙂
May 30, 2012 @ 12:35:41
That’s exactly why I switched…the biggest reason was you can’t do Google Analytics on the .com side. It was very frustrating. And then I couldn’t change fonts, or colors, and and and. Maybe I’m a control freak lol.
May 30, 2012 @ 08:25:54
I’ve been wanting to research this information for a while so you saved me time, Melinda. Thanks!!
May 30, 2012 @ 12:15:45
You’ll probably enjoy the next two posts too because Melinda’s going to walk everyone through how to make the move with the fewest headaches.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:36:11
I’m happy to help :-). I tend to research a topic to death so it’s good to share the info.
May 30, 2012 @ 09:08:56
I happen to already have my own site, because when I decided to get a site I didn’t know about blogging. Plus, I wanted it to be my own name. It is funny, now that you mention the looks of WordPress sites, because I have started to notice blogs that look the same. It doesn’t stop me from reading, but I’m glad I have my own. I love the look of your site, Marcy, so that would be enough to encourage me to make the switch, if I didn’t have my own already.
May 30, 2012 @ 22:27:24
Thank you! I think I looked through close to 100 themes before finding this one and falling in love with it.
Sites that look the same to me are a little like showing up at a party wearing exactly the same thing as someone else. You can still enjoy the party, and it’s not going to stop someone from talking to you or asking you to dance, but it’s awkward.
May 30, 2012 @ 09:21:16
Well, shoot. I’m currently on WordPress.com, I think. I pay 12/yr for the name, but I’m not paying for the .org. I do have a web site my techie husband is working on, but I wonder if I should go to wordpress.org? I hate to have to switch AGAIN, but I would like something more professional. Sigh.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:39:02
Well, if you have a techie husband and he’s setting up a site, you might not need WordPress at all. You’d use WordPress.org if you don’t want to spend time and effort developing the back end of your site. It’s a back end structure that lets you apply ready-made templates so you don’t have to fuss with that stuff. But if someone you know is already fussing with it, and they don’t mind doing it, and you are married to them so they can’t get upset one day and take their toys and go home….then don’t worry about it.
Now if your husband is tired of futsing with it, WordPress.org on some hosted site is just easy. No muss, no fuss really. It’s all just levels of work and skill required. I like WordPress because I don’t want to have to spend time developing my own structure. I’m lazy 😉
May 30, 2012 @ 09:32:36
Good Morning Marcy:
I’ve been waiting for this post. Yeah!
And I re-read “Four Little-Known Factors That Could Destroy your Blog’s Chances of Success” which made me gulp again at the errors of my way.
So…since “career” is the path I’ve chosen for my creative endeavors I’ll be switching to wordpress.org. I’ve hired an webdesigner ’cause honestly what it HTML? I haven’t a clue and I don’t care to learn. Ha.
And that brings me to question three. Control–that’s my middle name, just add Freak after control. Yes,I’m a certified control freak.
And to answer the first question. I have no concerns because I’ve left the design process in the capable and talented hands of Karen Behne. You can view her portfolio at http://www.karenbehne.com
Thanks Melinda for sharing your knowledge.
And my curiosity is piqued, Marcy. Hmm…wonder what you and Kristen are up too?
Have a lovely day!
May 30, 2012 @ 12:24:24
Hehe. The surprise is much bigger than just me. The web is going to be buzzing next week, and I’m humbled to be part of it.
When you get your site up, if you have a few questions about HTML, I can help. I can’t help with CSS (that’s web designer territory and I don’t tread into it 🙂 )
May 30, 2012 @ 19:54:25
Oh, to be in on the action. Sigh. Guess I’ll have to wait.
Thanks for your generous offer.
May 30, 2012 @ 09:35:19
I’ve definitely been planning to make the switch to the .org and get on hosting my own site. Great information that just solidified my decision. Now it’s just about timing.
I’d love more details – maybe another post – on switching over. Can you import your content over? Can you import your followers over? If I’ve already paid for my URL via wordpress.com (which means it has no www in front of it), can I use the same URL or do I have to buy another one with www infront of it?
