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"You\u2019ve probably heard about the powerful WordPress Multisite  \u2014 the WordPress configuration that lets a user launch several sites off their main site. It's not something that most users may know about, but it's worth getting the details to determine if it's right for your site.\nBelow is a guide for WordPress users interested in what Multisite can do, and if it's right for them.\nWhat is WordPress Multisite?\nWordPress Multisite is a special \u201Cmode\u201D built into WordPress, which allows you to create a network of multiple websites, all running on a single installation of WordPress. \n\n\nYears ago, WordPress Multisite was a completely separate version of WordPress, called WordPress MU (stands for multi-user).  WordPress 3.0 introduced a major shift, whereby WordPress MU was merged with regular WordPress, and renamed \"WordPress Multisite.\" It became a feature, which can be turned on or off.\nExamples of When Not to Use It\nDespite how powerful and cool (in a web geek kinda way) WordPress Multisite is, it's not appropriate for all projects and sites. Here are some examples of when not to use it. \n\nClient\u2019s Small Business Website: A few informational pages and a contact form?  Use WordPress, not WordPress Multisite.\nPortfolio Website: Showcasing your work with images, categories, case studies, and contact info can all be handled within a single WordPress site.\nPersonal Blog: If it\u2019s one blog, use regular WordPress. Even if you have multiple categories, multiple authors, or a magazine-style blog with multiple topics, as long as it\u2019s all under one site name your best bet is to stick with WordPress\nManaging Many Websites: Maybe but probably not. If we\u2019re talking about just a few websites, each with completely different purposes, functions, and goals, it might be best to run them on separate installations of a single WordPress. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as you keep them all up to date.\n\nExamples of Appropriate Uses\nWhen should you use it? The best way to illustrate this would be with a few real-world examples.\nWordPress.com\n\nPerhaps the most popular use of WordPress Multisite is WordPress.com, which is a hosted blogging service where anyone can quickly and easily create their own personal blog. Every blog created on WordPress.com is another site added to the massive Multisite network.\nUniversity of Maine\n\nUniversity websites present a great opportunity to utilize WordPress Multisite, since they have large amounts of content, often separated into several sub-sections (colleges, majors, etc.). The University of Maine uses WordPress Multisite to network and manage it\u2019s various academic departments.\nTeach For Us\n\nTeach For Us is a blogging network for Teach For America, where teachers and alumni of Teach For America can create their own blogs to share ideas within the organization as well as with the public. While each blog lives on its own URL, the main site showcases a feed of recent posts from across the network of blogs.\nWhat\u2019s Different?\nIf you\u2019ve worked with WordPress, but not WordPress Multisite, you\u2019re probably wondering what is different between the two. Here are the main differences.\n\nThe \u201CSuper Administrator\u201D Role: In regular WordPress, the \u201Cadministrator\u201D role has the highest permissions on the site. WordPress Multisite still has an administrator role for each site, but there is also the \u201Csuper administrator.\u201D The super administrator has access to every site on the network, with the ability to manage everything on every site.\nNetwork Admin: In addition to the dashboard for each individual site on a WordPress Multisite network, there is another admin dashboard called the \u201Cnetwork admin.\u201D This is where one can manage settings on a network-wide basis. Only super administrators can access this area.\nPlugins and Themes: Another important difference between WordPress and WordPress Multisite is how plugins and themes are managed. In WordPress Multisite, plugins and themes are installed in the network admin, and are available for use across any site in the network. There are two ways to activate a plugin or theme: At the network admin level, you can \u201Cnetwork activate\u201D a plugin or \u201Cnetwork enable\u201D a theme. This will make the plugin active or make the theme available for use across every site in the network. The other way is to activate the plugin or theme at the single site level for each individual site.\n\nSetup and Installation\nWhile WordPress Multisite is really just a \u201Cmode\u201D that can be enabled or disabled in WordPress, it isn\u2019t as simple as flipping a switch. Here is an overview of the steps you should take when setting up WordPress Multisite.\nYou should first read the documentation in the WordPress Codex on Creating a Network. This provides step-by-step instructions for setting up WordPress Multisite.\nBefore you begin, you\u2019ll want to be sure your web server is capable of running WordPress Multisite. A shared-hosting account isn\u2019t recommended, as Multisite will require more server resources than a typical WordPress site. Some hosts don\u2019t support WordPress Multisite, so it\u2019s always a good idea to check with your host beforehand.\nTo begin setting up WordPress Multisite, the codex instructs users to drop a snippet of code in wp-config.php, which enables the \u201Cnetwork setup\u201D screen.\nFrom this point on, it\u2019s a matter of following the on-screen instructions shown in the Network Setup screen as well as continuing to follow along with the step-by-step guide in the Codex.\nDuring this process, you\u2019ll make the decision as to use subdomains (subdomain.mywebsite.com) or sub-directories (mywebsite.com/subdirectory) for each site created on your network. This decision cannot be reversed later!\nAfter following the instructions provided in the Codex, your WordPress Multisite network should be up and running and ready to add sites within minutes.\nPlugins and Resources\nWordPress Multisite can be a powerful platform to use right out of the box.  But there are a few plugins and resource that can be very useful.\n\nOfficial Documentation on the WordPress.org Codex: Reading this documentation is a must.  \nWordPress MU Domain Mapping: This plugin makes it easy to map unique domains to individual sites on your network.\nWordPress Blog Replicator: This is useful if you\u2019re creating a lot of sites on your network and want to quickly/easily replicate the entire configuration of one \u201Ctemplate\u201D site.  It can replicate everything including your pages, posts, plugin settings, widgets, and more.\nGravity Forms + User Registration Add-on: Gravity Forms, a fantastic forms plugin, has an available add-on called \u201Cuser registration\u201D, which makes it easy to add a front-end form where visitors can register new sites on your network. This is useful if you want to open up your network to the public and allow anyone to create a site.\n\nHow do you plan to use WordPress Multisite? Share your ideas in the comments.\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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