How to write Knols that rank ‘Top 10’

Introduction and Reflections on the Knol project

Knol page snapshot, 12 December 2008.

A Knol is defined as a unit of knowledge, an authoritative article about a specific topic. From the outset, Google's Knol Team stressed the importance of authorship. They targeted the project to attract experts irrespective of field and either broad scope or minute focus of any occupation, interest or specialty. Once attracted, authoritative writers discover Knol's unique social architecture.

This is a powerful and flexible design that embraces and encourages collaboration. We believe that collaboration is the project's underpinning hope, its chief strategic differentiator. And collaboration has many modes at Knol: co-authorship (as in this Knol); open collaboration where readers can make changes directly; moderated collaboration where readers can suggest changes to authors; comments at the end of each Knol and reviews that are Knol themselves. Authors may begin their work in unpublished mode, publishing in an open or moderated mode when the infant reaches a reasonable level of maturity, ready for embrace by the world of knowledge seekers. As a Knol achieves stability, collaboration can be reduced. For authors who are pre-eminent experts and wish to write Knols in a mode similar to peer-review journal articles, collaboration can be turned off. In fact, Knol's launch was accompanied by many pre-eminent medical Knols written by recognized physicians and health researchers. These have stood the test of time and rank very high in search engine results: more proof of our thesis.

The engineering of the Knol project with its easy add-ons (such as YouTube and Google Docs), referencing and linking features makes it possible to write to high academic standards while providing a platform for an expert or journalistically-skilled writer to freely share facts, insights, even interpretive opinions that are anchored by the facts and creativity of the work. Writers are called authors because creativity is a welcome and encouraged component (compared, for example, with the flat, academically rigorous prose of an encyclopedia entry).

For actual academics and scientific researchers, while not replacing the traditional peer review publishing process, Knols speed the dissemination of important new information and theses into the public arena. Once here, a Knol is still capable of peer consideration through review, comments, collaborative editing and rating systems that the architects have included in the project.

1. The opportunity to share your unique and sometimes uncommon knowledge with the world for some genuine altruistic purpose. By documenting your expertise in a by-lined pragmatic Knol, this project encourages self-actualized volunteerism on a global scale; ask not what a Knol can do for you, but what you can do for a Knol;
   
2. An effective way to establish credentials and bona fides (good faith) as a global expert in your field; through your by-line, you benefit directly when your Knol is cataloged by the search engines and the topic becomes hard wired to your name. If you seek monetization, this process delivers natural commercial flow-on benefits as a consequence of expertise wrapped into pragmatic units of knowledge. This is called trust;
3. The option to directly benefit financially from an article's popularity via the unobtrusive Google AdSense advertising program or via a single link to you or your firm's off-site products. Don't get too excited. We know of no AdSense millionaires via Knol, But the direct benefit is definitely there. And if you don't want the benefit, AdSense may be turned off on a Knol-by-Knol basis. In the long run, commercial enterprises benefit far more from point #2, which is the "if you build it, they will come" component of Knol.
4. A genuine opportunity to exercise an interest in citizen journalism, with reasonably quick reaction (or not) to the stories you report. Do you have something to say about the sudden death of pop culture icon Michael Jackson? Would your story enlighten others? Could it survive fact checking readers? How about the Presidential election in Iran, settlements in Israel, nuclear weapons in North Korea or drought restrictions in your community? If you have a desire to try your hand at who/what/why/when/where and how, Knol will immediately expose your efforts to a global readership. There is a current crying need at Knol for fast coverage of current events in the mode of units of knowledge. Just remember, garbage in, garbage out.
   

 

1. The components of the writing; and
2. Reader participation

So what does Knol's Help Team want?

• Do be clinical (objective and thorough) and informative (tedious, but generates trust)
  
• Do bring your topic to life (metaphors, short stories, etc., that help readers discover their relationship with the topic, e.g., empathy)
  
• Do explain technical terms in straightforward language (your grandmother should be able to understand)
  
• Do focus on communicating clearly (get a volunteer language tutor if needed)
  
• Do follow the terms of service and content policy (got to read those first)
• Do make your statements similar to that of a textbook or informative pamphlet (sloppy sentences won't get you far)
  
• Do provide references, ask for reviews and display your credentials (if you believe in your work, prove it)
  
• Do think about how to get your readers involved in your topic (ask them to comment and challenge your suppositions and conclusions)
  
• Do use a more formal tone (a Knol is not a blog, and the Google audio badge awaits those who write on the formal side)
  
• Do voice your opinion (you have always wanted to do this, right? It can be challenging but trust embossed with integrity is what you will be producing)
  

• Don’t post advertisements (you know your motives -- it is potentially more rewarding to deliver a genuine unit of knowledge that ends with a link to your commercial site, than to blatantly use the Knol as an ad. Save yourself from getting flagged and perhaps blocked)
  
• Don’t use jargon (unless your Knol is about jargon)
  
• Don’t use the informal conversational style, common in blog entries (repetition for good reason)
  
• Don't write a blog (repitition again. This is getting repetitive)
  

The 5 strategies Peter and Murry use to write Knols
that rank Top 10 

1 - Write for your readers ... ONLY

#4 - Image source by Richard Masoner - flickr.com

Write what your readers are expecting to read, in the way that they expect to read it; i.e. answer presumed questions with original, informative and appropriately researched content that deals comprehensively with the promise contained in your Knol's title and introduction.

