With only a browser and a Net connection, you can read other people's diaries. It's true! Weblogs, the Web's vox populi, reveal the private ruminations of Netizens worldwide.

Weblogs, or blogs, often include personal Web pages containing dated entries--everything from journals to commentaries--usually with links to other blogs and related interests. Often centered on an individual, the blog genre also has sites devoted to news and commentary, short stories, and even pro-style geek fare, such as Slashdot. Bloggers (those who blog) typically post entries, often short comments or rants (see Davezilla or Little Yellow Different), on a daily basis, sometimes featuring fascinating designs. (See a perfect example at Bluish Orange.) Want in? Happily, you don't have to be a Web designer to have your own blog; several different Web sites make publishing a blog as easy as using a word processor.

We reviewed four services that help you publish your very own Weblog. After comparing each tool's ease of use, predesigned templates, archiving options, and more, we discovered that each offers significant strengths and weaknesses. Find out which of the four will help you best share your own personal voice of the Web.

Note: We reviewed only blogging tools that include Web hosting; such tools make it extremely simple to sign up and get started--usually in a matter of minutes. If you aren't daunted by more technical work, including CGI and Perl, you might try a fifth popular blog tool, Movable Type. Unfortunately, we found its setup requirements too stringent for the average consumer, especially because many popular Web hosts, including our tester's ISP, EarthLink, don't support custom CGI scripts.

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Which of these tools can lift your voice to the Net heavens? Hint: It's eponymous.

Blog by number
Compare these blogs' basic tools in our handy chart.