Type “buttermilk pancakes” into Google, and among the top three or four search results you will find a link to a recipe, complete with a photo of a delicious stack, from a site called Knol, which is owned by Google.

Google created Knol as a place where experts could share their knowledge on a variety of topics. It hopes to create an encyclopedia built from the contributions of scores of individuals. But while Wikipedia is collectively edited and

ad-free, Knol contributors sign their articles and retain editorial control by the composition. They can choose to place ads, sold by Google, on their pages.

While Knol is only three weeks old, it has already spurred fears among some media companies that Google is increasingly becoming a competitor. They foresee Google becoming a dominant rival that not only owns a growing number of composition properties, including YouTube, the top online video site, […]

Orginal post by dhiram