Yes, they are two different things.
WordPress is the standalone version of WordPress that can be downloaded from the .org website. You can modify this until your heart is content, however, it implies that you do not fear installing software and have a bit of tech savvy to you. (You don't need much, mind you, but some.)
WordPress.com is the platform for hosting your own blog on the WordPress.com servers. When you sign up, you're issued a link similar to yourblog.wordpress.com and you don't need to worry about installing software, maintenance, or upgrades.
There are benefits and pitfalls to both, however, since this is an affiliate forum, I feel it's a safe bet to assume that one of your goals would be to promote an affiliate product. You may want to avoid this on WP.com and set yourself up with WordPress.
The fine folks at WordPress.com don't necessarily like too many commercial endeavours, mainly because they want to keep WP.com clean of splogs. And they do a darn fine job of it too. However, if your blog, highly optimized and monetized, should find itself in their cross-hairs, you may need to kiss it good-bye, along with all the hard work you put into blogging.
So, if you do set up a WP.com site, make sure that it's more of a satellite site. That way, if the info gets nuked, you won't be sobbing for the next 6 months as you try to recover your pages from Google Cache. Also, make sure you stay within the good graces of the WP.com crew and keep your blog clean -- that means, no blatant advertising, no ripping off other people's content, no paid for blog posts, and no text link adverts.
From the above, some people may assume I dislike WP.com, but those some people would be wrong. In fact, I love WP.com and have a couple personal blogs hosted there. Of course, those blogs are well within the WP.com Terms of Service, therefore, it's unlikely that they will be randomly nuked. And if they were, my livelihood is not invested in them.
So, now that you know the difference between WP and WP.com, make your decision wisely and keep your nose clean. Hope you enjoyed this minor public service announcement.
WordPress is the standalone version of WordPress that can be downloaded from the .org website. You can modify this until your heart is content, however, it implies that you do not fear installing software and have a bit of tech savvy to you. (You don't need much, mind you, but some.)
WordPress.com is the platform for hosting your own blog on the WordPress.com servers. When you sign up, you're issued a link similar to yourblog.wordpress.com and you don't need to worry about installing software, maintenance, or upgrades.
There are benefits and pitfalls to both, however, since this is an affiliate forum, I feel it's a safe bet to assume that one of your goals would be to promote an affiliate product. You may want to avoid this on WP.com and set yourself up with WordPress.
The fine folks at WordPress.com don't necessarily like too many commercial endeavours, mainly because they want to keep WP.com clean of splogs. And they do a darn fine job of it too. However, if your blog, highly optimized and monetized, should find itself in their cross-hairs, you may need to kiss it good-bye, along with all the hard work you put into blogging.
So, if you do set up a WP.com site, make sure that it's more of a satellite site. That way, if the info gets nuked, you won't be sobbing for the next 6 months as you try to recover your pages from Google Cache. Also, make sure you stay within the good graces of the WP.com crew and keep your blog clean -- that means, no blatant advertising, no ripping off other people's content, no paid for blog posts, and no text link adverts.
From the above, some people may assume I dislike WP.com, but those some people would be wrong. In fact, I love WP.com and have a couple personal blogs hosted there. Of course, those blogs are well within the WP.com Terms of Service, therefore, it's unlikely that they will be randomly nuked. And if they were, my livelihood is not invested in them.
So, now that you know the difference between WP and WP.com, make your decision wisely and keep your nose clean. Hope you enjoyed this minor public service announcement.
