Google launches Wikipedia rival

Initially launched as a beta test in December 2007,  Knol lets people write about their areas of expertise, however unlike Wikipedia, contributors are bylined rather than anonymous.

Google will rank entries by popularity to encourage competition. It will rank related pages according to user ratings, reviews and how often people refer to specific pages. 

Knol also encourages writers to reduce what they know about a topic to a single page that is not chronologically updated.

The name ‘Knol’ is a play on an individual unit of knowledge, and entries on the public website, knol.google.com, are called "knols."

Cedric DuPont, product manager for Knol, said:  We are deeply convinced that authorship. Knowing who wrote what - helps readers trust the content. What we want to get away from is 'this last voice wins' model which is very difficult if you are a busy professional.”

Knol focuses on individual authors or groups of authors in contrast to Wikipedia's subject entries, which are updated by users and edited behind the scenes.

Knol does not edit or endorse the information and visitors will not be able to edit or contribute to a knol unless they have the author's permission. 

Readers will be able to notify Google if they find any content objectionable.

Google signed a deal with Conde Nast's New Yorker, giving Knol authors the rights to use one of the magazine's famous cartoons in each Knol posting. Google will allow Knol writers to run ads on their entries and will share income with them.

DuPont added that rather than competing with Wikipedia, Knol may end up serving as a primary source of authoritative information for use with Wikipedia articles.