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    Thursday, July 24, 2008

    Reuters - Google opens Knol website, a wiki with bylines

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    Google opens Knol website, a wiki with bylines

    Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008 11:24PM UTC

    By Eric Auchard

    SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc opened its website Knol to the public on Wednesday, allowing people to write about their areas of expertise under their bylines in a twist on encyclopedia Wikipedia, which allows anonymity.

    "We are deeply convinced that authorship -- knowing who wrote what -- helps readers trust the content," said Cedric DuPont, product manager for Knol.

    The name of the service is a play on an individual unit of knowledge, DuPont said, and entries on the public website, http://knol.google.com, are called "knols". Google conducted a limited test of the site beginning in December.

    Knol has publishing tools similar to single blog pages. But unlike blogs, Knol encourages writers to reduce what they know about a topic to a single page that is not chronologically updated.

    "What we want to get away from is 'this last voice wins' model which is very difficult if you are a busy professional," DuPont said.

    Google wants to rank entries by popularity to encourage competition. For example, the first knol on "Type 1 Diabetes" is by Anne Peters, director of the University of Southern California's Clinical Diabetes Programs.

    As other writers publish on diabetes, Google plans to rank related pages according to user ratings, reviews and how often people refer to specific pages, DuPont said.

    Knol focuses on individual authors or groups of authors in contrast to Wikipedia's subject entries, which are updated by users and edited behind the scenes.

    Knol does not edit or endorse the information and visitors will not be able to edit or contribute to a knol unless they have the author's permission. Readers will be able to notify Google if they find any content objectionable.

    Knol is a hybrid of the individual, often opinionated entries found in blogs and the collective editing relied on by Wikipedia and other wiki sites.

    The service uses what it calls "moderated collaboration" in which any reader of a specific topic page can make suggested edits to the author or authors, who retain control over whether to accept, reject or modify changes before they are published.

    In its early stages, Knol remains a far cry from Wikipedia, http://www.wikipedia.org, which boasts 7 million collectively edited articles in 200 languages.

    Google signed a deal with Conde Nast's New Yorker, giving Knol authors the rights to use one of the magazine's famous cartoons in each Knol posting. Google will allow Knol writers to run ads on their entries and will share income with them.

    DuPont said that rather than competing with Wikipedia, Knol may end up serving as a primary source of authoritative information for use with Wikipedia articles.

    "Knols will fill gaps on what we have on the Web today. That is what we hope," DuPont said.

    (Additional reporting by Michele Gershberg in New York; Editing by Toni Reinhold)

    Reuters - Batman fans get chance to fight with their hero

    This article was sent to you from Bombastic4000@gmail.com, who uses Reuters Mobile Site to get news and information on the go. To access Reuters on your mobile phone, go to:
    http://mobile.reuters.com

    Batman fans get chance to fight with their hero

    Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 12:24PM UTC

    By John Gaudiosi

    SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Batman fans inspired by his latest box office hit can bam and kapow alongside the Caped Crusader and other superheroes with the launch of the world's first licensed massively multiplayer online comic book game.

    Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is using this week's mammoth Comic-Con International show at the San Diego Convention Center to introduce the "DC Universe Online."

    This massively multiplayer online game allows players to create their own superhero or super villain and work in tandem with iconic characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and bad guys like Bizzaro, The Joker and Lex Luthor.

    "Comics dominate the pop culture landscape today," said comic book legend Jim Lee, who serves as executive creative director of "DC Universe Online" and is an artist for DC Comics.

    "As comic fans, we've known since we were little kids how great comics are. With this game, we have the opportunity to show everyone else how cool the DC Universe is."

    Although the game won't be shipping for PlayStation 3 and PC this year, an early build of the action-packed game, which focuses on Brainiac attacking Metropolis, is playable at six kiosks on the show floor.

    SOE Austin, a unit of Sony Corp., is developing the game in tandem with Lee and a collection of DC Comic writers, which will allow for unique crossover opportunities between mediums.

    "We'll coordinate things across print and online," said Lee. "If we have a big storyline happening in the summer, you might see that in the game later. I have a staff position at DC and we have a short list of characters that we'll update first in the game and then in the comics."

    SUPERHEROES SENSATIONS

    John Smedley, president of SOE, said there couldn't be a better time to be developing "DC Universe Online." In addition to the phenomenal success of Warner Bros.' "The Dark Knight" in theaters, kids are watching hit animated shows like "Teen Titans" and "Justice League."

    While the new game will incorporate over 70 years of mythology and 150 characters from the core DC Universe, the focal point will be on new user-created characters.

    "The biggest fantasy players can have is to be an equal of Superman, not necessarily to play as Superman," said Chris Cao, studio creative director at SOE Austin.

    As they progress through their hero or villain story, interacting with characters from the comics, Cao said players can aspire to one day joining with the Justice League of America in the Watch Tower or the Legion of Doom in the Hall of Doom.

    John Blakely, vice president of development SOE Austin, said "DC Universe Online" offers physics-based combat action never seen before in an MMO game.

    "When you pick up a bus and throw it across Metropolis, hundreds of thousands of players will be able to see this-and many of them will have to dodge this projectile for their safety," said Blakely.

    And "DC Universe Online" is not the only game in town at Comic-Con. Midway Games is showcasing its "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" fighting game on the show floor, which pits pugilists like Scorpion and Sub Zero from the popular, and bloody, game franchise against superheroes like Captain Marvel and Catwoman.

    Activision and Marvel Games have new games "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" playable and a trailer for "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Fusion" in their booth. SOE, Midway and Activision are all throwing parties to celebrate these games.

    "Comic-Con is now an entertainment event and comics have proven themselves as mainstream entertainment across multiple mediums," said Smedley.

    (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

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