There is a lot of skepticism out there on the value of WordPress as a web platform and CMS (Client Management System). If you’ve kept up with my blog, you’ll know that I’m an advocate. It offers far too many advantages to be ignored. Yes there are some critical drawbacks as well but as long as you know about them you should be in good shape.

In spite of that, there are quite a number of myths circulating through the blogosphere. I’m going to review the five most popular ones and explain why they’re unfounded.

Let’s begin.

Just For Blogs
At its start, WordPress was a platform conceived for blogs. However, things are different today. WordPress is a content management system with a robust set of features available for users. It can be used to build powerful and dynamic websites. And with a multitude of plugins available, the site can be customized through themes and specialty functions. It is much more than just a blog now.

Safety Issues
The WordPress platform has over 60 million websites. That is a very tempting target for hackers around the world. However, it is constantly being updated for security purposes. For example, WordPress has strong security plugins that can advise individual users on the safest possible passwords and where reset links will now only stay live for a limited amount of time. The platform heeds the warnings from users and is constantly adapting.

Unsafe Plugins
The WordPress platform has over 30,000 plugins available. The probability is high that some of them aren’t of the highest quality. However, that’s where the WordPress community comes in. Users need not do more than pay heed to the ratings of the plugins. The platform has a review system where users can single out issues they find with plugins. The size and cooperation of the community allows any glitches to be discovered quickly. And always… Always make sure all your plug ins are updated!!

Big Business
Some people will complain about speed and security issues for large websites. The fact of the matter is that companies like General Electric and TIME Magazine trust WordPress enough to host their own sites. Even TechCrunch, a major technology news site, is a strong advocate for WordPress.

Quality Support
WordPress is open source software. This means that it can be edited by any web developer. Critics usually claim that this often leaves gaps in support. The reality is that open source software lets developers refine WordPress programming. If an issue comes up, the odds are that somebody else has already come across it. A simple search of the WordPress forums will find the problem as well as the solution. This community knowledge approach can vastly outperform even the most dedicated support team of any software company.

Conclusion
The WordPress platform us a viable option for whatever your need may be. Whether that’s a simple blog or an international arms dealing commerce site (just kidding). It’s an amazing platform that should not be overlooked.

If you know of any other popular myths about WordPress, please let me know in the comments below.