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Google launched it’s own version of Wikipedia known as Knol-which stands for Unit of knowledge.

Unlike Wikipedia which is an anonymous user generated content.Knol will feature the name of the author contributing.

According to Google engineer Udi Manber, “is meant to be the first thing someone who searches for this topic for the first time will want to read.”

The goal is for knols to cover all topics, from scientific concepts, to medical information, from geographical and historical, to entertainment, from product information, to how-to-fix-it instructions. 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. We hope that knols will include the opinions and points of view of the authors who will put their reputation on the line. Anyone will be free to write. For many topics, there will likely be competing knols on the same subject. Competition of ideas is a good thing. Knols will include strong community tools. People will be able to submit comments, questions, edits, additional content, and so on. Anyone will be able to rate a knol or write a review of it. Knols will also include references and links to additional information.

Also Knol will feature an advertising alongside the content,and the revenues of the ads will be shared among the author and Google.This will be an added incentive for authors.

Also,it will improve the credibility of the content and this can have implications in sharing of health related information. One of the major drawback of wikipedia was that even though the contents were exemplary,yet the author the contents were largely unknown.It could be a winner of Nobel prize or a school kid in his basement.

Transparency of information relating to health is a key factor which will benefit consumers and turn them into effective “healthsumers”

Looks like wikipedia will have a serious contender in near future. But will it take on Wikipedia,we will have to wait and watch.

Knol is currently under beta invitation only.

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Popularity: 40% [?]

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Friday, December 14th, 2007, 6:34 pm   |   Constructive Medicine, Medicine 2.0  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback