Have something to say? Want to share it with the world? Blogging is not only a recent and very popular fad, it's also starting to influence national politics, with the Federal Elections Commission expected to rule on guidelines for blog use by political parties and their partisans. Too grandiose? There are many more blogs that discuss niche topics such as quilting or a day in the life of a parent watching his child grow up. For better or worse, blogging is a vibrant and growing part of the Internet landscape.

We looked at the two top blogging services. Best known, and free, is Google Blogger. But you get what you pay for: Blogger is a basic blogging service that won't overpower beginners with too many options or choices. For a small monthly fee, however, Six Apart TypePad provides the services we'd like to see offered within Blogger, such as mixed-media templates, built-in photo uploading, and guest accounts. Ironically, Blogger makes it much easier to host your blogs on your own domain; TypePad allows it but also requires a little extra work between you and your ISP.

Recently, AOL, MSN, and Yahoo announced their own blogging tools. However, AOL Journals, MSN Spaces, and Yahoo 360 beta are more community oriented than either Blogger or TypePad. They are designed to work with other features of AOL, MSN, and Yahoo, such as IM. While they might be suitable for sharing photos and gossip, they may not be the best choices for hosting a topic-driven blog.