German Internet publisher Wilken and Sommer announced on Thursday that it has launched a free UK blog-hosting service called Blog.co.uk (blog.co.uk). The service, which is a partner site to the company's German Blog.co.de and Canadian Blog.co.ca operations, allows users to create their own free blogs.

Blog.co.uk offers several different templates, while individual templates can be submitted for implementation. Photos and videos can also be submitted for publishing. And personal publishing options allow members to restrict post entries to only friends or family, providing them with the option to make their posts either private or public.

Other members or non-registered Internet users can comment on a user’s published entries when authorized by the blog’s author. There is also a personal statistics gathering facility that enables the author to keep track of how often the blog is visited.

While currently in beta phase, Blog.co.uk will add new features in the near future. Members who register during the beta phase will receive founding member status, allowing them service privileges that may later require payment after the beta phase.