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[Phys-l] Writing a physics related Knol



Google launched their answer to Wikipedia last week: Knol. It differs from Wikipedia in that authors may opt for various levels of editing control over their pages. This, combined with a system for rating author authority, gives knols a greater level of credibility.

Authors can change the way readers collaborate on knols by choosing between three different models. Open collaboration allows anyone with a Knol account to modify a knol. Moderated collaboration allows anyone with a Knol account to suggest modifications and corrections to a knol, but these modifications will not be visible publicly until an author has reviewed and accepted them. Closed collaboration only allows authors to modify a knol.

I opted to use the moderated collaboration model, but have yet to receive any suggestions. It was very easy to invite others to review, using a pull down menu.

I started the process by importing text from a peer-reviewed article that I retain the copyright to. Importing this as a pdf did not work very well, since text and tables were reformatted in an unfriendly manner. Importing as a word file was seamless and transparent, although equations edited with the Microsoft's equation editor had to be replaced with plain and greek characters using subscripts and superscripts. Drawings had to be under 200k, and I had no trouble uploading several GIF files. Editing the text, adding links, and replacing drawings with updated versions using self explanatory pull down menus was simple and quick.

Google is apparently vetting the knols somehow, since it took several days for it to become publicly available and appear on their search pages. There are several other physics related knols, which can easily be found by entering "physics" in the knol search window.

I am interested in thoughts of others on this list regarding knols. Any feedback or constructive criticism regarding my knol, entitled "Speed Costs Power," will also be appreciated.

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Jeff Radtke
jr@cloudchambers.com
www.cloudchambers.com