What do you Knol?
So, Google has come up with their ‘wiki-beater,’ Knol.
Reading the surrounding discussions, two things stand out at this very early stage. Firstly, as already noted by Computerworld NZ, Knols, with their AdWords capacity, are a ‘land grab’ for keywords.
Secondly, unlike wikipedia, you need to be identified (and identifiable) to publish a Knol. Edits are forwarded to the original author (afaik) who then decides whether to incorporate the corrections. In other words, there is ownership of Knols. If Wikipedia challenged traditional notions of authorship-as-authority, Knols are bringing them right back in. Be interesting to see how this notion of ownership affects how Knols develop, and how the fledgling knowledge network subsequently develops (or whether it stalls for lack of critical mass? Then again, they are soliciting Knols on the front page of Google Scholar, so ymmv!)
Certainly a site to watch, anyway!
