I just returned from a workshop at the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York presented by the Fund for the City of New York called “Take Control of Your Website” offering “free or low-cost, secure, nonprofit internet hosting and services.”

The workshop was supposedly offering a free or low cost web content management system but at the end of the nearly 2 hour presentation, they said it was actually $3000 to set up and $1000 for each add-on, $3000 for a custom design. I felt a like it was a bait and switch job and so did a few others I talked to outside.

It took everything in me not to stand up and shout “Go to WordPress.com where it’s really FREE FREE FREE!”

That’s right, FREE. I’ve hosted dozens of my sites there in the last 8 years and it is still FREE. From what I could see of the system offered today, it made use of a lot of open source (free) code which is used in WordPress, in fact the interface for adding content was the exact same as WordPress, but with even less features.

Even if you want to host a more full featured version of WordPress, it is usually under $10/month for the hosting and the software is FREE and there are hundreds of free add-ons.

I will say the program offered 5 years of free training and tech support but with WordPress, there are hundreds of videos online and thousands of people in the forums who will help you for free 24/7. And what if after 6 months I’ve paid my $7-8000 for my self-managed site and I decide I don’t like the interface or I’m not happy with the support I’m getting there? I’m committed to them for 5 years to get the value out of the package.

I don’t call that a bargain. To learn how to really get free hosting see my Web Site In A Day Program which is $350 to for me to set up the FREE site, train you on how to use it AND and a bonus, teach you Search Engine Optimization and how to write benefit-driven content for the web. And no extra charges. Well, one. A fancy custom-designed header with photos is $30o extra.

WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. To learn more go directly to WordPress.org.