 

Peter says, "Place your complete focus on writing the best possible article for the reader. Avoid being dominated by the math of Search Engine Optimization. For the most part, I find it a distraction, that while an SEO effort might add something to the visibility of my article, the benefit will be small compared with spending the same energy on simply writing a better article. SEO may help get your article seen, but it is reader satisfaction from a good read that generates the critical referrals. I would rather earn one satisfied, referring and repeating human contact than 100 search hits on an article that did not deliver on a promise."

Murry adds "The current state of the Internet seems to be rewarding SEO efforts instead of reader interests, evidenced by two metrics:

1. The sheer number of job opportunities stressing SEO skills that are needed to help companies achieve higher rank for their internet activities; and
2. The declining quality of top-ranked results (generated by tactical SEO). This has  prompted new search engine competition. Microsoft has made a strong entry with Bing, positioned as the "decision engine" rather than merely a search engine. The entry is bolstered by an expensive national advertising and sponsorship campaign that signifies Microsoft's seriousness. This campaign is an anti-standard SEO position. It emphasizes utility and pragmatic considerations ahead of keywords, key phrases and other standard SEO tactics.

"Of course, Google and Yahoo are adjusting to meet (and beat) Bing. Microsoft is doing a huge favor for consumers with this effort, even if they ultimately lose the battle to Google. It will take time -- years, not months -- to see if Bing tops Google. Readers are getting the benefit. When I perform searches, I want what Bing promises. At times, my searches are vague and immature. By putting content analysis ahead of keywords, the results from initial search should help me sharpen and focus my effort, quickly leading me to the results I really want. And this is how I write Knols: giving readers what they expect to get. Is it possible that Bing searches will deliver more top-ranked Knols than Google in consumer search? I'm watching."

 

Another point Peter follows is to design the Knol with an educational bias or flavor. By this I mean, don’t just tell the story or list the facts - try to inform with the object of passing on knowledge and understanding to the reader. Turn what you know into potential learning for your reader. Teaching is my background I know, but I am sure others could adopt this approach to achieve the results detailed above. This educational bias also allows me to place a preferred Knol summary with bullet points on Open Learning university sites that link back to the authoritative Knol carrying the more comprehensive coverage of the topic, should the student require it. I have also developed an educational Knol Vocational Training Template that was designed to help other Knol writers convert their knowledge into this learning format. Check it out ... it may help get your Knol ranked in the Top 10, sooner than you could have imagined.

 

The key to giving the reader what thay want, is to make the Knol a great user experience. So, get the Knol layout, grammar and spelling right first. Then Include plenty of other related media like New Yorker cartoons, YouTube videos, diagrams, photos, Wordle.net and throw in some quotes from others or from your own making, if you are brave enough. Either way, it all goes to making it a great user experience.

Another thing you could do to make for a better reader experience is to learn some HTML or, if you like, copy some of the code that I have used in this Knol in the 'text boxes', 'Table row colors' and image borders. Link to my Knol on HTML add-ons for Knols  for more help.

 

Note: If you do use a photo resource like Flickr then make sure you select only those with a Creative Commons license and that give you the right to use the photo commercially (i.e. because of the AdSense connection). Also make sure you attribute it according to the author's requirements.

                                                                                                                    

2 - Turn your Knol into an investment

#5 - Image Source By paparutzi - Flickr.com

Invest the same time in your Knols as you would any other worthwhile investment. So, from the outset it's hard to imagine that investment writing that purports to be ‘an authoritative article about a specific topic’ , could be done so in less than 1,500 words. My average word length is more like 3,000 which I am sure helps contribute to my page one ranking. (i.e. this article is about 3,000 words).

 

So, don’t waste your time, posting those short pithy articles designed for AdSense monetization and ‘link juice’. 

Now, while no site likes these 'traffic-driver articles' there are other article sites like Hubpages, Helium and ezineArticles that welcome the shorter 400 - 1000 word article (i.e. I use Hubpages). I write and post original short artciles to these sites that relate to one part of my Knol and then link it back to my authoritative Knol for those readers wanting more information.

 

Also, revisit your article time and time again. Go back and read it through one more time, looking for the inappropriate grammar, incorrect spelling and unclear explanations ... and then dive in and fix them. My typical number of adjustments/versions per Knol is well over 50, before I put the Knol on weekly maintenance. Constantly scan for new resources (photos, videos) that you think could add to your Knol's value. Maybe come back to make some slight adjustment due to your recent change of thinking or simply rework the summaries to make them really sing or add some new found references or relevant links. Also, break up long Knols visually into sections, or into bite size pieces of information.

