wordpress.com and domains

If you're currently using the free wordpress.com service and want to have your own domain, it is possible. However, is is considered an upgrade and you do have to pay $10 per year in order for the domain to be hosted by WordPress (which, if you're not ready to move to an independently-hosted site, is very light on the pocketbook).

While WordPress do offer you the ability to register your own domain for $5 more (if you buy both items at once), they do not allow you to private registrations, so your name, address and telephone number would be out there for all of the world to see, so you would be better served, in my opinion, to go with someone like Godaddy and pay for the private registration option.

I have to note that I have not done this before, but it does appear quite simple to do it. If you are going to have your domain for your blog only, then you can use the directions laid out in their FAQ about Domain Mapping for changing the Name Servers. If you've gone with the Godaddy route for registering your domain name, this function is found in your domain control center; be sure to take note of the original settings that were in there, in case you need to change that back in the future.

Once you have set this up and verified it using a tool like DNSStuff, you can go ahead and add your domain to your WordPress account by going, in your blog's dashboard to Options (Light Blue) and then Domains (Dark Blue), enter the domain name you're using and then clicking the Add Domain to Blog » button.

WordPress will go ahead and verify that you've set the name server settings to the correct options (ns1.wordpress.com, etc.). Once that it sees that it is correct, you will then be asked to pay the $10 for, as they call it, domain mapping.

I should also note that you do have the option to have email through your domain via Google's Apps program; more information on that is available in the WordPress.com FAQ

I think it's a worthwhile service, and if you have used it in the past, post your thoughts (and any corrections! :001_smile:) about how it works. :001_smile: