Google develops Wikipedia rival

by Jeremy Kirk

December 14, 2007 —

Google is developing an online publishing platform where people can write entries
on subjects they know, an idea that's close to Wikipedia's user-contributed
encyclopedia - but with key differences.

The project, which is in an invitation-only beta stage, lets users create clean-looking
Web pages with their photo and write entries on, for example, insomnia.
Those entries are called "knols" for "unit of knowledge,"
Google said.

Google wants the knols to develop into a deep repository of knowledge, covering
topics such as geography, history and entertainment.

Google's project will have to catch up with Wikipedia, which includes more
than 7 million articles in 200 languages. Anonymous users constantly update
Wikipedia entries in an ever-growing online encyclopedia that's edited by a
network of vetted editors.

But Google asserts that the Web's development so far has neglected the importance
of the bylined author.

"We believe that knowing who wrote what will significantly help users
make better use of web content," wrote Udi Manber, vice president of engineering,
on the official
Google blog.

Google said anyone can write about any topic, and repetition of entries on
the same subjects is beneficial. Google will provide the Web hosting space,
as well as editing tools.

Contributors can choose whether to let Google place ads on the knols. Google
said it will give the contributors a "substantial" portion of the
revenue generated by those ads. While Wikipedia lacks ads, keyword advertising
has underpinned Google's growth.

Entries can't be edited or revised by other people, in contrast to Wikipedia.
However, other readers will be able to rank and review others' entries, which
will then be interpreted by Google's search engine when displaying results.

The concept of peer-reviewed information is nothing new and is implemented
in different ways on various Web sites. Yahoo, for example, has an "Answers"
feature where users can ask questions, and the response is ranked on quality.
Also, most blogs have forms where readers can comment on the author's entry.

Despite those other formats, Google probably feels that "a service like
Knol might be necessary to stay competitive," wrote Danny Sullivan, editor
in chief of Search Engine Land, in
a review.

IDG News Service