As any blogger will tell you, in order to really make an impact on the blogging world, you’ve got to have your own hosted blog. However, for many just beginning, this simply isn’t an option. So, what should a person do? Easy, just set up your own free blog on one of the many different free sites online.

Probably the most popular of all the free sites is Blogger.com. Blogger.com is owned by Google and millions of people have gotten their start in the blogging world through them. However, they are not the only free blogging service online. There are several others, but you’ve really got to check a site out before jumping in with both feet, er, hands.

If you’re looking for a free site to start your first blog, or just somewhere to bang out your thoughts and dreams, here are a few places you might enjoy.

1.) Aeonity.com–I like the way this site is set up, but from what I can tell, there is no way to insert your Google Ad code or any other affiliate banners. However, you can write about your favorite affiliate programs and products and insert your links from there. The one thing that bothers me about this site is that it seems more people have signed up, than have actually posted anything.

2.) BlogEasy.com–This site looks as though it could be a great site. The problem is that many of the pages are gone due to some hacker who did some serious damage to the site. However, the staff is working on getting things back up and running again. The good thing about this site is that they tell you right on the front page that you can earn money through your blog on their site. The bad thing is that every article I looked at had literally hundreds of spam comments on them and it was difficult to find the real comments among them.

3.) Blogono.com–This site could give blogger a run for their money. First and foremost, they’ve got several themes you can choose from, that blow Blogger’s themes out of the water. Secondly, you can add your Adsense code and make money from your blog. They tell you up front that they will be sharing the ads with you, but what the heck, there aren’t charging you for your space. The only thing I’ve seen on this site that didn’t set well with me is all the posts on “adult” topics. Blogger Beware!!

4.) BlogSome.com–Very simple blogging service. From what I can tell, set up is as easy as choosing a name for your blog. I looked through some of the current blogs and did see affiliate banners and Google Ads in the sidebars, but couldn’t find an F.A.Q. to determine whether or not these were solely for the bloggers, if they were shared between blogger and admin, or if it was strictly admin ads. This would be a great site for a first-time blogger, or for someone just wanting a little spot to call their own.

5.) BlogText.org–This site reminds me a lot of Blogger, except they offer way nicer themes. You can easily set up your blog, monetize it with affiliate links or Google Ads, upload photos-videos-podcasts, and get yourself going online. They only thing that bothered me about this site is that I couldn’t find a way to check out a few of their existing blogs. Other than that, it seems to be a great place to get started in the blogging world.

6.) JounalHome.com–I really like this site. I’ve actually got my own little corner here, and I’ve been very happy with it so far. Every time you publish a post, it goes directly to the main site’s homepage for everyone to see. They offer some nice themes to choose from, and various placements for your Google Ads. One of my favorites.

7.) Noodle5.com–I’m not totally impressed with this site, but they do offer users a free blog complete with an image gallery. They also have more than 60 different themes to choose from. My problem with this site is that they claim to still be in “beta”, and have been for almost a year now. I couldn’t find an F.A.Q. for the site, but I think you can add Google ads to your blogs.

8.) NowBlogging.net–This site is a lot like JournalHome, as your recent posts are displayed on the site’s homepage. You can add your Google Adsense code and make a little money, choose from different themes, and get 10Megs of space for your photo gallery. For someone just starting out, this would be a nice place to go.

9.) TheBlogs.net–This would be a nice place to go if you’re looking to just set up a little blog for friends or family to visit. It comes with a writing editor, customizable templates, RSS feeds, and a lot more. Nice place for someone just wanting to talk about personal issues, or wanting to start a site for their affiliate links.

10.) Thoughts.com–This site is strictly a personal blogging community. It states right in the F.A.Q. that users are not allowed to discuss outside businesses, affiliate links, or other ways of making money online. This is for those who are looking to publish their private thoughts, stories, poems, or things they enjoy reading.

Starting your first blog doesn’t need to be a daunting task. Also, even if you’re a blogging expert, you might want to find a little place to just be yourself. The above list is only a few of the places you’ll find online to get yourself into the world of blogging.