Results of a new study issued by the Pew Internet and American Life Project finds that the "ease and appeal of blogging is inspiring a new group of writers and creators to share their voices with the world."

Of 12 million Americans who use the Internet, the study found that 8 percent are keeping blogs and 39 percent of Internet users are reading blogs. Sixty-four percent of bloggers blog to "share practical knowledge or skills with others," while 37 percent say the primary topic of their blogs is "my life and experiences."

Other blog topics include politics and government (11%); entertainment(7%) ; sports (6%); focus on general news and current events (5%); business( 5%); technology (4%); religion, spirituality or faith (2%). Smaller groups "focus on a specific hobby, a health problem or illness, or other topics." The study also finds that 46% of bloggers are women and 55% are men.

Pew Senior Research Specialist Amanda Lenhart, co-author of the study with Associate Director Susannah Fox: "Blogs are as individual as the people who keep them, but this survey shows that most bloggers are primarily interested in creative, personal expression... Blogs make it easy to document individual experiences, share practical knowledge, or just keep in touch with friends and family."

Fox added: "Much of the public and press attention to bloggers has focused on the small number of high-traffic, A-list bloggers... By asking a wide range of bloggers what they do and why they do it, we have found a different kind of story about the power of the internet to encourage creativity and community among all kinds of internet users."

The full report can be found here.