So Google have now announced their release of their Wikipedia rival, Knol. It is clearly intended to address some of the authority and accuracy issues that arise with Wikipedia. Knol apparently means “a unit of knowledge” and the Google Knols are “authoritative articles about specific topics, written by people who know about those subjects.” Anyone can write an article, but unlike Wikipedia an article is the work of a single individual. Writers are encouraged to state who they are and something of their background. There can be multiple articles on a subject but readers will vote on the article most helpful and presumably that gives the particular article a more prominent place.
I don’t think Wikipedia is quite ready to fold its tent though. Contrary to popular misconception, Wikipedia does have standards and guidelines for the writing of articles and also allows for a kind of mutual vetting of what is written. Indeed, part of the energy behind Wikipedia is its collaborative aspect which is at the heart of web 2.0. Articles on Wikipedia also have a tab for the discussion of issues, which assists to generate a kind of shared ownership over the article. Knol is allowing readers to suggest edits, but of course it is the author’s decision as to whether these are accepted or not. Nevertheless, Knol is an interesting development and definitely one to watch. If you want to find some further information on Knol well … um … there is always the Wikipedia entry.
