In May of 2003, a revolutionary blogging platform made its debut. Here’s what to know about the WordPress 20th anniversary.
I can’t let this month end without mention of some big blogging news: the WordPress 20th anniversary. WordPress actually celebrated that big birthday over the weekend.
I’ve stated before how much I like WordPress. I’ve also suggested that those who want to start their own blogs should seriously consider WordPress for their blog’s platform. There are plenty of other options. But I consider WordPress to the best.
I understand that some people find it intimidating. I certainly did when I was looking to create this little blog. But if I knew then what I know now, I would have made the leap to WordPress from the start.
WordPress was founded on four freedoms, which should tell you something about why it’s a good platform.
- The freedom to run the program for any purpose.
- The freedom to study how the program works and change it to make it do what you wish.
- The freedom to redistribute.
- The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others.
I’m not a coder, so I can’t really speak to the last two items on the list. But the first two items mean a great deal.
The latest statistics suggest about 43% of the websites that exist use WordPress. WordPress is a Content Management System. That’s a fancy way of saying it handles and displays the content that makes up your website. But of those 43% of websites, many of them aren’t traditional blogs. WordPress powers business websites that don’t even have blogs. People use it to build business sites that help them attract clients and customers.
You can link that high percentage, I think, to its flexibility. There are thousands — tens of thousands — of themes and plugins to choose from. And if none of them float your boat, you can create you’re on. (If you’re into that kind of thing, of course.) Beyond that, if you do find a layout or a plugin that you like, you can even modify it.
You can customize to your heart’s (and your ability’s) content.
The only thing that concerns me
WordPress seems to be moving toward a new type of layout tool based on its internal page editor, Gutenberg. The new layout will be “block-based,” meaning each element of a page can be customized just like each paragraph or element of a post.
When Gutenberg first rolled out a few years ago, many people balked. As a general rule, after all, we hate change.
But I decided since it wasn’t something they were likely to change their minds about, I would just learn it. I’m glad I did. For the most part, I like Gutenberg a lot. There are occasional aggravations, but they’re minor. And frankly, there aren’t more aggravations with Gutenberg than there were with the old editing option.
Will there come a point where I won’t need to purchase a theme? Will I be able to create the whole layout of my blog with blocks? I find that notion both appealing and a bit terrifying.
I’d like to assume that when WordPress is fully block-based, there will still be the option to bring in your own theme. I feel fairly confident that will be the case. Eliminating the possibility of themes would seem to go against the flexibility option.
When it comes to a theme, I’m pretty picky about what I want and what I like. I think I’d much more likely find someone else’s design more appealing than my own. At the same time, I’m open to the opportunities blocks might bring. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to create a site that does what I want in a new way?
In any case, if you’re looking for a CMS for your blog, WordPress is definitely the way to go.
I can’t wait to see what they come up with over the next 20 years!
