Microsoft has found out about some craze called "blogging," and has decided to get into the game -- two years after Google, which purchased Blogger back in the day.

Here's an excerpt from a Washington Post story:

Microsoft is throwing its hat into the blogosphere with a new online-journal service, a move seen as another attempt to catch competitor Google in the services-and-search race and an effort to woo more customers to its Internet services.

The free blog-creation tool -- called MSN Spaces -- already faces stiff competition from myriad existing services, including Google Inc.'s Blogger, which the Net-search leader scooped up in 2002 (that's light- years ahead of the curve in Internet time). On the other hand, Microsoft Corp. is entering the blogging world at a time when it's already a safe bet -- online journals have been growing in popularity and gaining more clout. Case in point: Dictionary king Merriam-Webster just this week concluded that "blog" was one of the most looked-up words of 2004.

MSN Spaces is the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant's "latest attempt to attract more users to its MSN online service and away from rivals," the Wall Street Journal said, explaining that the new service is aimed at mainstream consumers. "Phil Holden, a director at MSN, says that Microsoft hopes the new service will help drive new subscribers to MSN. Parts of the service will be linked to for-pay MSN services."