How To Register As Author Contributor or Editor - and Should I allow it - what is it?

Hi, I need some info and opinion. When I set up Wordpress blog, I can allow people to register - or I can create member accounts - in the following ways:
Admin
Author
Editor
Contributor
Subscriber
............
What's the difference between a contributor and author?
What about admin and editor?

Which of these will allow people to register and create their own blog posts and still have minimal access? (so they can't bother or upset other member's content).

What do you think of letting people register and write at your blog (other than comments)? Is it safe?

Also, and very important question for me, how can I register at other people's blogs and write my own blog posts? Is there a way to know if they are accepting author/contributors?

Thanks!

 

The capabilities of each role can be found here.

Allowing other contributors is a great way to get fresh ideas to your blog and keep your blog updated with new content. It is safe so long as you don't give someone you don't know Administrator or Editor roles.

As for posting on other blogs; look for multi-author sites and look for a mention of them looking for authors or just contact them directly and ask.

 

better still is the plugin role manager, this shows you exactly which capabilities each user has and you can create new users.

on the issue about whether you should allow additional authors, allow comments but for posts etc then it is not worth it. IF you have a rep so good people want to register then you are at a point where you are well known and you network real well and hence you do not need any tom dick or dbetty to register as you will know the cream of the crop personally(IMHO)