WordPress.Org or WordPress.Com

  • Unknown's avatar
    vasant3d · Member ·

    Hello,

    I am bit new to wordpress. I have already built my personal blog along
    with my work info successfully on wordpress.com and link is
    vasant3d.wordpress.com and I don’t want to touch it further.
    Now I want to build a separate site for our studio with long scroll home
    page, drop down menus, photo galleries, pop up videos and in some pages I want to add large video at the background. I have few queries

    1) Currently I have my account in free wordpress.com. In the free version I can see that I can add few available themes or plugins. But I have downloaded a theme from some other sources and here I can’t see the option “Add” in theme section and even I can’t see “Add” option in Plugins. Is adding of external themes possible only if I take Premium or Business version ?

    2) With the type of variety of things that I want in my business website,
    is wordpress.org suitable or wordpress.com ?

    3) I have read that a site that is built in wordpress.org can be integrated with my company domain. Can I integrate wordpress.com site with my domain ?

    4) Is WordPress.org 100% free ?

  • Unknown's avatar
    justjennifer · Member ·

    For general background on the differences between running your site on WordPress.com versus setting up a standalone install of the WP software (.org) on 3rd party hosting, you’ll want to read these Support docs and the other links mentioned therein: https://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/
    http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/com-or-org/

    As to your questions:
    Long scroll homepage: Yes, use the infinite scroll setting. This will load 5 more posts (or whatever you define in your Reading settings) as a viewer reaches the bottom of the homepage.

    Drop down menu: theme dependent

    Photo galleries: yes, but on WPcom only the built in ones

    Pop-up Videos: Pop-up anything is not supported here

    Large Video background: theme dependent and few themes if any support this. I’m not certain if you can have different ones on different pages

    1) You won’t be able to upload to WordPressdotcom a 3rd party theme (or plugin) regardless of upgrade

    2) Answered above. In the long run it sounds like you may want to have an ORG site for the theme and plugin issues.

    3) Domain mapping is an annually paid upgrade which will connect your WordPressdotcom website to your current domain or a subdomain.

    As far as integrating an existing site with a WP software install, I’m pretty sure it can be done on a subdomain, but I’d refer you to the support forum for the standalone software to ask further. https://wordpress.org/support/

    4) WordPress.org is the place to download the WP software, which is 100% free and open source. Your expenses will come from hosting, and any paid themes and plugins that you purchase. As you’ll read in the Support docs I linked to at the very top, you will be in charge of all maintenance on your site with a WP standalone install.

    Let us know if you have any other questions on that.

  • Unknown's avatar
    vasant3d · Member ·

    Thanks for the detailed reply Justjennir.

    * Sorry for using the term “Pop-up” for the videos. I just want to load a showreel at HD resolution. When the video thumnail is clicked, just the video player needs to comeout and when the close button is clicked it has to go back. Video player plugin can be either on Youtube / Vimeo. Is this possible ?
    * Is an effective SEO possible across the site ?
    * In WordPress.org can I customise a layout rather than importing or working on a ready theme ?
    * I want to add a video background something like this http://mediaboom.com
    http://www.lifeofpimovie.com
    Is it possible in wordpress.org
    * I have built WordPress blog can handle linking and some basic stuffs. I can design layouts. I am more of an animator and editor. Is this knowledge enough for me to build a site on WordPress.org

  • Unknown's avatar
    justjennifer · Member ·

    Videos- I don’t believe the function you mention, of going full screen automatically when the thumbnail is clicked, is available. Videos in particular tend to span the entire width of the theme’s content container and the user needs to click the media to go full screen.

    SEO- WPdotcom is optimized across the board for good SEO. There have been several posts published by WPcom itself on this, but unfortunately I don’t have the links available at the moment. You can try searching the Support docs for SEO https://en.support.wordpress.com/

    Customize theme-You can customize any theme as long as you have access to the theme’s CSS, that is also true for themes on WordPressdotcom (with a paid upgrade) and there is a special forum for assistance here. Again, the Support docs are your friend. Of course you will have far more options on a self-hosted site.

    Video background-See the last sentence in my above answer. Again, I believe there are themes available here that can do this, but if you don’t find them by searching, please post in the Themes forum directly and add the MODLOOK tag to the Tags section in the sidebar for Staff assistance.

    Last question: Better asked in the WP.org support forum I linked to previously. I will add that the standalone WP has gotten more end-user friendly over the past couple of years.

    Must dash, will keep an eye on this thread for later.

  • Unknown's avatar
    vasant3d · Member ·

    Thanks Justjennifer. Your info helped a lot.

  • Unknown's avatar
    vasant3d · Member ·

    I have few queries.

    1) I used Mac and as per instructionI installed MAMP to start a SQL Server and I have my
    own company’s registered domain for eg : http://www.aby123.com with SQL DB enabled.
    When I build a WordPress site on MAMP, can’t I see online without MAMP enabled ?

    2) If a WordPress site that is built on MAMP works online, then is it possible to map my domain
    to it ? If yes then how ?

    3) I read another way where I install WordPress directly in my domain’s ftp and from there on I can build the site ? Is this the right way ?

    My goal is to build a website on WordPress.org and it should run on my registered domain for eg : http://www.aby123.com

    Looking forward for your advise.

  • Unknown's avatar
    justjennifer · Member ·

    @pixelboxstudio Now that you’ve made your choice of going with the standalone WP software, please head over to https://wordpress.org/support/ for further assistance with your questions.

    The software run here on WordPressdotcom is different (same-same, but different) than the standalone version. Again, https://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

    Best wishes

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