The rise of Google Knol presents a threat to Wikipedia, in the sense that a knol is written by an expert and appears as an article, almost like an encyclopedia entry. Since each knol is a webpage, a Google search could potentially list dozens of knols before listing a Wikipedia article. This has caused people to suggest that Google is creating a monopoly on information dissemination.

Google claims that the development of knols will better enable people to access information (or a unit of knowledge, which is what knol stands for). People will be able to access information with ease because redundant information will be eradicated. What Google fails to realize, is that in any community composed of information gathering and sharing information is often redundant, and redundant for a reason.

An example would be a local news network. All of the information on the local news is delivered on every single station in the community. Viewers choose their station based on many variables: time of airing, the quality of the meteorologist or the quality of the meteorologist's humor, the ability of the anchors to avoid snarky remarks directed toward one another. There is a great variety of reasons why people prefer one station to another. It is important to have redundant information, people often want to be entertained while being informed and people enjoy different forms of entertainment.

This brings me to hubpages. A fellow hubber recently expressed some concern that the knol will negatively affect hubpages. This will not happen, in my opinion. Note: I said my opinion. Opinions are important, opinions are casual and are rarely agreed upon. Opinions and perspectives are what make each hub and hubber unique. Our perspectives and opinions are why we are here.

A knol is meant to provide encyclopedic-like information. An encyclopedia is objective. No opinion. Limited perspective. A knol does not seem to embrace a social identity, nor an entertaining quality. A hub does.

Although Google states that eventually anyone can author a knol, but Google will review the knol for quality. Hubpages, overall, seems to be self-governing.

Should the knol project prove to be successful, competition may grow tighter but, the panic ensuing over Google dominance and destruction of sites like Wikipedia, Squidoo and Hubpages seem to be unfounded.