] oogle, the operator of the Web's leading search engine, ] has bought Pyra Labs, the creator of software for ] publishing Weblogs, a form of hyperlinked online journal ] that has become an increasingly popular way to distribute ] and collect information on the Web. ] Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the move was ] hailed by users of Weblogs, commonly called blogs, as a ] watershed moment for the fledgling communications medium, ] sometimes dismissed as too narrowband and self-involved ] to have a significant cultural impact. ] "People will start taking it seriously," said Matthew ] Haughey, creator of Metafilter, a widely read Weblog, and ] a former employee of Pyra. "If it's linked to off of ] Google, you're not going to have to explain what a Weblog ] is to people anymore." Google Deal Ties Company to Weblogs |