May 30, 2012 @ 09:41:42
Thankfully I’ve convinced Melinda (it didn’t take much convincing since she’s so generous) to continue this series. She’s going to walk everyone through the steps and answer all those questions 🙂
May 30, 2012 @ 12:42:27
Yes, stay tuned! Next week another exciting installment that will include the answers to those questions ;-). But…short answer on the URL is…it may depend on who you purchased the domain name from. If you bought from a third party like GoDaddy or dotregistrar, then you own it and it will follow you. If you bought through WordPress.com, I’m not sure, but I’ll find out.
May 30, 2012 @ 23:15:18
Great post, Melinda! I actually had to check on the portability of domain names purchased from wp.com last week for someone, and YES, you get to take it with you. There is a setting in your wp.com panel where you can change the DNS to point to your new host if you move to a self hosted site. 🙂
May 30, 2012 @ 22:55:04
yes to all of Natalie’s questions. i bought the domain thru wordpress and paid for it, but now I want to do a bit more so need a site of my own. aackkkk. i need help. can’t wait for Melinda’s posts
May 30, 2012 @ 10:02:39
I’ve not done the WordPress.com thing, and after reading these two posts, I’m feeling like I made the right decision. Thanks!
May 30, 2012 @ 12:25:24
I’m so happy in my online home here. I owe my brother a debt of gratitude because he was the one who pushed me to go with this site rather than just blog on a free platform, and he was right.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:44:01
Diane, you’re several steps ahead of me. I need to follow your example on using Mail Chimp for subscribers instead of WordPress’ subscription thing. A subject for another post 😀
May 30, 2012 @ 10:50:13
I think if you want to make connections and build an author’s platform, WordPress.com is the way to go. As soon as my friends switch to self hosted, they fall off the map. I don’t “see” them in my reader. I don’t get comment notifications and their blogs come a day late through feedburner.
Only WordPress.com users can be Freshly Pressed which can give a blogger a huge amount of new subscribers.
I am only paying $25 a year for my premium site at WordPress.com BTW…
You can change the fonts if you are brave enough to go into the HTML code and change it there.
Just my humble opinion….
May 30, 2012 @ 11:09:52
These are also my big concerns. I’ve been pondering the idea of switching from free to self hosted for a while. The technical stuff is a breeze but the thought of losing my current subscribers and losing out on that important connectedness is what holds me back.
Even now I can’t make up my mind to stay with the free .com hosted or take that big plunge and go self hosted. Yes, I want my blog to look unique and more professional but at the risk of losing subscribers, both current and potential?
Maybe paying for the premium WP service can bridge the gap until I’ve made up my mind?
May 30, 2012 @ 11:54:03
Susie and Dave,
I’m so glad you brought these things up. Some of them Melinda will be covering in her upcoming posts, but a few I’ll address now. Aside from the ability to be Freshly Pressed, most of those concerns are user error generated, not a difference between wordpress.com vs. wordpress.org.
Lisa Hall-Wilson and I both started out on Girls With Pens, which was a WordPress.com site. Granted there were other factors in play, but now that I’m here, blogging on my WordPress.org site, I get more comments and have more interaction, not less.
Did I lose some subscribers during the switch? Yes and I wish they’d come with me. But part of that was Lisa and I didn’t really tell people far enough in advance of the switch. Another part of that was because this blog has a different feel and focus than Girls With Pens did. That said, I’m already back to the same number of subscribers as we had pre-switch, so not having everyone transfer didn’t hurt me that much long-term. And my stats are better in terms of daily visitors and page views. I think connectedness is much more about how you handle it than it is about the platform you’re on.
If you aren’t being notified of follow-up comments on a wordpress.org site, that’s because the site owner has chosen to not give that option. You can turn it on and off in both wordpress.com and wordpress.org. It’s a choice they’ve made (or maybe didn’t realize they were making).
The reason people stop showing up in your reader when they move is that they’ve moved. You do need to resubscribe. That’s not an inherent flaw in wordpress.org but rather user error in not letting their subscribers know in advance what would happen in the move (something Melinda talks about in her next installment).
