Hi guys, newbie here with a simple wordpress question.

[Ianp1983]

So i've always used blogspot but have recently switched to wordpress and have had my eyes opened to a whole new world of blogging!

I'm planning on using wordpress for a few simple websites using templates.

What i was wondering was if I'm using wordpress.com and not wordpress.org can i still download premium templates? and if so how would i use it?

I can use the templates they provide on the site but i have been looking at external ones.

thanks guys, excuse the simplicity of this question.

[Paul Murray]

I think you need a paid wordpress.com membership to use themes other than the pre-installed ones and change CSS files, at least you did when I last used it a couple of years ago.

[sthomas]

I've always found it best to install WordPress on your own webspace and bypass the paid membership that WordPress.com offers.

That way you can install free (and premium WP themes) without any problems.

[Paul Murray]

Agreed. If you self-host your installation, you can create templates for specific pages that display content just how you want.

I'm with Bluehost, a recommended Wordpress host, and I get unlimited space, bandwidth and a free .com domain name, plus more, all for a very reasonable price. They're hosted in America but I haven't noticed a drastic load time compared to my previous host (daliy.co.uk who frankly ripped me off).

Web hosting provider - Bluehost.com - domain hosting - PHP Hosting - cheap web hosting - Frontpage Hosting E-Commerce Web Hosting Bluehost

[Ianp1983]

Thanks for your help guys. So is self-hosting relatively cheap?

[Paul Murray]

It can be if you shop around. My hosting with Bluehost works out to about £60 a year as opposed to £120 with Daily.

If you shop around you might get it cheaper, but be sure to check what you get with the hosting package. You absolutely need a MySQL database, which is often an 'add-on' to some packages so make sure that's included or that you have the option of buying it as an add-on. Some hosts will require you to upgrade to a more expensive package with extras you may not need simply to have a MySQL databse.

I recommend you check the Wordpress.org site as they have links to hosts that they recommend, and if I recall the top 2 have free trial periods which you might be interested in checking out :)

[sthomas]

You can get web hosting for a relatively cheap amount...however, if you're going to also want POP/IMAP email accounts and a more secure and reliable service then you're going to need to pay a bit more.

Whichever hosting company you choose, make sure that your package has the ability to run MySQL databases which is what you'll need to run a WordPress website (lots of the starter web hosting packages don't offer MySQL as standard).

I offer my own web hosting to clients for £45 a year (5GB of web space, 20 POP accounts and upto 5 MySQL databases).

Most decent web hosting companies also include 1-click WordPress (and Joomla) installation which makes things a lot easier than installing WordPress yourself.

Cheers

[Ianp1983]

Thanks for the info, i'm off out now but i'll be sure to have a look tomorrow. I'll probably come back with some more questions

[analogmonkey]

These people do do excellent web hosting only £17 for the starter package as well.

UK Multi-domain cPanel hosting from only £29 - Vidahost

[Ianp1983]

I think I might go with Bluehost. If I do and I do and i set up sites for other people, is there away I can set up an email for them that they can log onto without going through my login?