Google announced it’s Knol project at the end of 2007. A Knol is a unit of knowledge, a concept first developed by Bhekuzulu Khumalo as can be seen from this paper, The Fundamental theory of Knowledge. This point is besides the point, this article wants to look at how this project can be truly successful over and above competing with Wikipedia, and that should be no problem. Wikipedia can much be improved upon, the Knol project should be aimed at understanding knowledge theory and thereby pushing forward a unit of knowledge all over the internet to become the first resource center for such knowledge.
At the least Google has taken the first step towards delivering a great knowledge product that might stand the test of time. It has understood that a unit of knowledge is needed so that we have some idea of how to measure knowledge, how can you understand something you can not even imagine measuring knowledge, this was a past mistakes of those trying to formulate a proper structure in knowledge economics in the past.
Take a unit of knowledge, basically it is a basic law of existence, a fact, this is what apparently Google will have on each knol page. This will be a great encyclopedia, obviously in the long run Google would want this to be the first place people come to. It has to be detailed, scientific facts as well as industrial uses of elements for example. It is the detail that Google needs to look into.
A product itself represents a unit of knowledge for example, a cell phone, is a combination of many laws, property of copper, plastics, radio waves, et cetera. Take a look at the Wikipedia website for a mobile phone, Wiki for Mobile Phone, so much is missing. This is poor reference unless Google wants to compete with Wikipedia at attracting high school students because that is all the Wikipedia page on cell phones is worth, it can not help anybody understand anything. Google needs to get rid of that history of the cell phone for example, that is all over the world, to be helpful to mankind then mankind needs to know the components and why those components are needed, basically to break down every part of a mobile phone so that somebody in say the Amazon can look at the knol from Google and then look at it and look for the parts and make the product, knol is dealing with knowledge leave Wikipedia dealing with a glossy show. That will be helpful to mankind. A massive catalogue of knowledge available for the entire world. Well what did we expect, knowledge is not a joke, it is big what Google has set itself up for, they better have the stamina and will to do it properly, something beyond what we have seen on the internet so far.
What is needed is a site where somebody can get real knowledge, useful knowledge not just a bunch of historic information, though historic information important to some. What the Google knol project should be is about creating a massive knowledge base, a massive scientific center, and it needs to keep away from topics that depend on opinions, opinions are immeasurable as a unit of knowledge until proven right or wrong. Well if Google can pull it off mankind will be grateful if they do not they will shrug it off and somebody else will pull it off, but Google should try it, a massive knowledge center on the internet and one day we will be able to say humanity knows so much knowl of knowledge and we can manage and analyze the knowledge base of the earth.
Bhekuzulu Khumalo
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