Here’s the slide deck from my WordPress Bloggers Meetup presentation on December 14, 2016 at NextDoor Chicago.

Key Takeaways:

  • Prior to WordPress, to create a website it required the knowledge of code.
  • Today, WordPress enables the user.
    • WordPress.com is a SaaS based Service
    • WordPress.org is an open source content management system solution. Otherwise known as the “self-hosted” solution.
    • WordPress.com is like going to a restaurant and ordering off of a prix fixe menu.  You can only order what is being served.
    • WordPress.org is like going to a grocery store and buying the ingredients to cook your own meal.
  • WordPress.org sites require users to find their own hosting, which hosting comes in many flavors and prices.
  • Most beginners start with the DIY “Shared Hosting” solution like SiteGround or GoDaddy.
  • Most users of SaaS based website solutions like WordPress.com, SquareSpace.com and others don’t leave because of the price, they leave because of the roadblocks.
    • WordPress.com offers a standardization which is not ideal for innovative ideas that need flexibility
    • Most tech startups don’t use platforms like this to build their apps, so if you have big plans to build something great then you need to be on a platform like the self-hosted WordPress.org version that has unlimited flexibility and can scale with your dreams.