Wordpress is a free content management system that allows users to build and manage websites or blogs. It exists in two forms - Wordpress.org which gives users full control over the site but requires website hosting, and Wordpress.com which handles hosting but offers less customization. To get started with Wordpress.com, users simply need to sign up with an email and choose a blog name. The Wordpress dashboard then allows users to manage things like posts, pages, themes, and settings.