I'm building my new wordpress blog and curious on template I am using. Shall I use free looking nice template or hire someone design and coding new template from scratch to be unique just only for my site to build up my brand.
I say, stick in the middle and modify an existing one! Nothing's worse than seeing a template that was used right out of the box, it kills credibility.
I agree. It is easier to start with an exisiting one and modify to give it your unique flavor. However, I don't think that template matters much for a blog. If the content is good and interesting, people will come to your blog regardless of the template.