WordPress is a Weblog software used to create and maintain blogs on the internet. It uses the PHP language and MySQL database sysytem. Though it is primarily used for blogs, it can also be used as a Content Management System through the use of different extensions available on the web.
Some of the basic features included in WordPress are template systems, plug-ins support, trackback and pingback, tag support, and nested categories. These are fairly normal for Weblog types of software. Also useful is the ability to track the visitors on the blog as well as IP blocking feature for unwanted visitors. WordPress typically supports one weblog, but multi-blogging is made possible by configuring the directories to use different database tables. A new release is WordPress Multi-User, which makes handling multiple blogs can be much easier by operating from a single dashboard. There are many different templates and themes available for download throughout the web. One advantage enjoyed by WordPress is the number of designs that are widely available. This can be attributed to the relative simplicity of the system compared to others. WordPress is generally designed for blogs, but there are many advantages it can offer with regards to being used as a CMS. The most glaring one is that blogging functionality such as posting, tagging and comment is handled very well. It is easy to setup the necessary page elements for maintaining the web blog. Weblog software such as WordPress typically allows users to control the content generated by the blogger or webmaster. The individual posts which acts as articles for the site can be placed in categories or by tagging keywords for easy search. The contents can then be archived by Months and Year for easy retrieval. It is also possible to add different multimedia types. Podcasts, videos, music files, and images are just some examples. Adding other features is very much possible through the use of widgets or add-ons. Users can add mailing list, forums, and e-commerce functionality. There is also a wealth of plug-ins available. For example, a search plug-in allows users to type in keywords to look for within the blog or site. The result of the search will point to all entries having those keywords. Sidebar widgets can also be added through a drag and drop functionality. However, these items must be approved by WordPress. Using third-party widgets can be somewhat difficult. WordPress is hosted for free on their own servers. There is also the option to install the open source software to any server or host.