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Wikipedia Competitor Opens to Public
This week Google opened Knol, its own user-generated encyclopedia, to the public.
Unlike Wikipedia, people who write entries on Google's encyclopedia are identified and could even earn a profit from their articles with ads. The more times the article is viewed, the more an author can get paid. Google, of course, gets a cut of the profits.
"The key principle behind Knol is authorship. Every knol will have an author (or group of authors) who put their name behind their content," the company wrote on its blog Wednesday. "It's their knol, their voice, their opinion. We expect that there will be multiple knols on the same subject, and we think that is good."
Knol has been operating on a trial basis with a company-selected, invite-only group of authors since December 2007.
"Our goal is to encourage people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it," the company wrote on its blog in December. "We believe that knowing who wrote what will significantly help users make better use of Web content."
Google Knol readers rank the usefulness of entries, adding comments and asking questions. Google will not edit the pieces.
But can Knol unseat current online leader Wikipedia?
-go to link for full story... This week Google opened Knol, its own user-generated encyclopedia, to the public. ... more -
Google launches Knol as rival to Wikipedia
Google has launched an online encyclopaedia to take on Wikipedia. Knol, which stands for unit of knowledge, allows internet users to write articles on their own areas of expertise. The world's largest search engine is hoping that "knols" will be written on every conceivable topic ranging from gardening and pottery to Byzantine art and neo-classical literature.
The free service will inevitably draw comparisons with Wikipedia but Google says it differs from it in many ways. Unlike Wikipedia, which allows visitors to edit its pages, people will not be able to make changes or contribute to a person's knol without their permission.
Knols written on the same subject will also remain separate and compete for the attention of visitors, who will be able to give online feedback. Pictures of authors will also be displayed on their knol web pages. Udi Manber, Google's vice president of engineering, said: "We believe that knowing who wrote what will significantly help users make better use of web content. Books have authors' names right on the cover, news articles have bylines, scientific articles always have authors; but somehow the web evolved without a strong standard to keep authors names highlighted."
Contributors will be able to make money from the service by allowing adverts which relate to their articles to appear on their pages.
Juergen Galler, Google's director of product management said: "The internet is huge, but still a lot of expert knowledge remains untapped. Knol provides a way for people to share their expertise with others - and get credit for their contribution."
The service is part of a growing drive by Google to expand beyond simple search and into other areas such as desk top publishing and mobile phones.
But taking on Wikipedia is no mean feat. With 116 million global users a month - a third of the internet population - it consistently ranks among the most visited websites in the world.
Anyone wanting to write a knol should go to knol.google.com Google has launched an online encyclopaedia to take on Wikipedia. Knol, which stands for unit of knowledge, allows internet users to ... more -
Google unfurls less laughable Wikipedia
"Back in December, the search engine cum world power announced an anyone-can-edit online encyclopedia it insists on calling Knol, and this morning, with a post to The Official Google Blog, product manager Cedric Dupont and software engineer Michael McNally opened things up to world+dog.
Yes, Google is going head-to-head with Wikipedia, the cult that once saved it from extinction. But unlike Wikipedia - where Jimbo Wales hides his crazed cohorts behind anonymous accounts - Knol asks that you put your name on whatever you write.
"The key principle behind Knol is authorship," Dupont and McNally write. "Every knol will have an author (or group of authors) who put their name behind their content. It's their knol, their voice, their opinion. We expect that there will be multiple knols [grassy ones too? - ed] on the same subject, and we think that is good."
Others can edit your knol - short for "knowledge," apparently - but not without your approval. "We are introducing a new method for authors to work together that we call 'moderated collaboration,'" the Goolgers continue. "With this feature, any reader can make suggested edits to a knol which the author may then choose to accept, reject, or modify before these contributions become visible to the public."
All in all, a more sensible setup than Wikipedia. If people across the globe are posting opinions to your site, it's good to call them opinions. But Wikipedia has its advantages. Most notably, its easier to make fun of."
What the hell is going to be the difference between this and Wikipedia? I know anyone can edit Wikipedia, but it's not a horrible site- most of their info is accurate and with any website, you should cross reference your research! But why is Wikipedia laughable and this isn't? "Back in December, the search engine cum world power announced an anyone-can-edit online encyclopedia it insists on calling Knol, and ... more -
Knol: la risposta di Google a Wikipedia
Google Inc. ha appena inaugurato Knol, un'enciclopedia creata dagli utenti che cerca di fare concorrenza a Wikipedia. Tuttavia, le differenze tra le due piattaforme sono notevoli e faranno sicuramente discutere.
Ecco le principali novità apportate da Knol:
- Il nome dell'autore di ogni articolo sarà in evidenza, con tanto di foto, bio, cariche e titoli di studio conseguiti;
- La collaborazione tra utenti è possibile, ma solo se autorizzata dall'autore originale;
- Si potranno trovare più articoli per lo stesso argomento, dando così voce a punti di vista diversi;
- L'autore può scegliere quali diritti applicare al proprio articolo (il classico "All rights reserved" o Creative Commons).
Credo che l'intento di Knol sia quello di unire lo spirito di Wikipedia all'affidabilità delle enciclopedie tradizionali. Una rivoluzione mica da poco.
Voi cosa ne pensate? Google Inc. ha appena inaugurato Knol, un'enciclopedia creata dagli utenti che cerca di fare concorrenza a Wikipedia. Tuttavia, le dif... more -
Google opens Knol, it's own version of Wikipedia
Google opened its website Knol to the public on Wednesday, allowing people to write about their areas of expertise under their bylines in a twist on encyclopedia Wikipedia, which allows anonymity.
