Today in 2008, Google launched Knol, providing internet users with a platform to write their own articles, with their real names.
In “Wikipedia, Meet Knol,” New York Times reporter Miguel Helft wrote:
Knol, which, by the way, is short for knowledge, is making some people uneasy because it further transforms Google from a search engine that helps people find content into a site that helps people create and publish content.
Google shut down Knol on October 1, 2012.