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After we announced media changes on WordPress.com, some of you asked when these new WordPress.com features would be available for self-hosted WordPress sites.

Well, wait no more! The latest features brought to WordPress.com — such as tiled galleries and slideshows — are now available for WordPress.org users with self-hosted sites through the Jetpack 2.1 release. You can now show off your images in gorgeous photo mosaics and slideshows that integrate seamlessly with the Carousel module.

In addition to these media features, WordPress.org users who have installed the latest Jetpack release will notice updates to the Photon, Infinite Scroll, Publicize, Sharing, and Contact Form modules, while the Custom CSS editor has also been updated. For a complete list of changes, see the Jetpack changelog.

What is Jetpack?

Jetpack is a free plugin that connects to WordPress.com and allows users with self-hosted WordPress sites to enable the awesome features available to WordPress.com users, like Stats, Comments, Contact Forms, Sharing tools, and more. In the past, WordPress.com features weren’t available on self-hosted WordPress installs.

Jetpack brings the best of WordPress.com to users of self-hosted WordPress sites in one super plugin; it’s quite convenient, as you don’t have to bother with several separate plugin installations.

Interested in learning more? Visit the Jetpack site.

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com

What’s the difference between a self-hosted (WordPress.org) site and a site hosted on WordPress.com?

WordPress is a free open source blogging software that powers many blogs and sites; over 60 million users have chosen WordPress to create and run their homes on the web. These WordPress.org users have self-hosted sites — in other words, users download and install the software on a web server, and pay a fee (generally $7-12 a month) to a web host, such as Bluehost or Go Daddy, to keep it up and running.

WordPress.org users with self-hosted sites can upload themes, upload plugins (such as Jetpack), run advertisements, edit the database, and even modify the PHP code that powers their sites. While a self-hosted site requires more technical knowledge to set up and run, you have complete control over it.

Brought to you by the same folks who work on WordPress, WordPress.com is a free hosting platform that makes it very easy for anyone — including you! — to publish online. If you have a blog hosted on WordPress.com, all of the technical stuff is taken care of (setting up and backing up your site, updating the software when we release new versions, blocking spam, keeping it secure). Because your site is on our servers, you don’t have to worry about your site “going down.”

Also, as you’ve probably noticed, WordPress.com users are automatically part of a larger community: in the Reader, you can discover new content on various topics, read handpicked editorial selections, and find and follow like-minded bloggers.

Here at en.blog.wordpress.com, we focus on announcing new WordPress.com features and highlighting the best from this community. If you’re interested in learning more about self-hosting your blog or site, go to WordPress.org, visit the WordPress.org blog, and read about the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com on our Support site.