"We are deeply convinced that authorship -- knowing who wrote what -- helps readers trust the content," said Cedric DuPont, product manager for Knol.
The name of the service is a play on an individual unit of knowledge, DuPont said, and entries on the public website, knol.google.com, are called "knols". Google conducted a limited test of the site beginning in December.
Knol has publishing tools similar to single blog pages. But unlike blogs, Knol encourages writers to reduce what they know about a topic to a single page that is not chronologically updated.
Google opened its website Knol to the public on Wednesday, allowing people to write about their areas of expertise under their bylines... more -
Wikipedia Tries Approval System to Reduce Vandalism on Pages
Wikipedia is considering a basic change to its editing philosophy to cut down on vandalism. In the process, the online encyclopedia anyone can edit would add a layer of hierarchy and eliminate some of the spontaneity that has made the site, at times, an informal source of news.
It well could bring some law and order to the creative anarchy that has made the site a runaway success but also made it a target for familiar criticism.
Wikipedia is considering a basic change to its editing philosophy to cut down on vandalism. In the process, the online encyclopedia an... more -
“Some People Try to Use Wikipedia for Ideological Purposes”
Béatrice Roman-Amat is a journalism student at Sciences po Paris. In an interview with Scitizen.com she discusses the findings of her study on the soundness of Wikipedia submissions.
Béatrice Roman-Amat is a journalism student at Sciences po Paris. In an interview with Scitizen.com she discusses the findings of her ... more -
Eisenhower Interstate Highway System Decoded
Here's a concise guide to the US highway naming conventions. Was this part of the curriculum in high school Driver's Education and I somehow managed to sleep through it?
Here's a concise guide to the US highway naming conventions. Was this part of the curriculum in high school Driver's Education and I s... more -
Hellride - Wikipedia
Get some of the background for the film
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Los Campesinos! Wikipedia
There are seven people in the band who all met at Cardiff University
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Six degrees of Wikipedia
Stephen Dolan at Trinity College Dublin has found a way to show the smallest number of Kevin Bacon steps separate any article on Wikipedia from any other.
So for instance, if you want to find the shortest path between, say, the Sweetgum tree and ball bearings, just enter them on the page and check out the results (you usually have to submit a couple of times before it works):
Sweetgum --> Glacier --> Friction --> Ball bearing ... 4 steps! Stephen Dolan at Trinity College Dublin has found a way to show the smallest number of Kevin Bacon steps separate any article on Wikip... more -
Nick Stahl - Wikipedia
Mel Gibson personally chose Nick for the role in The Man Without a Face
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The Whigs - Wikipedia
Classic rock band with pumping bass and pounding drums.....
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Xeriscape, the Art of Water Conserving Landscaping
Garden centres in countries affected by drought, like Spain for example, are promoting Xeriscaping (or Xeroscaping) in order to motivate people to help save water. This technique of water conserving landscaping doesn’t refer to cactus gardens or those that are all tiled up and plantless. The possibilities of Xeriscaping are plentiful, resulting in lush and flowery garden designs. This concept of gardening has been around since the 80ies in the US. As climate patterns shift, xeriscaping is catching on in other areas and has been very popular here in Spain for the last few years. The term itself derives from the Greek word ‘xeros’, meaning dry, and the word ‘landscape’.
The idea behind Xeriscapes is to create gardens with a rational water use, to avoid any waste of water, especially in Mediterranean and warm temperate climates. Saving water however is not the only objective of Xeriscaping. It also intends to eliminate the amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides as well as petrol-driven machinery to keep the garden in shape. Plus is saves you money and maintenance.
How does it work? When designing the landscape, plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate should be chosen. They don’t necessary have to be all local plants, but they should originate from the same climate. Furthermore, water loss through evaporation and run-off should be avoided.
Examples for common plants used in Western xeriscaping are agave, cactus, lavender, juniper, sedum and thyme, according to Wikipedia. Important factors are how to group plats together when planting, according to their water need and the shelter they give/take from other plants. Instead of the typical lawn that needs a lot of water and maintenance (hence more negative impacts due to the machinery), there are special drought-tolerant turf grasses that can be combined with other, less water needing plants to reduce the lawn area. The most efficient watering system is drip irrigation because no water is lost through evaporation. Garden centres in countries affected by drought, like Spain for example, are promoting Xeriscaping (or Xeroscaping) in order to motiva... more -
Meagan Good - Wikipedia
Meagan has been acting since she was 4!
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Walter Meego - Wikipedia
Walter Meego is a musical duo from Chicago, Illinois.
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New search engine searches by meaning, not words
Powerset, a new search engine, is setting itself up to change the way people search the web. Instead of looking for exact key words, like all major search engines do now, Powerset looks for the meaning of the word or phrase to find more detailed information.
Currently it only works on Wikipedia, but once the technology is applied to the open web, analysts predict it may be acquired by Microsoft to turn MSN into a lean, mean, Google beating machine. Powerset, a new search engine, is setting itself up to change the way people search the web. Instead of looking for exact key words, ... more -
Culturcide on Wikipedia
Culturcide was a Houston-based experimental punk band, active from 1980 to 1990 and from 1993 to the present day. They were notorious for their 1986 album Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America, which earned the band a cult following, but also several legal threats. Culturcide was a Houston-based experimental punk band, active from 1980 to 1990 and from 1993 to the present day. They were notorious ... more
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