Knol

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Knol
knol sample page.
Mock-up page authored by Rachel Manber[1]; the meta-contents, such as rating or reviews, are not real.[2]
URL Unknown
Type of site Reference
Registration Yes
Available language(s) English
Owner Google
Created by Google
Launched Announced December 13, 2007[3]
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."[3] 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.[3] The term knol, named after a "unit of knowledge",[4] refers to both the project and an article in the project.[3] Several experts see Knol as Google's attempt to compete with Wikipedia.[5]

The site is currently in private beta,[3] and requests to create "knols" are by invitation only.

Contents


[edit] Format

Each knol article will be written by a single author, and other users can edit it only with permission from the author. All must sign in first with a google account.[1][6][7] 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."[3] 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."

[edit] Reception

Since its announcement in December of 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."[8]

Knol has been described both as a rival to encyclopedia sites such as Wikipedia and Scholarpedia[9][7][10] and as a complement to Wikipedia, offering a different format that addresses many of Wikipedia's shortcomings.[11][12][13] The non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, which owns the name Wikipedia and the servers hosting the Wikipedia projects, welcomed the Google Knol initiative saying that "The more good free content, the better for the world."[14] While Wikipedia articles are written collectively under a "neutral point of view" policy,[15] Knol will highlight personal expertise by emphasizing authorship[7] and, like articles provided on Squidoo and Helium.com, knols will contain the personal opinions of the author.[3][16] 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.[17]

Because of Knol's format, some have said Knol will be more like About.com than Wikipedia.[10] 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.[18]

There has been debate whether Google search results can remain neutral because of possible conflict of interest.[19][20] According to Sullivan, "Google’s goal of making Knol pages easy to find on search engines could conflict with its need to remain unbiased."[20] 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."[21] As a response to such concerns it has been pointed out[13][19] 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.[22][23]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b 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.”
  2. ^ A longer version of the screenshot: http://www.google.com/help/knol_screenshot.html
  3. ^ a b c d e f g 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.”
  4. ^ Monaghan, Angela (2007-12-14). "Google's 'knol' may challenge Wikipedia. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
  5. ^ 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.”
  6. ^ 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." 
  7. ^ a b c 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.”
  8. ^ Schofield, Jack. "Google tries Knol, an encyclopedia to replace Wikipedia", The Guardian, 2007-12-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. 
  9. ^ Riley, Duncan (2007-12-14). Google Knol: A Step Too Far?. TechCrunch. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  10. ^ a b Frederick, Lane. "Death Knell Sounds for Wikipedia, About.com", NewsFactor Network, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. 
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Manjoo, Farhad (2007-12-14). Truthiness showdown: Google's "Knol" vs. Wikipedia. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  13. ^ a b Hof, Rob (2007-12-14). Google's Knol: No Wikipedia Killer. Businessweek. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  14. ^ Levy, Ari. "Google Starts Web Site Knol to Challenge Wikipedia", Bloomberg, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-15. 
  15. ^ Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view.
  16. ^ Murrell, John (2007-12-14). Google’s philosophy: Knol thyself. SiliconValley.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  17. ^ [Foundation-l] [Announcement] update in board of trustees membership
  18. ^ Hansson, Wolfgang. "Google Announces Knol Wikipedia-like Service", DailyTech, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. 
  19. ^ a b Greenberg, Andy. "Google's Know-It-All Project", Forbes, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-16. 
  20. ^ a b 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." 
  21. ^ Schiffman, Betsy (December 14, 2007). Knol Launch: Google's 'Units of Knowledge' May Raise Conflict of Interest. Wired. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
  22. ^ Carr, Nicholas (December 13, 2007). Google Knol takes aim at Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  23. ^ Scott Morrison, "Google Targets Wikipedia With New 'Knol' Pages", Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2007

[edit] External links