Even though still technically in Beta (isn’t everything in Google “Beta?”) the search giant has announced today that anybody can now use their Wikipedia replacement, Knol.
The system is based around the idea of users being accountable for what they write. And if people are accountable, they’re more likely to concentrate a little more on getting their facts straight. Unlike Wikipedia where anybody can edit a page, if you don’t log into the Knol website, you can only view the articles available. I think it’s poignant that Google have allowed users to access the system now – the same accountability idea has just recently been talked about (again) by the Wikipedia team.
Knol includes articles that are written by professionals in their field, as well as people from the general public, which provide information, I think, that allows the reader to trust a little more – but at the very least gives a more rounded opinion on the subject. Plus with users being accountable for what they write, it should stop the majority of article spamming that has plagued Wikipedia since it’s inception.
Knol is still in it’s infancy, so don’t expect to find the find of information you would on Wikipedia – for instance I couldn’t find any instances of “telephone” or “laptop” within articles on the site. However, I’m sure it won’t be long before Knol starts to increase it’s article count as people become aware of the system after today.