Why wordpress?

Because people never read the TOS before signing up.

As to the original question: Yes, it is that limited. And the response to the "why" - because the owner(s) of the site make the rules as they want. It is that simple...

As usual, people are jumping in with answers that show they quit reading after the subject line...

Yes, the wordpress.com version is that limited. It's done by design. One, it makes it much simpler for the people who just want a place to post their thoughts, ramblings, family news, whatever. They don't have to wade through screen after screen of choices and options. Two, it helps keep the marketers out. Why should the owners float the bill for bandwidth and storage so other people can run flogs and splogs for money?

Wordpress.com is an offshoot of wordpress.org, with a decidedly UNcommercial leaning. Blogger, on the other hand, belongs to a for-profit corporation and encourages using the service to make money - particularly via their own profit center.

Here's a plan to finance your own domain and hosting...

Register an author account at someplace like textbrokers.com. You can write short articles of middling quality for $2 each.

Write 5 of those articles, and you have your domain paid for the year.

Write 3 every month, and you have a hosting account paid for.

Add 1 more each month to make it 1 article per week, and you'll have your domain renewal paid when it comes up.

For the time it takes to write 50-55 articles of 250-400 words, spread over the course of a year, you have a real domain and hosting account, and you won't have to whine about the free services being limited.

I guess I wasn't as clear about things as I should have been. I wasn't snapping at you for your original question. I wasn't trying to snap at you at all.

My comment about whining was actually triggered by a later comment about being broke.
Had I not taken you seriously, I would not have taken the time to post a workable plan to finance what you need to get started. I hope you do check it out and make it work.

And don't stop asking questions. That's how people get answers, even if some of those answers are less than diplomatic by crotchety old guys still on their first cup of coffee...

When they recommend WP, they are talking about the self hosted version, not wordpress.com.

And they choose it over other blogs and cms options because it is apparently easier. I don't personally find it easier than other cms, and find it actually limited off the box. But that is just me.

John's plan is a good one.

with blogger you can actually run your own adsense "empire", if you choose to.

other options are: ehow, infobarrel, squidoo and hubpages.

they are all revenue sharing and free to setup. You can learn the ropes about adsense type of business there and traffic.

Each one has its preferences about the way content has to be shaped, make sure you follow the rules and create good content according their own rules.

Please beware, they will not make you any money with no traffic.

Once you have your own domain, you can add links to your domain from the other properties, and there you have more freedom to actually sell products.

Laura