paypal

  • polecat · Member ·

    hi,

    i have a wordpress.com blog i would like to use to sell things through. is this possible in any way or would i have to get a wordpress.org blog on my own server space?

    cheers.

  • timethief · Member ·

    Here on wordpress.com blog you can have only one link to an external commercial website in your sidebar. If that limitation is acceptable to you there are instructions for inserting a paypal non-javascript button into a text widget and placing it in your sidebar. http://wordpress.com/forums/topic.php?id=1188&replies=12#post-6295
    However, if you desire more external links than just one then http://wordpress.org is the place to go for a self hosted or web hosted blog that you intend to be used for commercial purposes.
    Before you make your decision I recommend that you read the pink sticky post at the head of the forum entitled “please read first before posting” so you understand the differences between worpress.com services and wordpress.org services http://wordpress.com/forums/topic.php?id=3700&replies=1
    If you do decide to go to self-hosting or to web hosting you can export your blog contents from your existing blog to your new one. In that case this may be helpful.

  • raincoaster · Member ·

    If selling items or services is the primary purpose of the blog then you should probably download the software and host it yourself, but your WordPress.com blog can be business-related just fine, as long as selling isn’t its main purpose.

  • polecat · Member ·

    cheers for the advice guys.
    perhaps i’ll stick with wordpress.com for the moment and make the leap to my own hosting and the wordpress.org software when the time is right.

  • timethief · Member ·

    @polecat

    As you have already begun to set up a blog and it already has multiple external links seemingly designed to drive traffic to several commercial commercial sites selling jewelry, I would recommend you immediately send a feedback to staff using the feedback button on the top right hand corner of any of your blog pages.
    Those of us who blog here and volunteer to answer questions on the forum are not the policy makers, nor are we in a position to interpret the ToS (the Terms of Service contract you agreed to to get a blog here) or to debate the legal advice that gave rise to the current wording of the ToS.
    The company principals are policy makers, they retain legal counsel to create contract wording that serves their purposes, and the party who makes the decision for Automattic (WordPress) is their employee, our Support Maven, Mark. Hence Mark is the party who will assist you in determining when “to make the leap to my own hosting and the wordpress.org software”.
    http://wordpress.com/tos

  • polecat · Member ·

    cheers timethief,

    i can see you are very knowledgeable about wordpress from all the posting you do!

    i know you don’t want to say because you don’t actually work for wordpress, BUT, what would you advise…

    > are the links to those jewellery sites against the rules?

    > would it be possible to use a text widget to link to an ebay store?

    > is it against the rules to have links to an ebay store in the body of a post/page?

    i read the terms and conditions before signing up and didn’t see anything about a blog being non-commercial, but it is easy to miss bits on contracts.looking forward to your feedback…

    [please note: i never considered that those links may be driving people to those sites. i simply did it to test out what is possible with wordpress software. i’ll remove them shortly.]

  • timethief · Member ·

    @polecat
    Hi there.
    I have only owned a computer for just under 4 years and have no special technical skills whatsoever. I have only been a wp blogger for 7 months and I learned what I know about using wordpress.com from tracking the blogger’s questions on the forum and drmike our Moderator’s responses to them.
    I know how to use the resources provided like the FAQs search box and the forum search box and I have a pretty good memory too. I also set myself up a test blog where I collect notes. When bloggers ask questions here on the forum I change the test blog to the theme they are using and work out all the answers I give to see if they seem to work there before I post them here.
    In other words, anyone can do what I’m doing now and that’s the great thing about wordpress.com. Helping one another is what a blogging community is all about.
    I am not in a position to advise you on advertising and linking to commercial sites nor is any other blogger here on the forum. And I did not request that you remove the links I simply clicked on them to see if they worked and they did. Instead I originally advised you to contact Mark.
    Now I’m asking you again to please contact Mark through sending a feedback with a link back to this thread. The button is on the top right hand corner of any of your blog pages. Or if you prefer send an email to support at wordpress dot com.
    Best regards

  • polecat · Member ·

    ok timethief,

    thanks for your assistance, wordpress is a better place for contributors like yourself.

    i’m sure we’ll run into one another on a forum thread soon!

  • drmike · Member ·

    I have only owned a computer for just under 4 years and have no special technical skills whatsoever.

    TT is channeling my ex. :)

    “Yes, dear. That’s the on switch.”

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