The default theme

[RawAlex]

I got asked to trade links with someone today (remain nameless, I am not here to bash at anyone), and while his blog looked like it has much potential, nearly 50 entires (many with images or graphics, a nice touch), it was on a very lightly modified default theme.

There are sites like alexking.org's theme browser where you can easily obtain and download some very decent themes ( http://www.alexking.org/software/wor...me_browser.php ). While many of these themes will need a little bit of modification to really make them your own, it can be almost as easy as just replacing the background images and entering a new title. You don't need to even understand CSS or anything in many cases to make these themes into your own.

Trust me: An even slightly custom looking theme makes all the difference when it comes to how people will look at your blog, and how easy it will be for you to obtain trades and whatnot.

As a side note, if you are setting up a mainsteam blog and looking to get google adsense or similar on your site, having something that looks like you took some time to develop you ideas will make it easier to get accepted.

Alex