Knol.Google.com - Google's Answer To Wikipedia

Imagine Wikipedia. Now imagine making money with it. That is basically what Knol is like. Google’s version of a free encyclopaedia is currently making a big buzz throughout the internet. People who have Google accounts can add articles about what they know best, in order to inform others. The key feature is that you can place AdSense ads within your articles. For instance, say you are very knowledgeable on the subject of Hot Dogs. Write the article, place the ads, and every time someone searches for Hot Dogs through Knol, you will receive part of the profits the ads generated. The main difference with Wikipedia is the fact that people can’t collaborate on entries. If you find something wrong with someone’s article, you can’t just go in and change it. You must suggest the changes to the author, for him or her to approve them. Writing a Knol is simple, since there is no rich text formatting like in its older cousin Wikipedia.

“The Knol project is a site that hosts many knols — units of knowledge — written about various subjects. The authors of the knols can take credit for their writing, provide credentials, and elicit peer reviews and comments. Users can provide feedback, comments, related information. So the Knol project is a platform for sharing information, with multiple cues that help you evaluate the quality and veracity of information.”

Wikipedia has been dominating the user-generated encyclopaedia market for years. Google’s Knol is its toughest competitor yet, as it will draw people who are in it for the money rather than for the love of informing others.

Won’t the race to make a profit affect the site’s content? The fact that you can’t collaborate on articles might make it impossible for people to correct mistakes, giving room for error.