Ok experienced bloggers, here is your opportunity to promote your favorite blogging site and sing it's praises! I'm wanting to get moving from the planning stage to the doing stage, and am trying to determine if all blog sites are created equally.

Are they free or do you pay a monthly fee?
Which one's do you think get higher rankings overall?
How do you feel about the sites that pay you to blog?
Which sites give the best "look"?
Do you think there is one that looks more like a website page than another?
If a blog site will be used to cross promote to Ezine articles and affiiate links, is there one that you would suggest over another?

If anyone else has questions to add to this topic, please do. With all of us Newbies, the more we can learn, the better!

Thanks for all the good advice I've received on here thus far!

Hey, i am not professional blogger or any. I am starting out. If you get free account, you do not have much control over site, and if you pay, well you pay

I am using free stuff to test water. Here is my blog(NEW) at
http://mechanic999.bravejournal.com/

you can get your through site. This site give me HMTL editability, FTP, e-mail subscriber form and much more. It is ad supported but ads are not so bothering. I think this is good way to make your feet wet.

Also, becomeablogger.com give you free training to be blogger.

hope this might help.