WordPress.com is a platform for self-publishing that is popular for blogging and other works. It is owned and operated by Automattic, Inc. It is run on a modified version of WordPress. This website provides free blog hosting for registered users and is financially supported via paid upgrades, "VIP" services and advertising.
History
The site opened to beta testers on August 8, 2005 and opened to the public on November 21, 2005. It was initially launched as an invitation-only service, although at one stage, accounts were also available to users of the Flockweb browser. As of February 2017, over 77 million new posts and 42.7 million new comments are published monthly on the service. Registration is not required to read or comment on blogs hosted on the site, except if chosen by the blog owner. Registration is required to own, or post in, a weblog. All the basic and original features of the site are free-to-use. However, some features are not available in the free plan: install PHP plugins, customize theme CSS, write JavaScript, domain mapping, domain registration, removal of ads, website redirection, video upload, storage upgrades... Some notable clients include CNN, CBS, Sony, Fortune.com, and Volkswagen. It is estimated that more than 30% of internet bloggers use WordPress as their publishing platform. In September 2010, it was announced that Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft's blogging service, would be closing, and that Microsoft would partner with WordPress.com for blogging services. In December 2019, WordPress.com gave SFTP and PHPMyAdmin access on Business and eCommerce plans.
Advertising
If the free plan is in use, readers see ads on WordPress.com pages, though WordPress.com claims that it is rare. On its support pages, WordPress.com says it "sometimes display advertisements on your blog to help pay the bills".
Censorship
In August 2007, Adnan Oktar, a Turkishcreationist, was able to get a Turkish court to block Internet access to WordPress.com by all of Turkey. His lawyers argued that blogs on WordPress.com contained libelous material on Oktar and his colleagues which WordPress.com staff was unwilling to remove. WordPress.com was blocked in China, but like other sites, it is intermittently unblocked and blocked. Matt Mullenweg commented: "WordPress.com supports free speech and doesn't shut people down for 'uncomfortable thoughts and ideas', in fact we're blocked in several countries because of that." In August 2018, WordPress.com began removing several pages that suggested the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.