The delay in delivery is also user error. Feedburner, like anything else, has settings. My posts go live at 6:30 am EST and are delivered to email subscribers between 7 am and 9 am on the same day because that’s the setting I’ve chosen. For people whose blogs are delivering a day late, they are publishing their blogs after the delivery period for that day has started or passed. So for example, if your delivery period is set like mine at 7am-9am EST, and you publish your blog at 7:30 am, it won’t go out until between 7am-9am the next day. Simple to fix. (If anyone needs instructions, please send me an email and I’ll tell you right where to fix it.)
Another benefit to WordPress.org is the ability to choose how you handle your subscribers. On WordPress.com, you don’t own your subscriber list. This is a big problem. When you go to wordpress.org and set up something like Feedburner, aWeber, or Mail Chimp, you own your list. You can move it from service to service based on your needs. This is actually hugely beneficial to growing your subscriber base in the future because of the options programs like aWeber and Mail Chimp offer that you can’t get with wordpress.com.
Sorry, I know that was a post in itself, but I didn’t want to let any misconceptions linger. There are drawbacks to the move, but I think the benefits outweigh them 🙂
May 30, 2012 @ 12:24:25
The reader is a new interactive wordpress.com device. WP also started a brand new notification alert on our blogs, (not just emails) from other .com users if they “like, comment, or follow” your blog. Clay Morgan moved to .org and so even though I follow him, his posts do not show up in the reader or in notifications. Here is a link to the reader….
http://wordpress.com/#!/read/
You will notice that it is a .com device. I am always disappointed if someone switches to .org since they leave the .com community.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:28:01
Ah, that is new. Thanks for the clarification! I can see how that would be a disappointment when people switch. For me, I read blogs across too many diverse platforms for that to have been enough to keep me on WordPress.com.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:49:21
YOu can add any blog to that reader, not just WordPress.com blogs. All you need to do is subscribe using their URL on the “blogs I follow” spot. You can follow anything that way, even (shudder) Blogger blogs. Again it’s simply making sure readers know that you are moving, and why, and how they can make sure they don’t lose track of you. Something I did poorly, but luckily early.
Plus I do still log in on WordPress.com to see the reader and follow along on blogs, even though my main website is not hosted there.
Some people don’t use that at all and go with other readers entirely. Hmmm, also a subject for a post 😀
May 30, 2012 @ 21:10:09
Hey Melinda!
There isn’t a subscribe area in the reader. You can search for other .com users. I think your site is different than mine since I can’t find the notifications on yours. Do you have another WP blog?
May 30, 2012 @ 11:21:04
This is a wonderful article, thanks for sharing! I started a free wordpress.com site and I’ve made it look decently professional with a little bit of work. I’ve been debating about paying for the upgrade so that I can edit my own CSS, but I’m not really sure if it would be more cost effective to just swap to .org.
I’m not sure if I’m ready to switch, but I’m glad to know that it isn’t too hard.
Is there a way to make sure that your followers can swap over easily?
May 30, 2012 @ 12:33:05
Melinda will cover this a bit in her upcoming posts on how to switch, but as far as I know, there’s no effective way to make sure everyone transfers.
What my co-writer and I did when we moved to our own websites from the blog we shared was we added the new subscribe code into the posts in the month leading up to the switch and urged people to switch over before our old site shut down. That made it easier for them to subscribe if they wanted without too many added steps. In hindsight, we should have started with that much earlier. I still have people trickling in even now, months after the switch.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:53:33
There’s no way to make sure they follow you, no. On the .com side you do not own that subscriber list. I couldn’t find any plug in that would transfer the names over, and on the .org side they insist on people re-subscribing due to spam issues.
That’s why I’d say if you are even contemplating the switch to go ahead and do it. Do it early, before your list is large and you lose more people. You WILL lose people in the switch. But the people you lose are most likely people who weren’t really reading you anyway. The blogs I love….when they told me I had to re-subscribe, I did. I didn’t want to lose track of them. So that’s the key…communicate early and often with your reader. Lead into weeks, if not months, ahead of time. Get their attention. A huge I’m MOVING sign on the main page is good. I should have done all that and didn’t. Luckily my list was small. And those who liked me? They found me in my new home. Those that didn’t? They weren’t really my readers anyway.
