Title: wordpress.org experience Last modified: August 20, 2016 --- # wordpress.org experience * [irfarious](https://wordpress.org/support/users/irfarious/) * (@irfarious) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/) * I’m thinking of moving my site to wordpress.org and try the dream host web hosting. I want to know what are the changes that a blogger will experience when this happens. For example what will happen to the followers that i have so far on wordpress.com blog, their comments, and gravatars? Will they be able to get updates about my new posts like before? Will this effect if i use the disqus plugin after installation? How secure will my blog be after i move to .org? * I’m going through dilemma right now as i’m not sure of the answers to this question. I would like to get in touch with someone who has moved from .com to .org and know exactly what changes did they experience. Please help. Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total) * [Jon Dingman](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdingman/) * (@jdingman) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737403) * WordPress.org self-hosted sites do not have the “follower” capability that wordpress. com sites have. You can certainly migrate the content over, including comments, but you won’t have the attachment to the wp.com accounts anymore. * Furthermore, gravatars are still supported — those can be used anywhere on the web, irregardless of the platform. * Your site will be as secure as you make, there certainly are more things to think about when running your own blog. * You could also look at using [WordPress managed hosting](http://wpengine.com) as an option. They would manage all security and scalability aspects for you. * the main difference is that you’ll lose the “followers” and you won’t have that sense of community that wp.com can often provide. You really have to build that up on your own. * Thread Starter [irfarious](https://wordpress.org/support/users/irfarious/) * (@irfarious) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737424) * all right. That means they will not be getting notified anymore when i post something new? Can they still signup to follow using their email id? Should they re follow my blog for this? * [Rev. Voodoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rvoodoo/) * (@rvoodoo) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737432) * There are a variety of plugins which may offer the same functionality. * JetPack is one, and it is made by the wordpress.COM folks, and requires a wordpress. COM account to link with to function. * So the experience should be quite similar … I can’t say how similar as I’ve never used .COM * I wouldn’t think the followers are able to be transferred – but again, I have no experience in this specific situation * [Jon Dingman](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdingman/) * (@jdingman) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737440) * RE: Email subscribers * Most certainly. There are hundreds of services available, like FeedBurner or MailChimp, that will let you offer email subscriptions to your site. They are easy to setup and integrate into your site. * There is also one other major thing you miss out on, the “like” feature. You can’t offer the wp.com integrated “like” feature for your own site, and I don’t imagine they have any plans of offering that externally any time soon (as it would be a direct competitor to Facebook Like or Google +1 .. but who knows, maybe they will in the future). * Thread Starter [irfarious](https://wordpress.org/support/users/irfarious/) * (@irfarious) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737472) * Ok, that clears up a few things for me thanks. I still paranoid about moving to .org. Because managing a blog, the subscriptions and stuff all on my own seems to be a little bit tough for me. As i’m stuck at work most of the time and i get like around 2 hours to spend time on my blog. But the plugins that i’ve been suggested here seems promising. The community environment i’ve built so far on my blog took quite a while and effort for me to do so. Abandoning them seems is very tough for me, and that means i have to start all over again after i move to .org. * Thread Starter [irfarious](https://wordpress.org/support/users/irfarious/) * (@irfarious) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737490) * And what about search engine visibility? Do .org sites have a better chance than. com to get picked up by search engine radars? * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737495) * No. * [Rev. Voodoo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rvoodoo/) * (@rvoodoo) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737509) * Making the switch can be time consuming at first. Learning .ORG takes a bit. You’ve got to learn how to maintain a .ORG install, since you have to handle everything. * Plus you’d really need to manage both blogs for a while – developing the new site, gettng all of your functionality in place, etc., whil working at the old site to pre-annouonce the move, and then starting to point people to the new site when it is ready. * I find .ORG to be rewarding, and of course you have a lot more freedom (and responsibility). YOu really just have to plan it out, and decide if the benefits are worth it to you. * Thread Starter [irfarious](https://wordpress.org/support/users/irfarious/) * (@irfarious) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737517) * Thanks so much for your inputs. I seem to think .org will be something i can manage and more importantly, will need it. Thanks so much for your help guys. This is how my blog is at the moment. Do take a look, i’ll probably switch this to org. pretty. Thanks again. [http://www.thereddotman.com](http://www.thereddotman.com) * Thread Starter [irfarious](https://wordpress.org/support/users/irfarious/) * (@irfarious) * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737532) * Another question. I’m paying wordpress.com anually for my current blog. Once i move to .org will i be paying my new external host, plus wordpress.org, as well as wordpress.com? Or only the external host? Will I continue to pay for my wordpress.com upgrades like custom design, no ads and stuff which i have purchased so far on wordpress.com even after the guided transfer? * Also Should one have good knowledge on HTML, CSS and stuff to run a blog on . org? Because i don’t know squat about coding. * Lastly Can anyone suggest the best and cost effective web host? * Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/) * (@jdembowski) * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad * [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737533) * > Can anyone suggest the best and cost effective web host? * Per the [Forum welcome](http://codex.wordpress.org/Forum_Welcome#Closing_Posts), we close topics like this due to the amount of spam that they attract. The WordPress team has provided a list of [a few recommended hosting providers](http://wordpress.org/hosting/). For more details and other recommendations, please search through the forums or via Google (or your preferred search engine). * (Note: By closing this post I neither support nor condemn the use of the servers listed on the wordpress.org official hosting page, and encourage you to search around.) Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total) The topic ‘wordpress.org experience’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [change](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/change/) * In: [Everything else WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/miscellaneous/) * 11 replies * 5 participants * Last reply from: [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/) * Last activity: [14 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpressorg-experience/#post-2737533) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics