Google has opened Knol, a user generated encyclopedia or we can say, a competitor to Wikipedia for general public. ‘Knol’ which has been dubbed as a unit of knowledge was earlier available only to a selected users through invitation. However, unlike Wikipedia, users can earn profits from there articles by putting ads on the articles which they write. The revenue will have to be shared with Google.

‘Knol’ requires the authors to identify themselves to help the audience assess the source’s credibility which was not the case with Wikipedia. Google doesn’t intend to screen the submissions for accuracy and instead will rely on its search formulas to highlight the articles that readers believe are credible. With the ad system, more users will be encouraged to write articles. But will it be able to challenge Wikipedia which has got quite a head start and has more than 8.2 million articles in more than 200 languages. However in Wikipedia, since anyone can add or edit the information written by other, the credibility of the information does become questionable in the collaborative manner. Knol on the other hand, has a limited number of articles which will surely increase in the coming months. But i feel that both can co exist peacefully in the web.

One noteworthy point is whether ‘Knol’ will effect blogger’s or not. There are chances that it might have an effect on the SERP’s ranking for bloggers. Other than that, only time will tell. So what do you guys think ? Will it challenge Wikipedia and effect Bloggers or not ?

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