May 30, 2012 @ 11:27:23
I’ve always had a self-hosted wordpress.org site, so I can’t really comment on the transition. I love it though. It’s acutally fairly easy to load the plugins, widgets, and customize. Occasionally I’ll need the web-dude’s help, but I love having my hands on the controls 😉
May 30, 2012 @ 12:37:24
I’m not the most tech savvy person, but I’ve found wordpress.org very easy to use so far. Google answers most of my questions, and I’ve only had to really get help to set up more complicated items like Google Analytics (I didn’t know where to add the code into the CSS of my website).
May 30, 2012 @ 12:20:04
Thanks for the helpful information and the promise of more to come. I’m still on a free WordPress site but have been thinking about making a move, so this is excellent timing for me.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:34:09
I’m glad I could help. I’ve already read Melinda’s next two posts, and I’m really impressed with how clear she made it, so I hope everyone else finds her instructions as user-friendly as I did.
May 30, 2012 @ 12:55:20
Thanks Marcy! And thanks for having me here. I appreciate the chance to share my mistakes, er, knowledge with people. And as I learn more I’ll check back and update you! The internet changes every single day, so what was impossible today might be possible tomorrow. That’s what makes it so exciting!
May 30, 2012 @ 12:59:25
Okay…so I’m confused. Three years ago I bought my name.com via go daddy (which I need to change as I don’t like them, but haven’t done it yet). Then I went to wordpress and paid 16 dollars (I think that’s the right amount), and had my URL point to wordpress–so when you type my name it, it’s actually a wordpress page, but it has my web addy. When I go to WordPress.org, it still says it’s a free program….SO…what’s the diff? Thanks.
May 30, 2012 @ 13:27:49
If you bought your domain name through Go Daddy then you own it and can use it wherever you want. What you paid for at WordPress.com is the privilege of using it instead of the one they give you for free which has “wordpress” in the URL…a free ad for them. So you pay to remove the ad is all.
WordPress.org is a free structure, just like the .com is. The difference is, if you go with .org YOU must provide the server, rather than .com. They no longer have to support you, your webhost does. They offer it for free to you because it’s good business and gets them subscribers, and I suspect some hosts such as BlueHost most likely give them some sort of kick back to partner up. It brings people in.
Going with .com means THEY host you, and for that right they basically own the house and you are just renting the room inside the house. They limit your ability to paint and put up pictures, They limit a lot of things, like Google Analytics (they give you a free version but it’s not nearly as good). They limit your placement in SEO (search engines). Google doesn’t like it as well as they like Blogger (which Google owns) so you don’t rank as high. All kinds of things.
With .org, you own the house. You can change anything you want. (or rather, anything you have skill to change). You can add any plug in you can find. You can run any analytics or newsletter/mail server you want. You’ll rank higher on search engines because now it’s just another web page that you can optimize (this gets into keywording and meta data, a subject for another time). You won’t notice all these things at first, but in the long run you will.
When you move to a self-hosted site, you’ll pay a web host to let you use their server, and in doing so you can point your domain name to the new location for free. They won’t charge you any extra to do that. Or shouldn’t, if they are reputable.
Does this help?
May 30, 2012 @ 13:02:16
Great stuff, Melinda! Loving the comments, too. It hasn’t occurred to me to switch from WP.com to WP.org, though it sounds as though there are benefits.
I have noticed that a couple of friends who use WP.org have struggled with those connections Susie mentioned… And I like the fact that I’ve sort of had to learn some techy skills to enhance my WP.com site. 😉
If one does decide to switch, is it a whole new blog? Or does it continue as is (same post stream, followers…), but with the .org address?
May 30, 2012 @ 13:31:27
It’s a whole new blog, in a whole new location in the interwebs, although that won’t be obvious. You will still use your domain name if you own one, it will just point to the new location. Often people will find you with that simple thing alone. They’ll type in the address just like they always do and voila, they’ll arrive at the new spot. They won’t even notice. The subscribers is another thing entirely. (those who get your posts via email).
