The real question
When setting up your online business, one of the first questions you will need to ask is, to host or not to host, that is the question. Free hosts may seem like the way to go, because they are free. However, in the long run, you aren’t in control of your site, they are. If you ever want to leave, you can’t take your domain name with you. That will mean starting over with someone new, all the way from scratch. You will leave all of your backlinks, your Alexa rating, your PR, & even some of your readers there. Plus, if you work for some companies that care about Alexa (sad but true), it will be really difficult to get your own ranking because Alexa usually just ranks across the entire network. For instance, everyone on Blogger blog’s has an Alexa of 15.
That is why I recommend starting a blog on your own host. You will also probably get hosting for your email, & domain hosting registration services. Plus many companies include free spam filters & virus protection. In the long run, your own host is definitely the way to go. Best of all, you are not subjected to the seemingly random downtime that comes with using a free host. Trust me on this. Spend a little money now, but it is worth it in the end. It’s like the difference between renting a house & owning your own place. You’ll thank me later.