"Every day, millions of bloggers use the web to express themselves -- sometimes to just a few friends, sometimes to a worldwide audience," Jason Goldman (pictured) of Google's Blog Search team wrote on the company's website as the Internet search powerhouse this week launched an engine tuned to scouring blog entries for fresh news and views. 

"We wanted to create a better way to allow people to find out what's being written in blogs, as it's being created," he continued.

Blogs have become an important part of Internet life, according to recent surveys.  Some 27 percent of Internet users read them, according to one survey, which reports that some eight million US adults say they have created blogs.

Google launched a "Blog Search" beta version on Wednesday and heralded it as the easiest way to search for content in the cornucopia of online journals.

"We are continuously adding new content, very nearly in real time," Goldman wrote. "That way, you can find commentary on breaking news as it's being created by millions of individuals. Or get the latest take on the premiere of a new TV show."

Google strips out traditional news sources and other types of non-blog feeds like weather, stock quote updates, and customized search feeds, Li noted.

Google's new service is expected to put blogs on the screens of more computer users and inspire Internet rivals Yahoo and Microsoft to follow suit with blog search engines of their own.

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