But once you make the switch (following the steps in the coming posts) your readers won’t notice that you moved other than your theme will probably be different because let’s face it, the biggest reason to move for me was to put up new pictures and wallpaper :-D. In other words, so I could customize a theme and look different from others. Your old posts will still be there, so you won’t lose data. But yes, it will all be in a new spot.
And no, the subscribers don’t automatically follow. That takes some work 🙂
May 30, 2012 @ 14:49:55
I’ve been thinking about changing for some time. But man! Sounds like a lot of set up. I can’t find time to change little things on my exciting blog. I can’t imagine setting up a new one. LOL I need to win a small lotto and pay someone to do it for me. 😀 Problem solved.
May 30, 2012 @ 22:25:27
Hehe. I know what you mean about the time crunch. One thing I will say, though, is that it’s probably better to make the switch now than wait until you really need it. You might actually want to price around and see if you can afford to have someone do it for you to save time.
May 30, 2012 @ 15:18:24
Will you marry me? If you do, I’ll wash all the dishes and do all the laundry and the grocery shopping… if you’ll just change my blog from .com to .org — without losing any content or any people.
I’m another WANA, and I’m excited to get to know you better! Can’t wait to see exactly what you’ve got lined up! Exciting stuff, right? 😉
May 31, 2012 @ 10:29:34
LOL I’d almost take you up on that, I hate doing laundry! You can always pay someone to do the move for you, if you are so inclined.
May 31, 2012 @ 11:04:14
LOL! This totally cracked me up, ’cause I was thinking similar things. Although, I was going to go with some sort of bribery for Melinda…
🙂
May 30, 2012 @ 18:07:28
So glad you guys are doing this series and I’ll be following closely. I too have been thinking about switching. I read through the comments and I still can’t decide if I should switch.
Another issue to toss in the ring. . . So many people read blogs on phones these days. I hate to do so much work learning all I need to learn for .org only to have it all look the same on everyone’s phone anyway. Thoughts?
May 31, 2012 @ 10:31:54
Ah, phones! The fun thing about a .org site is the ability to choose a theme specifically designed for phones! These special themes are optimized for smart phones, and keep your look and feel. There aren’t as many of them out there but it’s more options than you have on .com.
Keep in mind, once you switch over and get up and running, .org will look and feel the same to you as .com. It’s not a huge learning curve. Unless you get fancy and start coding things (which is purely your choice).
May 30, 2012 @ 18:20:24
Thank you for this englightening series. I can’t wait for the next parts.
I wanted to host my blog on my own domain to get it right from the go. That’s why it took me forever to get started. Among other things, I wasted too much time obsessing over what theme I should use 😛 And I didn’t spend that time smartly writing a blog buffer.
My current look is really pretty but it doesn’t do all things optimally. I still haven’t figured out how to add an email subscription box to my sidebar. I know I can do it through Feedburner or MailChimp or other email program. But how?
I’d also love to hear an expert’s opinions on Professional WP themes and what all the theme should be able to do for you. A lot of A List Bloggers seem to use Genesis framework by StudioPress. Less tech savvy people might appreciate some directions on which theme providers you think are the best, Melinda.
And all the best plug-ins and widgets to have. The to do list is endless.
May 30, 2012 @ 21:29:43
The first step is to go to Feedburner and sign up. They’ll walk you through what you need to do to “burn a feed” and then you’ll activate it. At that point, you’ll be provided with a code that you can insert on your sidebar. I’m currently learning about Mail Chimp so that I can switch from Feedburner to Mail Chimp to deliver my blog to my email subscribers, but Feedburner is simple and free, and you can always switch later if you want to without losing any subscribers.
The best widgets and plug-ins depend on your needs. The share buttons that I have above are a plug-in (ignore the gremlin who stole the Google+ button). The feature below that shows my latest tweets is also a plug-in.
In the rest of the series, Melinda does suggest places to look for themes. Your options, though, are pretty much limitless. You’ll start to see almost immediately what you like and don’t like as themes, and every theme is customizable.
May 30, 2012 @ 19:35:14
Whoa, my head is spinning with all this information.
What if you’re going to have a website? Do you still need WP.org for the blog on your website?
