This just in...in an AP article in the Sydney Morning Herald, it is reported that Google is launching its very own editable online encyclopedia, titled "Knol", the term for a "unit of knowledge" (You learn something every day, don't you?) Until now, Google's Knol has only been edited by a number of invite-only participants, but this is about to change - everyone with a Google account can edit Google's Knol. I just had a quick look at Knol's main page and featured units of knowledge included conjunctivitis, feminist analytical philosophy, and safe sex. What, no page yet about The Dark Knight?

Google, being the smart world-dominating search engine that it is, has come up with a nifty business model to entice authors to contribute to Knol: if contributors "choose, [they can] have ads displayed through the Internet search leader's marketing system. The contributing author and Google will share any revenue generated from the ads, which are supposed to be related to the topic covered in the knol."

According to the report, Knol "has been widely viewed as the company's answer to Wikipedia", although reports from Google say it's supposed to "supplement" Wikipedia. And in true Wikipedia form, you can find the Wikipedia page on Google's Knol here.

Sadly yours truly was not on the original Knol invite list...Google must not know about my obssessive knowledge of colonial copyright...or The Dark Knight.

Labels: catherine, Google, wikis