Bloggers have many potential platforms to choose from. WordPress is one of the most popular. Bloggers can choose to either download WordPress (WordPress.org) and host it themselves or have it hosted at WordPress.com. These sites have similar names but their value to affiliate marketers is completely different.

Over the last few years, I have toyed with many different blogs. I have used several different blog platforms. When I became serious, about earning an income with blogging, I settled on the WordPress platform. I created a hosted blog with WordPress.com. Little did I know that decision was going to come with frustration and unanswered questions.

WordPress.com shares the same creators as the WordPress blogging platform (WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org, n.d.). Several features of WordPress.com invited me to choose their hosting.

1. I already had experience with the WordPress software

2. Stated that they had over 70 templates available

3. Ability to add widgets and plug ins

4. Ease in tracking site visitors

5. Having an address of “xxxx.wordpress.com”

My experience started out wonderfully. I developed three different blogs. One was geared towards emergency management and the other two were geared towards making money online. I focused on one of the two making money blogs. I noticed two potential issues right away. Without paying, I only had access to about 12 templates. WordPress.com also does not allow you to upload outside templates.

I started adding widgets to my blog. WordPress.com did not allow me to upload my own template but WordPress.com could be personalized through the widgets, right? Not at all, WordPress.com offers a few widgets but is limited on the widgets that you can add. WordPress.com also does not allow any javascript in their widgets. WordPress.com’s rules about java script greatly reduced my ability to monetize. Java script is required to run ads from Google Adsense and Amazon.com.

WordPress.com does allow some monetization. Small banner ads can be utilized by placing HTML into widgets. There are some downsides. Changing the ads requires manually changing the code. Not a deal breaker for me. I loved the ease of WordPress that much.

Finally, I was able to produce a look and setup I was happy with. I looked forward to the day the blog would pay to add WordPress.com’s pay services. This would allow the blog to pay for itself. I started writing a post everyday and placing links to the site. I was quickly indexed in Google. I was feeling very good.

I began focusing on writing posts to assist readers in making money online. I wrote about making money blogs and resources that I found useful (i.e. ZacJohnson.com and e-books). I also wrote about products, courses, etc. that had helped me learn about internet marketing.

I was expanding my knowledge while providing information to assist reader’s in their own business. My next move was to register with blog directories. I found a website that listed 50 high profile blog directories. I spent many hours posting to these directories.

Doomsday soon came. I signed up with a internet marketing course called Blogging for Dollars. In my view, this course offered some very useful tips. I believed readers would find it helpful. I wrote a review post about my experience and posted it.

I woke up Thursday morning and checked my blog’s stats. The blog was gone. My screen now stated that “This blog has been archived or suspended for a violation of our Terms of Service”. I was still able to sign in to my account and view my emergencymgmgt.wordpress.com blog. I also could still view stats for my World’s Dumbest Criminals blog that was not hosted with WordPress.com but used their statistics widget.

I did not write anything bad. Every time I quoted someone else, I stated the author, site I quoted, and linked to the source. I reviewed WordPress.com’s Terms of Service. Of course, WordPress.com’s Terms of Service is a couple of pages long. I was looking for restrictions that could be relevant to the posts I had made. Here are the ones I found:

1. “the downloading, copying and use of the Content will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret rights, of any third party”

2. “you have fully complied with any third-party licenses relating to the Content, and have done all things necessary to successfully pass through to end users any required terms”

3. “the Content is not spam, is not machine- or randomly-generated, and does not contain unethical or unwanted commercial content designed to drive traffic to third party sites or boost the search engine rankings of third party sites, or to further unlawful acts (such as phishing) or mislead recipients as to the source of the material (such as spoofing)”

4. “your blog is not named in a manner that misleads your readers into thinking that you are another person or company. For example, your blogs URL or name is not the name of a person other than yourself or company other than your own”

The previous four bullet points are quotes from WordPress.com’s Terms of Service. The only potential issue I saw was my posting about products that people might find useful because I had included affiliate links, however, even this was a manner of point of view. I had recommended products but only because I had purchased them and found them useful. I had offered to provide proof that I used the product and had offered links to similar products that I was not an affiliate for.

Every story has two sides. I e-mailed Wodpress’s customer service. I wanted to hear their side of the story. I was hoping that it was a simple misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that could be worked out. I was very polite in the email. WordPress has the right to refuse service. It is their business. I waited for a response.

I went to my World’s Dumbest Criminals blog to check my statistics. The WordPress.com statistics widget now showed “account suspended”. I went back to WordPress.com and attempted to login. I could not even login now. I guess this was the answer to my support e-mail. Do not answer my e-mail just shut off the account.

For all budding affiliate marketers, be leery of hosting a blog at WordPress.com. If you do not want to make any money, only impart information to the internet then WordPress.com hosting is for you. Affiliate marketers, I would suggest sticking with downloading the WordPress blogging platform to your own web hosting. i am happy to discuss this situation with anyone. You can find me at Bruce’s Money Rants.

Learn how to make money for less than $2. Visit blogging for dollars to learn the tools necessary to explode your income.

categories: wordpress,affiliate marketing,business,make money,monetize,terms of service,marketing,money,blogs,blogging,advertising,article marketing,home based business

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