What if you know absolutely nothing, and I mean, nothing about html, css, or whatever the heck else there is to know about self hosting (I don’t even know what that means!), how can you learn about this stuff? Should I take a class? Yikes.
All great stuff, I’m still confused what I should do. I know I’ll be setting up a website soon, so I don’t want to switch to .org then have to switch to something else.
May 30, 2012 @ 22:11:52
My whole site here is one .org theme. That’s one of the things I love about being on a .org. I can have my website and blog in one. Right now my portfolio displays articles I’ve written, but eventually I can use that for any books I have. This site can grow with me and do everything I might need it to as an author.
You can have a website and blog on something other than wordpress, but other platforms aren’t as user friendly. One of the best things about wordpress is how easy it is to use once it’s set up, even if you know nothing about HTML or CSS. If I can do it, anyone can!
At it’s simplest, HTML builds a page. It’s what creates things in the big blank space of the internet. (You can also use it to make little tweaks to your posts if you don’t like what your regular options are). I know a little HTML. CSS doesn’t create anything, but it sets extra rules for how the HTML coding displays. I know zero CSS.
I’ve learned everything I know about it from Google 🙂
May 31, 2012 @ 10:36:06
Yes, the joy of using WordPress is you don’t have to be a web designer or tech geek to have a great looking website. It’s pretty much done for you. You select the theme, and voila! You can do more, of course, but you don’t have to. My website is all one WordPress theme as well. I added custom background and header, but the theme I chose made that really easy to do. A quality theme will mean you do very little in the way of fixing it up.
Jun 04, 2012 @ 19:33:35
I love the Google.
Okay, it is all starting to make sense to me now. I still don’t know my CSS from my HTML, but if you can do it, I can do it! 😉
Thanks for answering my questions and all those before and after mine. Tons of great info here.
May 31, 2012 @ 00:38:14
I’m really not sure what I should do. I paid for a website for 2 years and am mostly happy with it. The blog feature, however, sucks. I can’t reply to individual comments, and I can’t post videos within the blog posts (though I can put them up on different parts of the website). That’s why I started blogging at WordPress late last August. More bells and whistles.
Does anyone know if you can import a WP blog to Intuit websites? And if so, would I lose any followers if I can?
I can’t wait to read the next installments because all of this is kind of overwhelming.
May 31, 2012 @ 16:30:24
I’m sorry to say I don’t have an answer to that one. I’ve never used Intuit. First, you’d have to have the blog framework set up and then import the data. I think the first place to start would be with whoever you paid the two years’ worth to. They should be able to guide you.
Top Picks Thursday 05-31-2012 « The Author Chronicles
May 31, 2012 @ 13:04:43
[…] while Michael Hyatt list the Top 10 blog traffic killers. Speaking of blogs, Melinda VanLone asks: should you move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org? And no matter what you do in the world of social media Jennifer K. Hale reminds us all to practice […]
May 31, 2012 @ 11:06:14
Great post. Overwhelming, but good. I feel like it’s like going to the dentist or the eye-doctor. I don’t want to, but I need to, and will probably be glad once it’s done.
Can’t wait to read more installments!
May 31, 2012 @ 16:31:21
I won’t lie, it IS a bit like that lol. But it’s doable. And I was thrilled when it was done and so much happier with my new website. It’s worth the effort.
May 31, 2012 @ 15:08:09
Well, as I already own my domain name, and as I’m already estabilished on wordpress.com (which appears to be ME not wordpress), I did some research of my own via the WordPress site. (By the way, I come up first on a search for my name, so no worries for me there, either). If folks want to know more about the benefits/cons:
WordPress.org (self-hosted) Benefits
Ability to upload custom themes
Ability to upload plugins
Complete control to change code if you’re technically minded
WordPress.org (self-hosted) Cons
You need a good web host — This generally costs $7-12 a month, or thousands of dollars per month for a high traffic site
Requires more technical knowledge to set up and run
You’re responsible for stopping spam
You’re responsible for creating and maintaining backups of your site
You’re responsible for updating the WordPress software when new versions are released
If you get a huge spike in traffic, your site will probably go down unless you have a robust hosting setup
*I see your point, but at the same time, if a writer already owns their own domain name, and doesn’t want to do all the tech/crunching that is necessary (as I don’t), and can make the templates available look like THEM via customization, then I don’t see a need to switch.
