"Web site hosting on Dreamhost vs. WordPress." Discuss.

[newtypeshadow]

The Situation:
I own a domain name through Dreamhost.

My site hosting is also through Dreamhost, and expires in a month.

I've already got the site redirecting to a WordPress.com blog--I like the WYSIWYG, and my web site design skills are not nearly what they need to be to maintain a good self-built-from-scratch web site

Comments

[gryvon]

I'd say try out Wordpress.org and see if you like it or if it has the customization you like. Personally, I have Wordpress running off my own hosting account, but I tend to use the space for more than just Wordpress. If all you're hosting is Wordpress, it might be better to go with the official Wordpress site.

[sashalmiller]

I've only ever worked with WordPress.org installations. LT3, my website, and M's website all have them. That said, I recently looked at WordPress.com for a friend to help her customize it, so I know a bit about what they offer. (So hopefully, I'm not talking out of my ass. :3

[kepod]

I've used wordpress.org when working with a web development team and have seen only a little of wordpress.com, but from what I can tell, the interface is pretty similar. Wordpress.org manages a ton of things with plugins and such so it should be possible to get a lot of flexibility without needing to work directly with the code. I guess I'd say that Wordpress.org makes it so that you CAN sink up to your elbows in code if you want to, but you really don't have to.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to get a hold of me. I've been intending to set up a personal site soon as a way to keep my projects together and develop a routine for finishing things and putting them somewhere. Need to focus on programming for class first, though.