Joomla! or WordPress? - Part 2: WordPress 2.8

Last week we talked about Joomla!, its different cool features, and also why would you choose to build your site with it. This week we will be talking about the giant blog platform WordPress, and specifically about the latest release 2.8.

WordPress is a powerful blog platform that has been steadily becoming a top choice for, not only for blogs, but websites as well. It's strong support and virtually endless list of plugins and templates makes WordPress-built sites as expandable and code-robust as any other website design software out in the market today. Moreover, its relatively basic simple installation process attracts more and more users to it every day...

Understanding WordPress 2 Versions

WordPress, we said, it is relatively easy to install. The popular blog platform comes in two "flavors" just as Joomla!: the WordPress hosted version, and the self-hosted version.

The WordPress hosted version is a way for people to acquire a WP blog without having to install or mess around with anything code-related. WordPress.com blog offers the exact same features you would find on the self-hosted kind. All WP-hosted blogs' updates, security, and bandwidth are controlled by the site so you can focus on writing instead of worrying about hosting, templates, plugins, and so on. You have the option to change your template and/or what are known as "widgets" which add functionality to your website (i.e calendars, login form, RSS feed). Another excellent feature is that you can opt-in to secure your website with an SSL certificate--all of this for free.

There are limitations that would make you think twice if you really want customize your site as much as you want. This version will not let you add plugins, custom templates, are anything else that you could need if you were to design a more enhanced website. Moreover, all sites are added the .wordpress.com making your blog not-that-personal. But again, you get all that for free.

On the other side of the coin is the self-hosted version of WordPress. This version is the full featured WordPress software you find on their hosted version, but with the only difference that you can now install it in your hosting company's web space--and expand it practically as much as you want. You can install your favorite template and plugins to enhance the functionality of your site as much as you see it necessary. The most powerful feature, we think, is the fact that you can modify your WordPress installation to work as a website builder or a CMS (Content Management System) making failry simple to achieve the look and feel of your new website. You can also create unlimited pages to expand the content of your site where images and video can be "mixed" to create the visual experience you want your visitors enjoy.

As with anything in life, and just like the other version, there are "downs" to this version as well. The self-hosted installation behavior will vary from hosting to hosting, making it either a dream come true or a nightmare (if you don't know what you are doing). However, one hosting company that we recommend and will help you forget about practically all these problems is HostGator.com. Another problem most inexperienced users run into is incompatibility issues. Yes, you installed WordPress, but what about your template and plugins, are they compatible with the current version of WordPress you are running? What about your template, are they known issues with the plugins you are running? It is always important to be aware of the problems you could run into before making any upgrades. And if you are as adventurous as we are, back up your site before doing any updates/upgrades; that will certainly help you avoid many headaches!

WordPress is definitely a very powerful choice for your new blog, and also an excellent choice for a website as well. With it's two version it is practically impossible not to achieve what you are looking for. It's extensive support, thousands of free and premium templates, and a humongous list of plugins, make WordPress THE choice for those looking for simplicity within a powerful package.