Google Opens Knol to Everyone

Google has announced on the official Google blog that Knol has been opened up for everyone. Knol is Google’s version of Wikipedia and Squidoo mashed up together. You can create a Knol on a variety of topics much like a Squidoo Lens. You can also collaborate with others to help build a Knol making it more like a Wiki.

Creating a Knol is pretty simple. Just visit http://knol.google.com/ and click “Write a Knol”. You will need a Google account to be able to create Knol’s. It is a simple process to get started.

I really wanted to try out this new service so I created a small Knol on my company. It is fairly basic at the moment and does not contain a great deal about what I do, but it only took me a couple of minutes to write up and publish.

The editing interface is simple and resembles more of a word processor, so it would be easy to use for all those that are just getting started publishing on the Internet. One of the things I like about Squidoo Lenses is the ability to add some interactive elements like polls and comments and the ability to import RSS feeds and other items from social media. These do not seem to be present in Google Knol, I could find no way of adding my latest blog post into the Knol.

If you want to check out Google Knol go and create your own Knol and tell the world what you know. I will have to update mine when I get some time.