I know this post about moving from WP.com to WP on your own domain is a bit old and very likely you've seen it if you've experienced this issue and searched Google for some help, but I wanted to post it here as it is SUCH a comprehensive tutorial and is really written with the average-Jill in mind...

Moving from WordPress.com to Self-Hosted WordPress in Plain English

A snip from the post: It’s not too much trouble to move your blog from the free, hosted WordPress.com platform to your own web server. When you have your blog on your own server, we say that it is self-hosted to note the difference from having it hosted on WordPress.com. Some folks will call this using WordPress.org, but WordPress.org is actually where you download the software from. I don’t want to argue about names, but I want to make sure we all know what we’re talking about.
I wanted to write this post because this is a common question I get. I receive several inquiries about this a month, so for the benefit of anyone seeking answers, I wanted to give an overview. If you want a detailed step-by-step tutorial, that’s not what this is.


Also check out (from the same blog):
Follow-up to Moving from WordPress.com to Self-Hosted

AND...

1. Web Site for Your Business in Plain English, Part 2: Site Platform
2. Web Site for Your Business in Plain English, Part 1: Where to Start
3. WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org – The Definitive Overview for Business

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Thanks Tess, this is great. I am in the process of getting my Wordpress self hosted site up. So I am on the learning curve of having to maintain it, back it up, and all else that I don't even know about yet.

I do want to mention that I have the added bonus of having it designed and copy assistance by Darlene (AVPPodcasts and Tammi (Write Associate). I participated in a chat with them on this forum and the girl who won their free giveaway web redesign did not claim her prize. So now, right when I desperately needed to get this site up as i am getting more and more calls, I have help and I can quit stressing over how much I do not know about website design and maintenance! But I am determined to learn, and learn quickly, so these are some great resources. Thanks!

So glad to hear it You're in good hands. Be sure to show off your site when it's done!!

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Thank you for posting this information . I am looking to switch from MS Live Small Biz to Wordpress.

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Angela D. Jordan
Your Humble Assistant, LLC