May 31, 2012 @ 16:47:50
I agree with most of this, except the cons….with a good quality host backing you up most of that is a non factor. For instance, my web host, Bluehost, does daily and weekly backups for me automatically and can restore at any time, 24/7. They cost me $6.95/month I think. They have never gone down (although it’s possible with ANY site). Yes as you grow you’d probably have to pay more for the extra traffic but to be honest unless you’re selling from your website (as in, using your own store) the odds of getting that much traffic as an author are pretty slim.
Both WordPress and my host have automatic things in place to stop spam. It works even better on .org than it does on .com. I have yet to have one bit of spam get through.
WordPress can be set to update automatically. So no worries there.
The ability to use Google Analytics and SEO optimization more than makes up for any of those cons if you want to drive more traffic to your site. Those things aren’t available on the .com side.
And to be honest, once I found the theme I loved it was literally a one button click to install WordPress, and a one button click to install the theme I liked. Then I played with the settings and voila, done. Just as easy as it was on the .com side, but a much better looking theme (one not available on the .com side and therefore a lot less people using it so I look more unique) and my own personal fonts.
Plus, the biggest reason other than SEO is the ability to own the subscriber list. This is huge, and will become a big big deal down the road. To me, I didn’t like that WordPress owned that and the site and at any moment could take it away. That didn’t sit well with me. I like having it somewhere else that I pay for and control. That’s not to say Bluehost won’t go out of business, because nothing is certain in this crazy internet world, but odds are I’ll know before they do. I own my stuff and can abandon ship if I need to.
Is switching something that MUST be done? Of course not. But for me, it made sense and was something I wish I’d done from the start. Now I own my domain, I own my site, I have a template I can play with that doesn’t look like a lot of them out there, I can add plug ins to my heart’s content, and now that it’s set up it’s easy to maintain. Makes me happy 🙂
May 31, 2012 @ 18:12:55
I’m glad you are doing well with it. BTW if I didn’t make it clear, the pro/con list came from WordPress itself–which is why I brought it up–that you are having a different experience than they predict about their own stuff is good (maybe they need to update their own info?).
Thanks for the feedback!
Jun 01, 2012 @ 10:48:36
Ah, I see! Yes, they probably should update although I suspect they don’t really want to ;-). It might be better to have people afraid of leaving. I don’t know how they make money but I’m sure it has to do with how many use their site, etc. Eh, they do good work, and I LOVE the framework. I just want to own the toys is all. I’d have paid them for the privilege because it’s that good, but don’t tell them I said that lol
I appreciate you bringing these up because I’m sure other people were thinking the same things and it gave me a chance to explain further. 🙂
Writing Blog Treasures 6~2 | Gene Lempp ~ Writer
Jun 02, 2012 @ 08:40:54
[…] Should You Move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org? by Melinda VanLone guesting on Marcy Kennedy’s site. […]
Jun 05, 2012 @ 11:23:48
Thanks Marcy and Melinda. Creeping my way into BlogWorld. I’ve been playing with WordPress.com and Blogspot for a couple of years.
When I’m ready to take a step forward, one site that speaks my language is lynda.com. For $25 a month, you get access to a huge library of tutorials that are pretty good, taking you step by step through just about any process you are interested in. I suppose you can get everything for free on-line if you want to search, but it’s nice to have it one place. You have to remember to tell them at the end of the month not to renew!
I have been considering consolidating blogs and switching to .org for some time, and might actually do it one of these days. Thanks for the encouragement.
Link Feast For Writers Vol. 11 | Reetta Raitanen's Blog
Jun 06, 2012 @ 08:41:38
[…] Hosting Your Own WordPress Website by Melinda Van Lone […]
Jun 10, 2012 @ 11:09:26
Great post! I didn’t even know there was a difference until I tried to find a plug-in to change the font on my blog.
I’m definitely going to look into moving to .org this summer when I start building an actual website to incorporate my blog.
Thanks, Marcy!