What Is WordPress?

Posted by Madhavi on Sep 8, 2010 in WordPress 101 | 0 comments

WordPress is an Open Source Web Based CMS (Content Management System) which is used to publish blogs and create websites. WordPress is powered by PHP and MySQL, and it has several features such as a plugin architecture and a template system.

Wow.. that was a mouthful, wasn’t it?

Let me explain.

WordPress – Open Source

This means that WordPress source code is openly available for people to see, use and develop upon. This also means that the system is available FREE.

What It Means For You

If we leave out all the complicated definitions, this means WordPress – the system – is FREE. You can download it freely and install it easily on your website. And if you are a developer, then the source code is also available for you to look at and use and change so that you can make more nice things and improvements that go with WordPress.

WordPress – A Web Based Content Management System

A content management system or a CMS is basically a system which is used to manage your content. When this content management system is based on the Internet, then it becomes a Web-based CMS.

What It Means For You

Because WordPress is web based and is a competent CMS, it becomes a perfect tool and system for creating and managing your company’s website, complete with a blog! And you don’t need to know complicated html or programming to do so!

Yay!

WordPress - Powered by PHP and MySQL

PHP is an Open Source (that word again!), server side scripting language. MySQL is a relational database management system that runs as a server, and provides multi-user access to a number of databases.

What It Means For You

Well, basically, PHP is a very powerful language which has been used to write the code in WordPress, and therefore adds a bunch of features and functionalities to the system, which make it rock! And of course, MySQL is the database where all the relevant information is stored, so that you can easily access it.

WordPress - Plugin Architecture and a Template System

WordPress has been written in such a way that its basic functionalities can be added to by the use of a number of add-ons or Plugins. These plugins can be different based on your specific needs and requirements. WordPress also has a system where you can create templates for your website pages, which can be used as and when required.

What It Means For You

Essentially, you can access a repository of FREE plugins all across the Internet (and you will find most of them here), and easily download and install them into your site, without leaving your site. Plugins can be used for a variety of purposes: for example, the Platinum SEO Plugin can be used to add a number of SEO functionalities to your website.

Templates can be used to easily create standard pages, on the fly. If your website uses a typical page, say for displaying your latest news items, then you can simply make your template and save it for later, when you can re-use it very easily.

WordPress - Variety of Themes

There are thousands of Themes that have been developed exclusively for WordPress. And of course, several thousand of them are FREE! You can find a repository of such WordPress Themes across the Internet (and many of them can be found here), and of course, just download and install many of them without leaving your site backend.

There are also a number of Premium Themes (you have to pay for these) available for download and use.

What It Means For You

Themes define the look and feel of your website. You can give your website the look you want! You can customize many of the different aspects of the design (like headers and colors) and many of these wonderful themes are FREE!

In case you were wondering about the theme for my website, that is a Premium Theme (I paid for it) and is made by the super-wonderful Elegant Themes. If you so require, there are a number of theme developers out there too, who can create custom themes for you as well.

WordPress - Used to Publish Blogs and Create Websites

But of course! See this website. I made it from scratch using WordPress! By myself. WordPress gives me the functionality to create independent site pages and add a bunch of blog posts under a ‘Blog’ page. This means, I can easily make a website which has a blog on it, and can maintain it – all by myself.

What It Means For You

You can make your website in WordPress just as easily! You can find a number of WordPress training videos all over the Internet. And if you are conversant with using a word processing software (like MS Word, for example), then getting around the interface of WordPress and making your own Pages and Posts won’t be difficult for you!

Or, if you prefer to let me do all that for you, then I can do that for you too!

In Conclusion…

You can easily use WordPress to make your website and become independent of your website developer forever! (Many of you know what I am talking about!)

And while WordPress provides straightforward basic functionalities, it also caters to a number of advanced features and benefits. So no matter what your specific requirement, it is possible to create a website that is not only functional, but also stunning!

If making a website with me sounds right to you, feel free to Contact Me and we can discuss your specific requirements and explore the innumerable possibilities of Website Creation with WordPress.

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