] Web search powerhouse Google has jumped headfirst into
] the popular web logging (blogging) phenomena, inking a
] deal to acquire Silicon Valley software firm Pyra Labs.
] Financial terms of the deal, believed to be an all-cash
] transaction, were not released.
] Google officials could not be reached to comment on the
] deal, which includes the Blogger "push-button" Web
] publishing platform used by hundreds of thousands of
] users to update online journals, or blogs (define).
] Blogger boasts just over 1 million registered users but
] only about 200,000 users publish active weblogs. Blogger
] runs a free service alongside a $35 per year Blogger Pro
] option that offers advanced features for commercial
] bloggers.
] Pyra Labs, formed in January 1999, was launched with
] start-up funding from O'Reilly & Associates, Advance
] Publications (parent to Condi Nast), Jerry Michalski, and
] The Accelerator Group.