In this overview I will be discussing self-hosted WordPress software as I feel that is the best blogging platform available.
WordPress is available for download from WordPress.org. It is also “built-in” to many (if not all) web hosting packages because of it being in such high demand. Usually with these hosts you are able to do one or two click installs to get WordPress running.
Out of the box WordPress is considered “decent” in terms of search engine optimization (configured for increased visibility in search engines), security, speed and “look”. Because of it’s popularity though, thousands of developers contribute by providing “plugins” and “themes”, often for free, to enhance WordPress.
There are plugins available, as well as recommended settings, that when applied will improve search engine optimization, security and speed. Also, while the “default” theme is decent, it provides a starting point for countless other designs.
The great thing about WordPress is that it is not just a blogging platform, it is used as a robust content management system, meaning it allows for all types of web site hybrid systems, including membership and eCommerce systems and combinations of them all.
Also available, out of the box, is the ability to create a network of web sites very simply. This allows you to create a community allowing people to create their own blogs or sites attached to the main site, all being controlled in one central location. This opens up the door to many possibilities.
WordPress separates design from functionality from content, allowing a quick “theme” change or functionality change without “breaking” anything else. This “separation” is improved constantly by the core team of developers as well as independent developers contributing to the “WordPress vision”.
The introduction of “custom post types” in WordPress is one key thing that opened up the doors for much larger applications than just a standard blogging system.
In general, when creating a post, one would provide a title, the body, the category and perhaps some “tags”. Well, extending that for unique types of content such as “recipes” for example would allow the web site owner to add recipes as posts and have unique fields that are specific to recipes. Separating the data out like that allows for easier input on the backend, as well as the ability to sort and filter the “recipes” or other posts that have a unique style, for visitors to the web site.
