Joomla isn't a bad idea and has a good admin interface. The blogging idea isn't bad either, as you can later add forums (like this one) or there are embedded forum options available for at least Wordpress. I use an embedded forum and the nice thing about it is that, well it is embedded so the user doesn't feel like they are leaving the site. The downside is that they don't offer the amount of admin control that something like phpBB or vBulletin (this setup here) offers.
Unlike birger I wouldn't get a free blog, go right for a domain name. Two main reasons, one is that once you get a community of followers you will have to move them along with your blog once you do get a domain. Two, a domain name will help you in search traffic as well. A third minor point is that with a free blog site (wordpress, blogger, etc.) you have almost no control over options. Wordpress for example has a ton of plugins and capabilities, but only if you install it yourself (which isn't hard).
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