Knol - Google's Internet Encyclopedia

[Tom]

Google has announced its go at an interenet encyclopedia: Knol.

Significantly, the best information I have discovered about it is on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knol

The aim seems to be a half-way house between what I see as two not-entirely-satisfactory web encyclopedias: Britanica and Wiki. You have to pay for decent access to the former, which puts me off, and some wild editing takes place on Wiki, which also puts me off (though I use it a lot). I like the prediction that since Knol is going to have (1) several articles on a subject (2) a pay-off to contributors, the end result is likely to be a mass of competing articles on viagra! At this stage, I give Knol the thumbs down. Anyone else like to put a prediction on record?

Much though I like Google, I was a little surprised after clicking on the first result from the following search this morning:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6rpTcpIEigoC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=%22all+monasteries+in+the+bosom+of+france+and+i taly%22&source=web&ots=RRk_EVAgtp&sig=GFdJzycF0lvHUQTpeXMVJnyo2t8#PPA116,M1
It looks as though Google have just scanned my book and are giving it away to all commers with note that it is 'copyrighted material'!

[James]

I was going to say that Google already has a reference site: Google Answers. However I just found out it has closed down: http://answers.google.com/answers/

re your book being scanned, initially I thought I would be seething if I were you. But on second thoughts, I don't think people really want to read books on screen or even download them an print them off. I notice there are links to buy your book and I hope it turns out to be a great way of increasing sales rather than decreasing them?

[Tom]

Me too!

Interestingly, I have just had a conversation with my publishers about another book and asked if I could retain the electronic rights and only let them have the print rights. She said 'sounds fine' (and the impression I got is that they don't manage to make any money out of them, so 'why not'?).

[rob]

The Londonpaper have predicted Knol as one of the sites to watch in 2008

[Tom]

I'll be surprised if it works. Google does not have a 100% success rate, but nor do most of us!