Google trawls for knols

Udi Manber has quite a sense of humor.

Google's VP of Engineering wonders on his personal website, "Why is there no synonym for 'thesaurus'?" I wonder why someone so interested in online content hasn't substantially updated his personal website in ten years.

Manber's interest in web-based content is what this posting is actually about.

Google generally doesn't do dumb things, but this project to develop 'knols,' which are basically encyclopedia entries, has me scratching my head. And not just because 'knol' is such a butt-ugly word. After all, 'blog' is pretty grotesque, and there are a grotesquely huge number of those things.

But what's this business about people who post to the Web not getting enough credit? Certainly not true of the blog-sotted web I frequent, although I suspect that this is just a dig at Wikipedia. As is the idea that static knols will compete for attention, as opposed to the Wikipedia model of refining one entry to perfection. Snark tag on that last word.

Out on that bloggy web where people are sharing their Google-unauthorized knols about this Google project, it's being described as a terrible idea and a step too far. The phrases 'grassy knol' and 'death knol' recur. Andrew Orlowski thinks that for Google to attack Wikipedia is ingratitude. Rick Munarriz gets it that Wikipedia works because it is understood to be inaccurate by nature. If Googlepedia promotes the reliability of its experts but is no more reliable....

Well, whatever the Google strategic thinking is, it's apparently keeping someone awake nights, judging from the sample knol Google provides. (It's written by Manber's wife: make of that what you will.)

Doubtless the whole thing will be made clear soon. I'll keep checking Manber's Wikipedia page for the real skinny.

Posted by Mike Swaine at 03:15 PM  Permalink