I want part of my website, www.DJosephDesign.com/Resources, to use MT to display several different types of "blogs." I want a Tips and Tricks page with subcatagories for specific software (PowerPoint, Photoshop, etc.) and an Articles page with subcatagories for subjects (computer, just for fun, etc.).

Currently, I have two blogs for each master catagory (Articles, Tips and Tricks, etc.), but I can't figure out how to display the catagories within those blog pages on the right side.

Additionally, I have all the multiple blogs within one folder on my website. Will the archives conflict and overwrite each other?

And to tie this all together, I want Index.html and the seperate blog indexes to display just a description or preview of the articles.

Does that make sense?

Start by setting them up in separate directories: you'll avoid all sorts of unintended collision problems.

Well, I kind of wanted to avoid that. The MT section is already in its own folder.

What about compiling summeries/descriptions on one main index page?

It really is the best way to go to avoid problems with naming, styles and template collisions (meaning various files trying to overwrite one another).

You could try a structure like this:

Main MT dir with "portal" pages (MTlog1)|
--------------------|sub-dir with first topic area (MTlog2)
--------------------|sub-dir with second topic area (MTlog3)

and so forth.

You can use MT modules, php, or ssi to modularize common elements such as main navigation, footers, and the like.

Once you've successfully set up one MTlog it really isn't a big deal to do others. You can link all common templates and elements to the source file for each and save yourself a lot of time and trouble propagating revisions and changes.

There are several good articles around on the topic of doing this and of using MT to manage an entire web site. Look for Brad Choates' if you need a starting point.

I'd also go to mt-plugins site (linked from the Resources page at the main site) and look at the various plug-ins intended to expand the possibilities with multiple blogs.