Internet Marketing and Social Media Consultants

Google today has formally launched Knol, their service for the sharing of knowledge about anything the author may have in mind. While on the surface it may resemble Wikipedia, there are some key differences that make it unique and unlike an online encyclopedia.

First of all, there is no one entry for a particular topic. In Knol, a search for a particular topic will bring up any number of results, all individually rated and commented upon. The author is the only one allowed to make changes to a particular knol, and can moderate based on his or her preferences. Instead of Wikipedia’s one entry for “ford mustang,” there may be several on Knol written by several different authors. The most relevant ones will be thus rated by users and will appear at the top of the heap.

Knol’s home page certainly accentuates entries that lean more towards the “how-to” end of knowledge rather than the sheer information from Wikipedia. Some of the noted entries on Knol right now are titled “How to Backpack” and “Toilet Clogs,” a post on how to deal with household problems.

But there are knols that would directly compete with Wikipedia. “Eclipse” and “autism” are both featured on Knol’s front page, and are certainly featured in Wikipedia. The difference is that the knowledge shared in Knol need not be as broad and all-encompassing as in Wikipedia. It will merely reflect what the author knows or has written themselves, or what they have allowed to be added to the knol.

Knol, at first glance, would appear to be an excellent repository for “how do i…” or “how to…” search inquiries. The best use I could find for Knol right now is to specifically address and optimize for such searches. While this isn’t unlike Yahoo Answers, Knol emerges from the expert-end of things rather than starting with the question. It is a lot more like Squidoo than Wikipedia or Yahoo Answers, in all likelihood.

Google will also offer AdSense at the author’s discretion and will share any revenue generated by those ads with the person who wrote the story. This is a clear difference from Wikipedia and it’s lack of monetization.

There is an argument out there that Google shouldn’t be getting in content business–that their role should remain as a vehicle for pointing users in the direction of content generated outside their purview. I don’t think there’s any question that on its own, it’s a great service with excellent potential for providing more useful and relevant information on the web.

Technorati Tags: google, knol, wikipedia, squidoo