How is .org free blogging software?

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  clintvb · Member · Jun 27, 2011 at 9:16 pm

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  I understand the basic differences between wordpress.org and wordpress.com, but I don’t understand why this help page says that wordpress.org is a “free blogging software”, when the registration charges a $17 fee (http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/). Thanks!
  Blog url: http://uvsocceralumni.wordpress.com/

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  andrewspittle · Staff · Jun 27, 2011 at 9:19 pm

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  WordPress.org is a free and opensource project that anybody can install, contribute to, and make use of. There are some costs associated with hosting a site though. Domain registrations cost about $10 per year and web hosting can cost at least $10 a month as well.

  The software itself is free but, depending on your setup, may have costs to host the site.

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  clintvb · Member · Jun 28, 2011 at 9:03 pm

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  Thanks for the reply. So what’s the difference between going to wordpress.com and clicking on the $17 .org link to create one, and going to wordpress.org and downloading the free software? Why does the wordpress.com site charge exactly $17 for a domain name?

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  staff-blorbo · Staff · Jun 28, 2011 at 9:18 pm

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  It’s not actually about the domain name. You can a blog here with a .org domain name, but it’s still a WordPress.com blog.

  WordPress.com is a blogging service with some restrictions, while WordPress.org is blogging software that you install and run on a hosting provider. The software itself has very few restrictions.

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  clintvb · Member · Jun 28, 2011 at 9:31 pm

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  Ok, so with the wordpress.org part of wordpress.com, I don’t need my own hosting but still pay the $17, but if I go install the wordpress.org software, it’s more of a website builder (few limitations) and I need to just pay for my own hosting? Is that correct?

  I thought the whole purpose of the $17 was to upgrade your website address from a .wordpress.com to just a .com? If it isn’t about the domain name, what is it for?

  Thanks again. It just seems a little confusing that there are two different products that are both wordpress.org

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  staff-blorbo · Staff · Jun 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm

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  Ah, I see the confusion here.

  WordPress.org is not part of WordPress.com. The two are entirely separate entities.

  If you still want to pay $17 to buy a domain through us, you’re more than welcome to, but you can buy a domain through the hosting provider you choose, or any other domain registrar.

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  clintvb · Member · Jun 28, 2011 at 10:59 pm

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  A true happiness engineer. Thanks for clearing that up. So wordpress.com is a blogging service but also a domain-name service? Is there an advantage to buying a domain name from wordpress.com (the previous post said that many domains are purchased for around $10)?

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  staff-blorbo · Staff · Jun 28, 2011 at 11:02 pm

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  I wouldn’t necessarily say that there’s an advantage. It’s certainly a big convenience if your blog is here at WordPress.com, but you should choose the registrar that you’re happy with.

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  clintvb · Member · Jun 28, 2011 at 11:06 pm

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  Ok, last question then: if I buy a .com domain name from wordpress.com, does that mean my site is automatically going to be a blog, or can I use the wordpress.org tools? I’m a beginner with this website creation stuff.

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  staff-blorbo · Staff · Jun 28, 2011 at 11:11 pm

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  A domain name is just a name, you can point it wherever you’d like. You will have to open a blog here to buy a domain here, but you can direct that domain elsewhere.