Tomorrow is a big day, as some of my close friends have finally decided to start blogs. Each of them have varying ideas about how they want to run their sites and what they want to write about. The biggest concern they have is where can they find web hosting services that are cheap and reliable. They've also expressed their concern about domain purchases, which in some cases, can be quite expensive.

I made a list and outline for them, and I'm sure all of you will find this helpful as well. When I look for companies that offer website hosting, I have a mental picture of the kinds of services I would like included before I make my initial purchase.

I want the domain name provided for free, bandwidth, disk-space, email capabilities, transmission of blogs, spam protection, mobile services, and any extra perks that come with it. I also look for moderation and comment services as well as the option to create a shopping cart if I decide to sell protects, which I did just recently over at the Ancient Digger.

The biggest advice I can give them is to keep it simple and find a company that keeps the process headache free. It's a small price to pay to keep your blogging experience as enjoyable as possible in the beginning.