ARTICLES FOR WEBMASTERS 
 WordPress, a Great Choice for a Great Website
WordPress is today's most popular blogging platform. It gives web
developers more options, and an easier and more stable interface, than
any other option on the market. WordPress users may choose
between a simple blog on the interface's own hosting site or
self-hosting on their server of choice.
Where Did WordPress Begin?
In 2001, Michel Valdrighi created a blogging interface which he called
b2. He continued to work with, and develop, this platform until
2003, when the project was taken up by Matt Mullenweg. Mullenweg
had been using b2 as his blog software of choice, when Valdrighi ceased
work on it. Mullenweg, using b2 as his base idea, created an
entirely new product and launched it officially in December of
2003. He called his software WordPress. Its intuitive user
interface, plethora of great features, and the ease with which it could
be improved upon, has made WordPress the most popular interface for
bloggers today.
What Can WordPress Do?
WordPress was initially developed as a blogging platform, which is
still one of its primary uses. However, this software is not
limited, by any means, to blogging. Many web developers today use
WordPress as a fully featured Content Management System (GMS). It
compares easily to other CMS packages such as Joomla and Drupal, and
many feel it is more stable and easier to implement.
A complete website can be created with WordPress by using a combination
of static pages and blog pages (or, “posts”). With the huge
number of themes developed for the software, each site can have a
unique look and feel simply by varying the theme. Free themes are
available in large numbers, or a webmaster may choose to purchase a
commercial theme. Commercial themes often come with full
technical support, although even the free options have a large
WordPress community presence where help can be found.
Whether the site maintainer is interested in a simple blog, or a fully
featured static website, WordPress provides options to make that site
work as desired. There are WordPress-driven websites used by
large corporations, online magazines, photography galleries, commercial
entities, as well as simple personal sites that feature families,
vacation journals, and even fun sites for kids and pets. The
beauty of WordPress is that it's easy to learn, and it can be anything
it's needed to be.
Simple to Use
The administration interface of WordPress, or “Dashboard”, is intuitive
and always being improved upon. Feedback from the user community
keep the ears of the developers open to the needs of the masses.
The user logs into the Dashboard via a web interface, where all aspects
of the site can be maintained. New posts can be written, new
static pages created, and full editing can be done. The software
allows for graphics, sounds, and videos to be included in posts, and
the entire mood of a website can be easily controlled by simply adding
plugins and widgets, or changing the theme.
The actual data of WordPress is held in a database, controlled by the
SQL/PhP platform. Thus, when a theme is changed, it does not
affect the data itself, only how the data is displayed. Changing
a theme, or adding a plugin or widget, is as simple as making a few
selections from within the admin panel. Themes can be downloaded
and installed automatically, plugins searched and added, and even the
entire WordPress version updated without ever having to leave the
Dashboard.
Many web hosts today include automatic installation of WordPress, and
give full support to those who wish to get their blog or website up and
running quickly. In lieu of self-installation, hosts may offer to
have their techs do the work, and there are quite a few WordPress
experts online who offer these services for a reasonable rate.
One of the great beauties of this popular platform is that it is Open
Source software. WordPress is free to use, although many
developers do appreciate donations to help them continue their work.
Something For Everyone
Whether you are looking to create a simple online journal, or a fully
featured commercial website, consider WordPress. This platform
offers so many options and such a broad community of support that
once you take a look at WordPress, you may never have to look any
further.
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