I want to start a blog and a website...how

[getlucky]

do I get started? cost of site ...should I use a pro or do it myself...posting

[Kimi C]

I would recommmend that you DIY. You may want to take a look at building a free professional website with Microsoft Office Live Small Business - http://tinyurl.com/msofficelive . Currently, MS is offering a free domain name (i.e. yourownsite.com) for the first year. It has a free online web design tool that allows you to create web pages without coding. You can integrate Windows Live Spaces blog with it as well.

[m23fields]

I would suggest using a free blog service (at first). http://WordPress.com has a really well-rounded interface with lots of features. This will get you blogging right away.