Setting your sites

Before you can get your thoughts out there, you'll need a place to publish them. Several popular web log sites are free to use and include software and web hosting (furnishing a place on the Internet to store your site). Two sites you might try are LiveJournal

Next, you'll have to decide if you want to share a blog with, say, your husband or girlfriends, or stake your own claim in cyberspace. DotMoms

Whether your blog is yours alone or shared with friends, you'll have to log in with a username and password in order to post messages. But keep in mind that unless you take steps to make it secure, what you post is accessible to the public  -- which means anybody can stumble across it and read your innermost thoughts, even if you don't advertise the site or link it to any directories. That spells serious trouble if, say, your cousin learns you took back that duckie-adorned diaper bag she carefully selected for you, or your mother-in-law discovers what you really think of the way she raised her kids. It's that kind of awkward stuff that motivated the brains behind LiveJournal to allow bloggers to determine whether to grant access to anyone, only other LiveJournal users, or a list of members that you name as "friends."

If your blog doesn't offer privacy features, you'll probably want to restrain your ranting, unless you set it up under a pseudonym and avoid referring to "real people" by name. Be sure also to keep security in mind when you post pictures of your kids  -- many moms use first names only or nicknames when referring to their children, and are vague about their location. It goes without saying: Never post your home address!

Add a commenting feature and you'll become part of a blogging community, as visitors leave a friendly "hello" or weigh in on discussions. Both Blogger and LiveJournal have commenting features; you can also restrict commenting to other members or people on your friends list.

One more caveat: Check to see if your program offers any protection against unwanted messages (SPAM); otherwise, instead of helpful suggestions, you could wind up with 101 messages in your comment box trying to sell you bust-enhancing supplement!

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