WordPress

WordPress is the largest free and open source self-hosted blog publishing system. WordPress was introduced by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. Development began in 2001. According to the WordPress website, the creators focused on experiences of the users and web standards in hopes that they can create a tool unlike anything else. In 2003 when it was first introduced there were only a few users and according to the web site they could be counted on your fingers and toes. Since its creation millions have used the software to create business and personal websites from a blog for a cat to a website for a Fortune 500 company. The software is known for its ease of use, search engine friendly pages and theme/plug-in architecture.http://wordpress.org/about/

WordPress Plugins

WordPress plugins offer a variety of features to extend the existing WordPress code. For example the Akismet plugin helps protect against comment spam and is one of the more popular plugins. Others include the ability to display related posts or collect statistics about blog visitors. WordPress maintains an official Plugin Directory that includes over 9200 plugins.http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

WordPress Themes

WordPress themes allow a user to quickly change the look and feel of a blog. By default the software comes with a theme called "Kubrick", named after the director Stanley Kubrick. Users can customize the default themes or select from one of the many within the official WordPress Theme Directory which currently has nearly 1,200 themes available. Many themes are available at no cost. However, some designers and corporate companies sell Commercially Supported GPL themes to end-users for a nominal fee.http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/