WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a blogging platform that is owned and hosted online by Automattic. It is run on WordPress, an open source piece of software used by bloggers. This website provides free blog hosting for registered users and is financially supported via paid upgrades, “VIP” services and advertising.
The site opened to beta testers on August 8, 2005 and opened to the public on November 21, 2005. It was initially launched as an invitation-only service, although at one stage, accounts were also available to users of the Flock web browser. As of February 2017, over 77 million new posts and 42.7 million new comments are published monthly on the service.
Registration is not required to read or comment on blogs hosted on the site, except if chosen by the blog owner. Registration is required to own, or post in, a weblog. All the basic and original features of the site are free-to-use. However, some features (including CSS editor, domain mapping, domain registration, removal of ads, website redirection, video upload, and storage upgrades) are available as paid options.
Some notable clients include CNN, CBS, BBC, Reuters, Sony, Fortune.com, and Volkswagen. It is estimated that more than 40% of internet bloggers use WordPress as their publishing platform.
In September 2010, it was announced that Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft’s blogging service, would be closing, and that Microsoft would partner with WordPress.com for blogging services.
Source: Wikipedia
