WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a platform for self-publishing that is popular for blogging and other works. It is owned and operated by Automattic, Inc.[3] It is run on a modified version of WordPress software.[4] This website provides free blog hosting for registered users and is financially supported via paid upgrades,[5] "VIP" services and advertising.

This article is about the blog host WordPress.com. For the blogging software, see WordPress. For the text processing software by Corel, see WordPerfect.
WordPress.com
Type of site
Blog hosting
Area servedWorldwide
OwnerAutomattic
Created byAutomattic
URLwordpress.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired
LaunchedNovember 21, 2005 (2005-11-21)
Current statusActive
Content license
GPLv2 or later[1]
Written inJavaScript (since 2015); PHP[2] (since 2005)

While Automattic is among the many companies contributing to the WordPress project,[6][7] neither it nor WordPress.com are affiliated with the WordPress software/project or the WordPress Foundation.[8][9]

History

The website opened to beta testers on August 8, 2005[10] and opened to the public on November 21, 2005.[3] It was initially launched as an invitation-only service, although at one stage, accounts were also available to users of the Flock web browser.[11] As of February 2017, over 77 million new posts and 42.7 million new comments are published monthly on the service.[12]

Registration is not required to read or comment on blogs 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 are not available in the free plan: install PHP plugins, customize theme CSS, write JavaScript, domain mapping, domain registration, removal of ads, website redirection, video upload, storage upgrades...[13]

In September 2010, it was announced that Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft's blogging service, would be closing and that Microsoft would partner with WordPress.com for blogging services.[14]

In December 2019, WordPress.com gave SFTP and PHPMyAdmin access to Business and eCommerce plans.

As of 2021, 41% of websites are built on WordPress.[15]

Advertising

If the free plan is in use, readers see ads on WordPress.com pages, though WordPress.com claims that it is rare.[16][17] On its support pages, WordPress.com says it "sometimes display[s] advertisements on your blog to help pay the bills".[18] In order to remove the ads, users need to purchase a Plan that starts at $4 a month.[19]

Censorship

In August 2007, Adnan Oktar, a Turkish creationist, was able to get a Turkish court to block Internet access to WordPress.com for all of Turkey. His lawyers argued that blogs on WordPress.com contained libellous material on Oktar and his colleagues which WordPress.com staff was unwilling to remove.[20]

WordPress.com has been intermittently blocked in China.[21]

Matt Mullenweg commented: "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."[22]

In August 2018, WordPress.com began removing several pages that suggested the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.[23]

Politics

In advance of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey of 2017, a rainbow banner was placed at the top of the WordPress Reader.[24] This was also done in June 2015, in celebration of the US Supreme Court ruling that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.[25]

See also
  • Automattic
  • WooCommerce
  • Comparison of free blog hosting services

References
  1. "The GNU Public License". March 28, 2018.
  2. "Writing a Plugin". Wordpress.org. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  3. "WordPress.com Open". Matt Mullenweg. 2005-11-21. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  4. "WordPress.com and WordPress.org". Support. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  5. "Create A Free Website Or Blog With WordPress.com". Mark Monyhan.
  6. "Automattic". Automattic. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  7. "Automattic". Five for the Future. 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  8. Reimnitz, Nathan (2018-05-14). "WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: What's the Difference?". Go WordPress. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  9. "WordPress vs WordPress.com". WordPress.org Forums. 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  10. "Argolon Solutions company web-site re-launched as a Wordpress blog" (Press release). Conor's Bandon Blog. 2005-08-08.
  11. "Wordpress.com partners with Flock | BloggingPro". www.bloggingpro.com. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  12. "WordPress.com Stats". WordPress.com. WordPress.com. 8 December 2006. Archived from the original on 2018-03-25. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  13. "Plans". WordPress.com. February 23, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  14. "Welcome Windows Live Spaces Bloggers". The WordPress.com Blog. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  15. "WordPress". WordPress.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. "On Ads". The WordPress.com Blog. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  17. "Go (Even More) Ad-Free". The WordPress.com Blog. 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  18. "No Ads". Support. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  19. "WordPress Cost | WordPress Price | Compare Our Plans". WordPress.com. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  20. Why We’re Blocked in Turkey: Adnan Oktar from the company's blog, August 19, 2007
  21. "Great Firewall of China". Great Firewall of China. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  22. 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."
  23. Jones, Rhett. "Sandy Hook Hoaxer Blogs Start Disappearing From WordPress Sites". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  24. "Sight Magazine - Christians join calls for WordPress to remove rainbow banner supporting same-sex marriage from hosted sites". www.sightmagazine.com.au.
  25. Baeta, Hugo (June 30, 2015). "#LoveWins! LGBTQ Bloggers Make Their Voices Heard".
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