Google Knol — Another Shift From Content Indexer to Producer (and Full-On ‘Embrace and Extender’)
Service Provider Bottom Line: Google is using its Web market power to extend its business in new directions, a tactic it is likely to leverage as Google eyes wireless, handsets/mobile OSes and VoIP. Read on…
Earlier this year, Google took the (widely-noticed in some circles, under-the-radar in others) step of hosting Associated Press news content on their Web site. The move was at least in part to counter AP complaints about how Google *pointed* to their content.Regardless, it moved Google into the business of hosting content rather than just indexing it. And other sites that host AP content, most notably newspapers, found themselves competing with Google for traffic on those news stories.Google “hosts” other content as well, obviously, most notably YouTube videos but also if we broaden the definition of “hosting” email (via Gmail), documents (via Google apps) and more.Any business that relies on advertising thrives on page views — Google has the unique model that it benefits almost wherever those pages are found thanks to its AdWords and AdSense programs.
Today, Google started to move into another profitable content area — encyclopedic content — with a new beta program called Google Knol. From ReadWrite Web, a quick description:
Knols participants will write reference pages on any topic, using a Google content creation tool apparently in the works, and those pages will be highlighted in Google search results. Authors will choose whether they want ads to appear and will receive a “substantial revenue share.”
Competing Knols pages on the same topic will be judged by reader votes and the Google Search Quality process. There will be reader commenting, the ability to add additional information and more social features. It won’t be a walled garden but will live on the open web. Attribution will be substantial and Google is presumably working with high-profile topic specialists on the Knol project.
This isn’t a new idea. Wikipedia is the most obvious user generated content site, but upstarts like Mahalo and Squidoo have been creating user generated content stores as well. The screen shot above (courtesy of SearchEngineLand, which does a great job exploring this topic), gives a feel for what a Knol page will look like. Today, search on most any topic and a Wikipedia result will be near the top of the list. That may not change, but almost overnight (and apparently without the strict algorithmic approval other sites are required to meet) it will now be joined by a Google Knol entry as well. If high Google-ranking is the pixie dust for Web 2.0 businesses — and it is — than Google just sprinkled a little dust on its own already be-crowned head. Google says it won’t give Knol posts an unfair page rank advantage, but Udi Manber, Google vp of engineering in announcing the project, writes:
A knol on a particular topic is meant to be the first thing someone who searches for this topic for the first time will want to read.
That sure sounds like Knol’s will get to the top of the search heap fairly quickly. Bottom line, here’s what’s notable:
- Google is getting deeper yet again into the content business, competing with its customers and partners
- Google is using its market power to fend off upstarts by attempting to embrace and extend (a tactic typically attributed to Microsoft) winning business models
- As much as Google believes in the power of the machine (algorithmic search) the power of people (original, spot-lighted content, social networks) is coming to the fore as well
- Compete directly with Google, as Wikipedia is doing with its new search engine, and it may come back on you
- SEOers are going to have a field day with this — though it’s hard to imagine they’ll be successful gaming such a high-profile Google project
What markets will Google try to embrace and extend next? For service providers, it’s not a big logical jump to expect Google to use its Web market power to enter the wireless spectrum, handsets/mobile OSs and VoIP (particularly the Web-initiated VoIP market via integration into its Google Apps suite) areas.
Related Topics: Google, Search, All stories
