Some further information about “Knol”:
Google's Knol Launches: Like Wikipedia, With Moderation
Quote:
Originally Posted by FabianPattberg
I like the idea of Knol. The name is just horrible!  |
It does seem like a strange choice of name, but
Knol is intended to mean a “unit of knowledge” (I suppose, much in the same way that in the physical sciences, a “mol” is a unit of matter). Even the name “Google” seems like a strange name, but people eventually became accustomed to it – to the point that it is often seen as synonymous with “search”. It reminds me of “knoll” – which generally means a small grassy hill; so it’s not so bad, but somehow does not seem very ambitious title for a project of this nature. But regardless of the attractive features of this new project, so far it looks like they will take a while before this they can be seen as serious competition for Wikipedia…
On the topic of strange name choices, there is the newly launched search engine
Cuil which was being marketed as a potential “Google Killer”. But the initial feedback to the launch of the Cuil search engine does not seem to be very positive:
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How To Lose Your Cuil 20 Seconds After Launch
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Cuil Crashes And Burns At Launch | WebProNews
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Can Anyone Compete with Google? : StraightUpSearch
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The World According to Cuil
In fact, one blog has described the names of both Knol and Cuil as “crimes against branding”:
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Cuil, Knol, and other crimes against branding | Business Mind Hacks