Knol

For other uses, see Knol (disambiguation).

Knol
Mock-up page authored by Rachel Manber; the meta-contents, such as rating or reviews, are not real.A longer version of the screenshot: http://www.google.com/help/knol_screenshot.html
URL	Unknown
Type of site	Reference
Registration	Yes
Available language(s)	English
Owner	Google
Created by	Google
Launched	Announced December 13 2007
Current status	Invitation-only, beta

Knol is a project planned by Google for user-generated articles on topics ranging from "scientific concepts, to medical information, from geographical and historical, to entertainment, from product information, to how-to-fix-it instructions." It was announced on December 13, 2007. Knol pages are "meant to be the first thing someone who searches for this topic for the first time will want to read", according to Udi Manber, a Vice President of Engineering at Google. The term knol, named after a "unit of knowledge",Monaghan, Angela (2007-12-14). "Google\'s \'knol\' may challenge Wikipedia. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. refers to both the project and an article in the project. The BBC reports that Knol has been seen by many as Google\'s attempt to compete with Wikipedia.Google debuts knowledge project. BBC (2007-12-15). Retrieved on 2007-12-15. “Many experts see the initiative as an attack on the widely used Wikipedia communal encyclopaedia.”

The site is currently in private beta, Manber, Ubi (2007-12-13). Encouraging people to contribute knowledge. Google. “Earlier this week, we started inviting a selected group of people to try a new, free tool that we are calling "knol", which stands for a unit of knowledge. Our goal is to encourage people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it.” and requests to create "knols" are by invitation only.

Format

Each knol article will be written by a single author, and other users can edit it only with permission from the author.Sullivan, Danny (2007-12-13). Google Knol - Google\'s Play To Aggregate Knowledge Pages. Search Engine Land. Retrieved on 2007-12-17. “Google Knol is designed to allow anyone to create a page on any topic, which others can comment on, rate, and contribute to if the primary author allows. [...] Google also stressed to me [...] that the service might not launch at all.”Needleman, Rafe. "Google\'s Knol experiment to rival Wikipedia?", CNET Networks, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-18. "Since Knol pages will be authored, users won\'t, presumably, be able to dive in and edit another page. They\'ll be able to submit edits to the author for approval, though." Blakely, Rhys (2007-12-15). Google to tackle Wikipedia with new knowledge service. The Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. “[K]nol looks set to foster rivalry. Contributors to Knol will not be able to contribute anonymously and will not be able to edit each other’s work, [...]. Whereas on Wikipedia, readers find only one entry on, say, the First World War, on Knol authors will submit separate pieces that will compete for advertising dollars.” Readers may rate or comment on the articles. There can also be multiple articles for the same topic, each written by a different author. Google "[believes] that knowing who wrote what will significantly help users make better use of web content." Manber said that Google hopes "knols will include the opinions and points of view of the authors who will put their reputation on the line" and that the authors will be able to decide whether advertisements will appear on their knols, and that if there are ads, a "substantial revenue share from the proceeds of those ads" will be given to authors. While it is not yet known if authors are allowed to run ads from companies other than Google, according to Danny Sullivan, an editor of Search Engine Land, Manber said it is a possibility. Manber also writes that "Google will not serve as an editor in any way, and will not bless any content. All editorial responsibilities and control will rest with the authors."

Reception

Since its announcement in December 2007, there has been speculation on Google\'s motives and its position as a producer of content rather than as an organizer. The Guardian\'s Jack Schofield argued that "Knol represents an attack on the media industry in general."Schofield, Jack. "Google tries Knol, an encyclopedia to replace Wikipedia", The Guardian, 2007-12-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. 

Knol has been described both as a rival to encyclopedia sites such as Wikipedia and ScholarpediaRiley, Duncan (2007-12-14). Google Knol: A Step Too Far?. TechCrunch. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.Frederick, Lane. "Death Knell Sounds for Wikipedia, About.com", NewsFactor Network, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.  and as a complement to Wikipedia, offering a different format that addresses many of Wikipedia\'s shortcomings.Masnick, Mike (2007-12-14). Google Decides Organizing The World\'s Information Is Easier If That Info Is Online. Techdirt. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.Manjoo, Farhad (2007-12-14). Truthiness showdown: Google\'s "Knol" vs. Wikipedia. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.Hof, Rob (2007-12-14). Google\'s Knol: No Wikipedia Killer. Businessweek. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. The non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, which owns Wikipedia, welcomed the Google Knol initiative saying that "The more good free content, the better for the world."Levy, Ari. "Google Starts Web Site Knol to Challenge Wikipedia", Bloomberg, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.  While Wikipedia articles are written collectively under a "neutral point of view" policy,Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view. Knol will highlight personal expertise by emphasizing authorship and, like articles provided on Squidoo and Helium.com, knols will contain the personal opinions of the author.Murrell, John (2007-12-14). Google’s philosophy: Knol thyself. SiliconValley.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. Despite the official Wikimedia response and the differences in format, Wikimedia Foundation chair Florence Devouard has expressed concern over Knol\'s potential threat to Wikipedia in terms of the competition it will create.http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2007-December/036209.html

Because of Knol\'s format, some have said Knol will be more like About.com than Wikipedia. According to Wolfgang Hansson, a writer at DailyTech, Knol may have been planned for About.com originally when it was up for acquisition. Hansson reported that several sources close to the sale said Google was planning to acquire About.com, but the executives at About.com learned Google was planning to move from About.com\'s model to a wiki-style model. That would have meant layoffs for all 500 or so "Guides" at About.com.Hansson, Wolfgang. "Google Announces Knol Wikipedia-like Service", DailyTech, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. 

There has been debate whether Google search results can remain neutral because of possible conflict of interest.Greenberg, Andy. "Google\'s Know-It-All Project", Forbes, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-16. Helft, Miguel. "Wikipedia Competitor Being Tested by Google", New York Times, 2007-12-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. "Some critics said that shift could compromise Google’s objectivity in presenting search results."  According to Sullivan, "Google’s goal of making Knol pages easy to find on search engines could conflict with its need to remain unbiased." Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, raised similar concerns: "At the end of the day, there\'s a fundamental conflict between the business Google is in and its social goals. What you\'re seeing here, slowly, is Google embracing an advertising-driven model, in which money will have a greater impact on what people have ready access to."Schiffman, Betsy (December 14, 2007). Knol Launch: Google\'s \'Units of Knowledge\' May Raise Conflict of Interest. Wired. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. As a response to such concerns it has been pointed out that Google already hosts large amounts of content in sites like YouTube, Blogger and Google Groups and that there is no significant difference in this case. Nicholas Carr, a frequent technology commentator, dismissed predictions of Google manipulating results saying that Google is hoping that the most popular Knol pages will rise naturally through the search results, challenging Wikipedia and providing another area of content that can carry Google ads.Carr, Nicholas (December 13, 2007). Google Knol takes aim at Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.Scott Morrison, "Google Targets Wikipedia With New \'Knol\' Pages", Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2007

References

External links

Wikinews has related news:

Google announces testing of online reference tool

• Official Google blog post announcement of knol (Google Code page)

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