You can either run a blog-centered web site mostly by yourself or use a developer-hosted blog service to start a blog.

If you want to create a web site controlled mostly by you (i.e. a stand-alone blog), then you would likely need money – $10 to $160 – to pay for a web host and/or domain name (prices vary regarding time range and offered features). You may need to purchase blogging software as well. There are some services that are all-inclusive – web hosting, domain name, blogging software in one package. See http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/15/choosing-a-blog-platform/ for more details regarding your choices.

There are typically free options, which are developer-hosted blogging services, where most of the blogging functions are automated and provided by the blogging service. Rules regarding content may be more restrictive. You would have to check the site’s policies regarding the use of their service to generate profit or advertise. Less web page coding skills are required. Also, visitors may need to be a member of the service and/or a connected "friend" in order to comment on content. Social-networking sites have features that extend beyond just blogging and are geared toward connecting with other profiles. Investigate and register with one of the following services to begin creating blog entries:

Free blogging services:
Blogger/Blogspot (http://blogger.com ), WordPress (http://wordpress.com ), Livejournal (http://livejournal.com ), Vox (http://vox.com ), Typepad (http://typepad.com ), Travelpod (http://www.travelpod.com/ ), Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com/ ), Yahoo! Shine (http://shine.yahoo.com – already registered just go to the site)

Free social-networking services with blogging capabilities:
MySpace (http://myspace.com ), Facebook (http://facebook.com ), Multiply (http://multiply.com ), Xanga (http://xanga.com ), Windows Live Spaces (http://spaces.live.com/ ), Ning (http://ning.com ), Yahoo! Profiles (http://profiles.yahoo.com – already registered just go to the site). Bebo (http://www.bebo.com/ ) and Gaia (http://www.gaiaonline.com/ ) are sites geared toward teenagers.

See these sites for general blogging tips. You would have to consult the Help pages of the blog site/platform that you choose for further service-related specifics:
Problogger: http://problogger.net
Daily Blog Tips: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/
Blogging Tips: http://www.bloggingtips.com/

You may want to check out http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/ and http://social-networking-websites-review.toptenreviews.com/ which provides a listing of top services and features (excluding Y!360 from the blog list).

for more info visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Have you considered creating a website about a subject that you enjoy and know a thing or two about? My wife and I have been running a few websites for about a year and are amazed at the results.

Basically you bulid a website with good/valuable information. People find your website when they are looking for the information you have written about. You make money when the seeker clicks your ads (from Google) or clicks/buys other things that are on your site (called Affiliate sales.)

To brainstorm the website idea, determine profitability, easily build the website, and optimize the web pages to get traffic we used a special web-based tool. The tool walks you through every step of the process with both video and text instructions. Its pretty amazing.

The key of course is a good topic that is not already over done on the Internet. Stuff like rock bands and famous people are way too covered. You have to find smaller niches that are not so small that noone searches on them.

I realize one of the posts above says a good earning would be $5 a day. That’s $1,825 extra a year. Keep in mind that that is out there making a little extra money every day no matter what you are doing. Also, some websites earn a lot more.

The website subjects we chose are surprisingly simple. Also, there are apparently people making 10x what we are earning on our site. (Which is much higher than $5 per day.) Again, its amazing.

Check it out: