Slick source for blogging; watch out for adult content.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Though pornography is prohibited, users may publish objectionable content to their blogs, which may contain text, images, and videos depicting full nudity and sex acts. Users told to self-tag blogs as "Mature" if they contain nudity or sexual content, but blogs still accessible to minors.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
While browsing other WordPress blogs, teens could encounter iffy language in blog post titles and within the content of posts, including "s--t" and "f--k."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Self-expression is encouraged through creativity and writing.
Ease of Play
some
WordPress apps for iPad and Android are open-source programs and pretty different. Android app very easy to follow with easy graphical dashboard and all controls on one page. iPad app layout less intuitive, but controls for posting still easy to figure out.
Educational Value
some
Kids can learn about producing and publishing their online content and refining their writing by publishing it with WordPress. The site's "inspire me" button gives kids some ideas for posts. Teens can learn to understand the writing process and can continue to revise and edit even after their work is published electronically. They also can learn about effectively using technology to communicate. WordPress is a convenient way for teens to update their blogs and publish writing for an authentic audience. Those with previous blogging experience may be able to create more complex blogs and posts.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this popular and free blogging tool’s terms of service stress it’s only for kids 13 and older. Uses will can access a vast library of open-source and user-created themes and plug-ins for elegant website design. The app and website are also a venue for sharing blogs and blog posts, which opens it up to a range of iffy content. The app is an extension of the site, where users manage their accounts, and this review addresses both. Teens can encounter everything from serious editorials about current events to pornographic images and descriptions of drug use. Parents should talk to teens about responsible online publishing and help them explore the privacy options on WordPress.com.
I had to learn Wordpress.com for work, and after taking a course, I decided to post my own blog on here. However, I quickly found that Wordpress.com is extremely frustrating!!!
I am all about formatting and neatness in my writing. However, Wordpress.com changes the formatting, colors, fonts on you! It will look fine when you write it, but when you preview what others see, it's completely different! This is because Wordpress.com had very few aesthetic features. There is simply no way to make it look the way I want! Extremely frustrating & not worth my time!!! USE WEEBLY.COM!!! You can do everything you need there!!!!
Parents beware. WordPress is allowing extreme content from user tracymillosovich on this platform. Her blogs are rife with sexually charged stories about children and animal abuse. WordPress is aware of it, but their customer service agents either ignore takedown requests or they send emails standing by it, claiming falsely that slander and child abuse is "free speech" and they now encourage you to host debate blogs and get into arguments with these people via their blog hosting site. Keep your children away from this website, it is unsafe.
What’s It About?
WORDPRESS.COM is the current gold standard for DIY blogging, geared primarily toward pretty tech-savvy adult users. But teens can definitely use the basic features to choose a free theme to customize the look of a page; post blog entries with text, photos, or video; approve comments; and manage a blog. Multiple posters can write for the same blog within the app, and they can also use the Reader tab to follow blogs or search for ones on subjects of interest from within the app.
Easy blog setup and account activation lets kids start blogging quickly, but mature content may be too much for some. Customization options in WordPress give more tech-savvy students the ability to create more elaborate sites, and a great step-by-step tutorial helps newbies get their first posts online with only a limited set of options. The WordPress app can be an easy way to update and add posts when away from the computer. The updated layout is very user-friendly, giving kids the option of posting in WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) format or HTML. Photos and videos are very easy to post using the Quick Post feature with no uploading required. Users also can post by using voice-recognition dictation, which is pretty fun and easy.
Controlling posts and customizing content, however, can be quite complicated. Users may find the dashboard menu options overwhelming. Also, be advised that many of the upgrades for customization cost money. Overall, this is a great choice for blogging and self-expression, if used wisely by mature teens who want something solid with a lot of options for control -- but know they'll have to put in the work to have the site look exactly the way they want it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Have a talk with your teens about validity and blogging using WordPress. Whose opinion can you trust? What makes someone an expert?
Help your teens come up with a topic for their blog and then brainstorm ideas for post topics. Make a schedule to help them stay focused -- for example, Picture Mondays and Poetry Wednesdays.
Spend some time with your teens looking at blogs in your community. Comment on, share about, and get involved in a discussion on someone else's blog. Talk about online conversations and how they're different from real-world ones. Refer to our Social Networking Tips for guidelines.
Have a talk with your teens about validity and blogging. Whose opinion can you trust? What makes someone an expert?
Help your teens come up with a topic for their blog and then brainstorm ideas for post topics. Make a schedule to help them stay focused -- for example, Picture Mondays and Poetry Wednesdays. Or spend some time with your teens looking at blogs in your community. Comment on, share about, and get involved in a discussion on someone else's blog. Talk about online conversations and how they're different from real-world ones. Refer to our Social Networking Tips for guidelines.
Skills:
Creativity
:
producing new content,
Communication
:
conveying messages effectively,
Tech Skills
:
digital creation,
social media,
using and applying technology
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Amanda Finkelberg
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
