Every man has his own story. A story he thinks is worth telling, but which may interest noone at all. This is such a story.
I used to have many ideas and I used to write many essays on philosophical subjects on my own. However I never did publish my work or let anyone else (besides my inner circle) see it. I was happy about that and did not really think that I could ever get the chance to publish my work. My initial publish efforts was a site in Yahoo! Geocities (now closed) and I must say that the idea of being well known in the Internet had never crossed my mind nor did I pursue it actively.
And then came Google Knol. It promised to offer a brand new way of publising your ideas to the wider audience of the Internet. It promised a brand new way of user-review of articles posted and an innovative way of article rating. That was all I needed! I immediately started publishing work I had already written and the sky was the limit. I was in a frenzy and wrote new articles as soon as my fingers were rested from restless typing on the computer.
The Knol system worked well in the beginning. However a series of problems came into existence (not the place here to analyze them) and after some time, Knol finally met its innevitable fate. I am not sad that it closed, since everyone carries within himself the things that define him - no matter if they still "are" or not. I am just thrilled that I participated in the journey!
Now that Wikipedia faces problems with a PR company manipulating its content to favor its customers (!!!) [see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16084861], it is not a bad time to think again the things Knol taught us. The Wikipedia-type "blind" and "faceless" type of "encyclopedia authority" is always dangerous... Users have power. And if you give them the right to exercise it, you can build a powerful peer-reviewed system of articles online.
So Thank you Knol!
You made me into who I am!
And I will always think I write "Knols" whenever a new quality article comes out of my hands...
