Well Google Knol may not kill Wikipedia but it sure is some competition. I don’t think most people have even heard about Google Knol so lets take a look at what it is.
Definition of a Knol: A unit of knowledge
Google Knol is a project that Google announced awhile ago however it just launched this past week. It is a place to submit content about any topic which is what brings about the comparisons to Wikipedia. The basis is that if you consider yourself knowledgeable on a topic you can start a Knol about it, similar to Wikipedia. Could be a great place to show off your expertise in an area as it grows. However it has a few defining features.
1. Pages are written by a specific author and that author can choose to have his name verified by Google. The name verification is optional but adds a great deal of credibility to posts. The verification is done via phone or credit card. The author can also create a profile about himself and when you sign-up the system automatically starts a Knol for yourself. See mine Jared O’Toole
2. The pages can be edited by the community but its up to the author how. As an author you have 3 choices.
- Don’t allow any modifications
- Allow people to submit modifications that the author must approve before publishing them
- Allow full modifications: Wikipedia style
3. A big question out there is how will Google Search treat these pages. They are Google pages after all. So will they get some special treatment from the system. One interesting thing I came across was the idea that Google made this because they want a Knol to be the 1st search result for any search made. So if you search Wikipedia the 1st result will be a Knol about Wikipedia. Same for every other topic out there.
Right now the project is still in the early stages but I say it’s the perfect time to get out there and write a Knol about something. There’s not a ton of stuff there yet so you have a chance to get your pages noticed.
Sign up and write your Knol
Get some more tips from the Google team on the How-To’s of Knol writing – Introduction to Knol
