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WordPress in simple terms
WordPress (WordPress.org) is software that you install on a web server and use to publish a website and manage its content. This software allows you to do this without needing programming skills. For this reason, WordPress is often described as a web publishing platform or content management system.
Founded in 2003 by developers Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, WordPress started as blogging software, but it is now available in 200+ langages, powers over 40% of the websites worldwide, and offers much more than blogging functionalities. Its popularity is most likely due to the fact that it is free and open source (more on this subject here) as well as easier to use than alternatives such as Drupal.
Not to be confused with WordPress.com
WordPress.org (or what I call simply WordPress) should not be confused with WordPress.com, which is a website hosting service owned and operated by Automattic, a for-profit company run by the founder of WordPress. WordPress is, as we’ve seen, the software that you install on a server. Interesting fact: In 2010, ownership of WordPress was transferred from the for-profit company Automattic to the non-profit WordPress Foundation to ensure its continued growth, independent from any for-profit company.
Themes
To function, WordPress needs a theme. A theme is created with the programming languages PHP, HTML, CSS, and javascript, and it controls the presentation or look and feel of your site: layout, colours, fonts. There are thousands of free and paid themes out there that you can adapt to your organization’s image and personality. When you install WordPress, a default theme will be installed. You can modify that theme or add a new one.
Plugins
A plugin is a piece of software that you can install in your WordPress dashboard. It is not needed for WordPress to work, but it is quite useful as it allows you to add more functionalities to your WordPress site. A plugin, for example, can be installed and configured to add a member area, an online store, a calendar, a form, a search engine, a portfolio, a social network, etc.
Community
In addition to being software, WordPress is a community of users, developers, and teachers. You can find this community in the WordPress support forums, on learn.wordpress.org, at WordCamps, WordPress.tv, and a number of blogs like this one.
Now that you know what WordPress is, see why I prefer it over Squarespace, Wix, Weebly and shopify.
