Google Knol is Live: Beta lauched 23-July-2008.

[David Petherick [Digital Biographer]]

It's here.

http://knol.google.com

What's your first impression?

[elle]

It's still all rather disorganized? Not enough incentives to see our own masterpieces? The wikipedia display format seems more appealing to the general public?

[elle]

I have signed on but I believe that Knol is still in its pre-natal stage and needs a lot of modifications to perform anything like Wikipedia. Can it be done? An incentive is to be able to admire one's own works on the internet, and as yet I cannot see this affect happening. I already have several articles I could post but I do not want to see it go into a dead letter file.

[David Petherick [Digital Biographer]]

I agree that Google need to do more - they seem to be very half-hearted in terms of the support they are giving this project, and I am surprised by their attitude.

It does need a lot of work, I agree, but the main thing that is missing is a community around the product - and I think a great chance to build a community of authors is being missed - and the input that those authors could have on develpong and shaping how Knol works has no ear from Google.

The net result is they are losing out on goodwill that could be generated at the start - as you say, why waste effort on something that may go into a dead letter file?

Wake up Google and take care of this thing... it's your baby after all.