Blogs.mu offer a DIY blog network

New service Blogs.mu, from Incsub, the company behind Melbourne based EduBlogs, has launched today and is offering a DIY free blog network service.

Users sign up for a Blogs.mu account, and are given full access to WordPress MU, the multi-blog version of WordPress. Within that access, they can establish one blog, or an army of blogs under a unified brand. The only catch at the free level is that each blog sits on a subdomain of blogs.mu, not unreasonable for a free service.

Blogs.mu pitches the service as a space where users can “personally keep several blogs on different topics (and aggregate them together at your homepage), a community discussion site (where everyone had their own soapbox!) or a fanzine for your favorite sports club.”

Here’s where it gets better. If you want to use your own domain for your blog network, you can sign up as a “supporter” starting at $9/ month. The free version does include ads, one adsense unit on each post page, and a small Blogs.mu logo in the side bar, but you lose these at the $9/ mth level. If you don’t want to pay the extra, there’s also an ad sharing program at the free level.site t

The biggest competitor here, at least in terms of straight blogs is WordPress.com, where you can’t add ads, or add your own URL without joining their VIP program, which is a lot more expensive. CEO James Farmer knows WordPress, and knows blogs through is founding of EduBlogs, so it’s in trusted hands. A site to watch.