How to set up a WordPress blog - your first decision
Considering I have tried to set up several blogs before but with limited success, I figured I would document the process of setting this blog up both as a diary of the process as well as to share what I’ve learned with others.
So the first thing you need to know is that there’s a difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org. wordpress.com provides the WordPress blogging platform in a shared environment, that is you can set up a free blog through the wordpress.com platform, but the software is controlled and managed by wordpress.com. wordpress.org provides you with a free copy of the platform which means you can customize it to you hearts content but you will need to host it. This page gives an excellent comparison of the two platforms:
http://faq.wordpress.com/2006/05/07/wordpresscom-vs-wordpressorg/
So take a look at the page above and decide which platform suits your needs. This blog is self hosted via the software and plugins found at wordpress.org. The rest of the information provided in the articles on this site as far as blogging is concerned will be based on this methodology.
Good luck and happy blogging. Register with us and post any comments or questions.