Google’s Knol – A Unit of Knowledge
Posted by Ted Hopton on July 29, 2008
A colleague of mine, Manfred Criegee-Rieck, pointed out that Google has launched a new website called Knol. A “knol” is defined there as “a unit of knowledge.” Experts are invited to contribute content by “writing a knol” on any topics they wish.
It’s a Wikipedia-like effort, but with experts-only as authors. I don’t see it as a direct competitor to Wikipedia, because Wikipedia can simply reach into Knol to tap into its knowledge, just as it does every other valuable resource. By definition, an encyclopedia encompasses all knowledge available, so there could well develop a symbiotic relationship between Knol and Wikipedia.
And since Knol is part of Google, I have a feeling knols will place pretty well in at least one search engine, don’t you think?
Right now the content in Knol is mostly medical, so there is a great opportunity for experts in all kinds of fields to put themselves on the Knol map, so to speak, by writing for Knol and getting published there. It could be like a gold rush (Google rush?) — stake your claim early!
