WordPress.com
 |
| File:Wordpress dot com.png | |
Type of site | Blog hosting |
|---|---|
| Owner | Automattic |
| Created by | Automattic |
| URL | WordPress.com |
| Commercial | Yes (can be removed) |
| Registration | Optional |
WordPress.com is a weblog hosting provider owned by Automattic which opened to beta testers on August 8, 2005 and opened to the public on November 21, 2005. It is powered by the open source WordPress software.[2] It is financially supported via paid upgrades, "VIP" services and limited Google Adsense advertising.
The site was initially launched as an invitation-only service, although at one stage, accounts were also available to users of the Flock web browser.[3][4] There are 13.9 million individual blogs with the service as of September 2010.[5]
Registration is not required to read or comment on weblogs hosted on the site, except if chosen by the blog owner. Registration is required to own or post in a weblog. All the basic and original features of the site are free-to-use. However, some features (such as a CSS editor, domain mapping, and storage upgrades) are available as paid options.[6]
In September 2010, it was announced that Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft's blogging service, would be closing, and that Microsoft was instead going to be partnering with WordPress.com for blogging services.[7]
Advertising
Readers see ads on WordPress.com pages, though WordPress.com claims that it is rare.[8][9] From The "Features You’ll Love" page: "Advertising. To support the service we may occasionally show Google text ads on your blog, however we do this very rarely."[10]
Ads can be removed from a blog if a yearly fee is paid.[10]
Controversies
In August 2007 Adnan Oktar, a Turkish creationist, was able to get a Turkish court to block Internet access to WordPress.com by all of Turkey. His lawyers argued that blogs on WordPress.com contained libelous material on Oktar and his colleagues which WordPress.com staff was unwilling to remove.[11] WordPress.com has been blocked in China [12] and threatened to be blocked in Brazil[13] because the staff was unwilling to censor blogs, with Matt Mullenweg saying, “WordPress.com supports free speech and doesn’t shut people down for 'uncomfortable thoughts and ideas', in fact we’re blocked in several countries because of that."[14]
References
- ^ "WordPress.com - Alexa (Worldwide) Traffic Rank". Alexa Internet. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org from the company's website
- ^ WordPress.com partners with Flock from BloggingPro.com (retrieved Monday May 29, 2006)
- ^ Down Memory Lane With WordPress.com from wptavern.com. By Jeffro. July 31, 2009. History timeline using Wayback Machine internet archive.
- ^ "Stats". WordPress.com. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ Available Upgrades from the company's support website
- ^ http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/welcome-windows-live-spaces-bloggers/
- ^ On Ads from the company's blog, Sept. 6, 2006. Matt Mullenweg explains their ad use that started in August 2006.
- ^ Go (Even More) Ad-Free from the company's blog, Sept. 18, 2008. Matt Mullenweg further explains their ad use.
- ^ a b The Features You’ll Love from the company's website
- ^ Why We’re Blocked in Turkey: Adnan Oktar from the company's blog, August 19, 2007
- ^ WordPress.com now Blocked in China from the company's support forum, Feb 4, 2006
- ^ WordPress.com in Brazil from the company's blog, April 30, 2008
- ^ The Pirate Bay Launches Uncensored Blogging Service TorrentFreak, April 16, 2008 with a note saying, "Matt Mullenweg’s response was added to the article after publication."