Google advances self-publishing plan with blog search

The Internet search firm Google launched a blog-searching tool today. The move underscores Google's commitment to the self-publishing revolution and its determination to unseat Yahoo! as the Web's central information hub.

The search tool can be accessed at Blogsearch.google.com and Search.blogger.com or from the navigation bar of Blogger blogs. Searches from the Blogger Navbar can make use of two additional buttons: one enables text searching within the blog currently being viewed, and the other initiates a search of all blogs indexed by Google.

Two years ago Google acquired Pyra Labs, maker of the Blogger online tool. The new search service will attempt to provide continuous real-time searching of all blogs on the Web, providing real-time commentary on breaking news. The search, being launched in beta mode today, will index any blog that publishes a feed in RSS or Atom.

More details of the new tool are available in the FAQ.

Google is also developing a related feature allowing bloggers who publish site feeds to ask to be included in Google's search index. Meanwhile, Yahoo is reportedly developing its own blog-searching tool.




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