I love working with WordPress, and I doubt I’ll ever want to use another blogging platform.

It just suits my way of working.

However, you only have to take a quick look at the WordPress.com forum to see that half the questions asked there are being asked in the wrong place.

The thing that confuses people about WordPress
is that there are actually two types of WordPress blogs.

Blogs whose blog URL ends with ‘WordPress.com’ are using the free hosting service, and understandably have a less flexible experience.

Those with a free WordPress blog should go to WordPress.com forums for support and advice.

Bloggers using WordPress on their own domain, with their own hosting, are actually dealing with the self-hosted version of WordPress.

Self-hosted bloggers need to visit the WordPress.org forums for assistance.

WordPress plugins are only available
for use on self-hosted WordPress blogs.

WordPress offers self-hosted bloggers a way to extend and improve their blogs with add-ons called plugins, many of which are created by like-minded bloggers.

Therefore, the Plugins Directory is a part of the WordPress.org site.

You can only get a WordPress API Key by
registering at the WordPress.com site.

However, some plugins (like Askimet) require that you enter a WordPress API Key for them to work.

This is where things get all confusing again.

It’s actually the WordPress.com servers which handle the information that is processed by those plugins that need an API Key, regardless of which type of WordPress blog you have.

This means that you need to register with the WordPress.com site to use the information that their servers have gathered about your blog.

So we’re kind of stuck with things the way they are, but at least you’ve got a better idea of how it all comes together now.

As always, if you need any help, give me a yell.