Getting started with blogs is easy, and there are a variety of free blogging hosts:
Blogger is one of the oldest and easiest to set up and publish on. In just 3 easy steps, you're ready to begin publishing. In using blogs, either for students or for yourself, it's helpful to read other established blogging educators, such as in the blogroll on this blog. And Darren Rowse of Problogger has a good tutorial "Blogging for Beginners."
For a "personal learning landscape," consider elgg. Elgg is a community of learners where one can form "friends" and "communities" with others having similar interests. It provides a blog, RSS feeds, calendar, and file uploading. Its strong point is how it enables people to form communities of friends that you can easily interact with. For a thorough review of elgg, read "Elgg -- A Personal Learning Landscape" in the journal TESL-EJ.
