Installing Plugins on WordPress.com?

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  unibestudentscommittee · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 8:57 am

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  I was thinking about installing WordPress Codex, but I’m not sure if it really is the answer to my problem, so I thought I’d better ask first:
  I’d really love to install some plugins, but my current blog is on wordpress.com. Am I right that in this case WordPress Codex is he only way to install plugins? And can I do this on wordpress.com or do I have to switch to .org?

  Thanks in advance!

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  unibestudentscommittee · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 9:01 am

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  Whoops, I ment the installable WordPress tool, not WordPress Codex, of course.

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  thesacredpath · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 9:58 am

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  Plugins are only for self-hosted wordpress blogs using the software from wordpress.ORG.

  You would have to get a domain name if you don’t have one, hire a webhost such as godaddy or dreamhost, install and configure the wordpress software.

  Some other responsibilities come along with it too. You have to do all backups, installations, upgrades and troubleshooting. If something goes wrong, you have to fix it.

  Some major “DO’s”

  Always backup the entire site including the database frequently. Having a current backup can save a lot of headaches if your site blows up or you get hacked.

  Did I mention backups? Always backup everything before doing any installation or upgrades. I’ve seen a simple plugin installation muck up a site to where you could not even get into the dashboard to delete it. Same goes for theme installations and upgrades, and wordpress core software upgrades. Back up before doing any of those.

  Did I mention backups? Backup, backup, backup.

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  thesacredpath · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 9:59 am

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  Figure an average total monthly cost of $10 to $25 depending on bandwidth and storage requirements.

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  unibestudentscommittee · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 11:43 am

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  Firstly thanks for your quick response!
  I just tried to read in the whole installation process and it seems really complicated to me, despite the several guides.
  So, before I give it another try I thought I’d decide wheter it is worth the trouble. Say I went without plugins… Would I even need to hire a webhost if I didn’t want to upload more than the 3.0 GB wordpress.com provides? And, without a webhost, it is still possible use my own domain name for my blog via Domain Mapping? Or do I need a webhost as soon as I want to own my own domain name?

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  unibestudentscommittee · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 11:46 am

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  Sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes. And another double post.

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  rmartinezvlzqz · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 3:24 pm

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  You can have your own domain without self-hosting. That is one of the upgrades offered by WordPress.com. Please see this link:

  http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/

  It seems to be $17/year/blog if you don’t already own the domain. If you own it then $12/year/blog.

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  unibestudentscommittee · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 5:16 pm

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  Perfect, thanks a lot for your help!

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  timethief · Member · Mar 9, 2011 at 5:17 pm

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  @unibestudentscommittee
  I recommend you read this entry prepared by Staff very carefully before you make a decision. http://support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/
  Read also so you know exactly what is involved in paying for web hosting and managing your own wordpress.org install. > Setting up a self-hosted WordPress.org install > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2010/11/06/setting-up-a-self-hosted-wordpress-org-install/

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  anagasto · Member · Mar 16, 2011 at 4:19 pm

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  But just the other day WordPress announced that they would install your blog on one of the hosts they recommend for US $ 99,–

  I found the announcement in my papers. It is called WordPress Guided Transfer and I wrote down http://wp.me/pf2B5-1HE

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  timethief · Member · Mar 16, 2011 at 4:40 pm

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  Yes, we all found that notice on our dashboards. :)

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  auxclass · Member · Mar 16, 2011 at 5:08 pm

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  The new WordPress.com service makes it easier to migrate off WordPress.COM it does not however relieve you of any of the ongoing requirements to administer your new .ORG site. So the step onto .ORG is now easier, but don’t let things lull you into a false sense of easy to do for the ongoing support of your new site.