Why do I need to pay in order to customize my second blog?

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  frontfreedotcom · Member · May 7, 2013 at 2:48 am

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  I need to speak with someone regarding starting a second blog and why I have to pay now to do things I’ve been doing on my other site for free.

  For several years now, I have been using WordPress to run my website and recommending it to all of my colleagues and people trying to start new blogs and asking for guidance. I’m now starting a 2nd blog and I’m shocked by the fact that in starting this blog, I now have no access to the theme options, plugins, and other useful items I am currently using on my site for free. Apparently, I need to pay $30 a year to upgrade? I understand that to some, it’s not a lot of money, but with these changes I’m not sure the upgrade is even something I would want after having paid it. All I really want is a new blog that runs exactly like my other existing one, with access to plugins and ability to install custom themes and customize WP themes.

  I can understand needing to charge for new members after all of this time, but what about people who have been using the site for years and want to continue using it? Who do I contact at WordPress about this? Is anyone else annoyed? If I have no recourse here, does anyone else know any alternatives?

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  raincoaster · Member · May 7, 2013 at 2:50 am

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  1) what is the URL of the first site?

  2) what is the URL of the second site?

  3) I ask because at WordPress.COM hosting is free and you pay for upgrades. For WordPress.ORG blogs, you pay for hosting and most of those upgrades are built in.

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  frontfreedotcom · Member · May 7, 2013 at 3:04 am

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  @raincoaster
  Hi thanks for responding. I think I see the issue…the .com and .org thing occurred to me just after I left this comment. Both sites are hosted elsewhere and I use domain names I purchased elsewhere. The first is Front-Free.com and the second is TheBeardBible.com. I think the first one is Org, but I’ve never had to download/install WordPress in order to create or edit my blog, as I tend to monitor and edit them from both home and work. It seems that now in order to use Org, I need to install it? It seems like a very involved process and not something I’m very comfortable doing. Thanks again for reaching out.

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  kraftbj · Staff · May 7, 2013 at 3:10 am

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  Hi,

  Depending on your host, some will install WordPress(.org) for you or have some type of easy one-click install process.

  Obviously, we can’t provide help for that here, but contact your hosting company’s support. They may be able to help. (It seems that your host for front-free.com may be Dreamhost, which does have a one-click option).

  Cheers!

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  frontfreedotcom · Member · May 7, 2013 at 3:18 am

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  @kraftbj very useful information. I’ll hit up Dreamhost tomorrow for some guidance. Thanks!!!