WordPress.com -- why I don't like it

Now I can't say why this happened to this WordPress.com blog -- perhaps it was well deserved, but I can say this has happened to many of my friends Wordpress.com blogs and even they are not sure why.

Usually some vague TOS thing -- nothing clear cut nor understandable in most cases.

(WordPress.com This blog has been archived or suspended for a violation of our Terms of Service.)

Nothing personal against them at all. I rather like their service, but it's impossible to recommend at this point in time.

Comments

[Tamara]

We're only familiar with Word Press - easy to use and was fairly easy to customize (for someone non-techy). Can you offer some alternatives?

Thanks.

[Kian Ann, Blogopreneur.com]

Hey Ted,

Yes, I've seen a lot of the "WordPress TOS violated sites" too, and I can agree that WordPress.com does have quite a lot of restrictions.

At the same time, there are wonderful blogs like Lorelle on WordPress!

I think users need to understand and read the WordPress TOS - that the blogs in there cannot be used with Ads.

For people who are going to add Ads, try Blogger or host your own wordpress!

[T Demop, Blogging for Business]

Tamera,

My top two choices are TypePad, about $5 a month with a 14 day free trial if you use the link in the left sidebar under "Sites and Services I Like" and WordPress.org -- which is free although you need to buy a domain name and hosting, then install and configure.

I use TypePad. Although a techie, I quite simply have better things to do than install/configure/tweak/update WordPress.org software, although it is great.

Hey Kian Ann,

Long time no hear!
What bothers me about WordPress.com, are people who get TOS violations for very unclear reasons. My friend The Dating Goddess comes to mind -- no Ads nor any other obvious or even not so obvious violations, but her blog was shut down.

[Andy Piper]

I have to say that I've been a big fan of WP.com and recommend it often for people that just want to get up-and-running quickly, but yes, there are limitations. Oh and I agree that some may seem arbitrary too - looking at their TOS page I do think a few areas are potentially unclear.

[T Demop, Blogging for Business]

Andy,
Plenty of people are very happy with WordPress.com fortunately! A few though get canned for vague reasons (as well as many more for clear cut violations of TOS). Your mileage may vary,

[Janet Barclay]

This happened to one of my clients and I felt terrible, as I'd recommended she use Wordpress.com. The worst part is there is no warning or opportunity to resolve the problem or even back up your data before it's shut down.

Now I encourage all my clients (and other people) to use Wordpress with their own hosting service.

[T Demop, Blogging for Business]

Janet,

Thanks for your comment.
yes, unfortunately that's how it happens -- the blog and all its data disappear with no warning nor opportunity to resolve the problem. You *might* get the data back, i.e. all your posts, but then again you might not.

[Cleaning Business Guru]

That is ridiculous and for that you have to pay so much!

I use Rapid Weaver's built in blog, it's really good for customization and cost a fraction of what the other top blogging services cost.

[T Demop, Blogging for Business]

You really think less than $50 a year is ridiculous? Often you get what you pay for.

I'll check out Rapid Weaver -- I'll admit I never heard of it before.