 

Look at the formatting again and ask yourself – Could I make this present better? If so, then do it. Look at what other Knol writers are doing and add those ideas to your work (I did). The key is to keep making your Knols better. Don’t just dump and abandon them. Your Knols are a living breathing expression of you, your thoughts, your expertise, a testament to your knowledge and insights and so treat them with the respect they deserve.

 

Knols are an investment product, that if you develop them fully, they will provide you with returns for many years to come. I use my Knols as the centre piece for my work and they are the link back point from forum posts, other article sites and educational open learning sites. This strategy, I am sure, also contributes to my page 1 rankings. But then again, why wouldn't you want to provide your readers with further information if they require it. This is an age old commercial process call building goodwill with your prospective clients. When the time is right, this goodwill can be monetized ... but only when the time is right and a market demand has been built.

 

                                                                                                                                      

3 - Be 100% unique in content & site choice

Image Source #3 - By Gisela Giardino - flickr.com

That's right! Start with a blank sheet and just write. No copy and paste. No adaptations of previously online published works. No ... just 100% original content that you place on just one site – the Knol project.

 

Now, a curious side benefit of placing your article only on the Knol project site, is that you have the immense weight of Google’s online presence to protect your work from plagiarism.

 

How? ... Let me explain;

 

The Knol project provides a side-bar window which constantly updates the metric of ‘where else this article is published on the web’. Because I only publish these articles as a Knol, I can quickly see if it is ever posted somewhere else on the net. When another site is identified as carrying my article, I check it out for ‘copy and paste’ plagiarism. If it is, I simply inform the Knolhelp team who deal with it. 

 

                                                                                                                  

4 - Relationship first - money second

#2 - Image source by Tracy O at flickr.com

Work out your strategy for the AdSense option. There is no one-play-fits-all here. Sometimes you are possibly better not to include it in an area that you are trying to establish your global expert status. You don’t want readers to bring into question your motives for publishing (i.e. just for short term monetary gain). 

 

I’m not against AdSense, as some of my topic areas engage them but then again, some don’t. The important thing is to be clear on your objectives in each topic area. I remove AdSense from my entrepreneurship and education articles but include them in most everything else I write. You just need to figure out your own strategy on this.

 

Either way I don't believe that this is the real money making aspect of a Knol. I believe that the real money will come from the Knol project's ability to eventually grant you global expert status in your field. Now that's a valuable, rare and difficult to reproduce resource that can be leveraged as a basis for your intended product commercialisation. This play can be represented in a basic commercial algebraic equation. Trust underpins commercial transactions (Trust = transactions). People trust what is authorized or has authority (Authority = trust). Therefore, by algebraic deduction authority generates transactions (authority = transactions). 

 

Now on to the linking feature. I know many are thinking ... Great! Lots of links back to my web site? ... Don't do it! Don't fill your Knol with an inappropriate number of links back to your commercial website. The Internet/Knol audience are getting smarter by the minute. They can very quickly distinguish between the writing designed to ‘drive traffic’ and the one genuinely designed to inform, assist them with their problem and who wants to form a mutually beneficial relationship. "Traffic Driver' articles are a real turn-off for the article, the author and the enterprise they represent, while the latter evokes an ‘I want to read more about what this expert has to say and possibly stay in touch for the future’. Remember the growing focus on web 2.0, mirrors the successful realities of the physical world – it’s all about building relationships ... and you don't build relationships by being so 'what's in it for me' focused in those early engagements.

 

                                                          

5 - Aim at AUTHOR...ity

#1 - Dickens,Collins, Gaskell and Proctor, PD.

Treat each Knol as if it were a chapter of a book that you will publish one day ... because the technologies and processes exist to ensure that more than likely, one day you will. A Knol by the publisher David Hancock explains one of these options.

 

So, the flow goes like this; if you can write a Knol you can write a book, if you can write a book you become an author, if you are the author of a book you become the AUTHOR...ity, if you are the authroity then you have the keys that will enable you to commercialize your intellectual capital (as explained in the algebraic commercial equation above).

 

Stephanie Chandler makes some good points about the commercial benefits of writing a book, in her Knol Become a Recognised Authority in your field.

 

Also the Knol Project are considering the possibility of publishing KnolBooks  and collections which may bring about your book publishing dreams a lot earlier than you had planned.

So, don’t post junk. If a knol is not working (no real page view volumes after a few months), think about un-publishing it! Leaving it there in your portfolio of work could diminish your status in the eyes of your followers. Monitor the progress of your Knols and look for opportunities to edit out the hinderances, add things to make it better or delete it when you realise that you have got it completely wrong (I had to delete one of mine).

Another good metaphor I follow when writing Knols is to write it as a '50/50 mix of an academic essay and an illustrated coffee table book'.

 

If your Knol portfolio is of a high standard, then people will want to read all your other Knols as well. Keeping the uncaring, unwanted or poorly written Knol in your portfolio will stop this flow-on reading effect from happening and you will fail to build momentum towards being acknowledged as a global expert in your field with all its flow-on commercial benefits.

 

Also, the Knol Team have openly declared from the outset that they are wanting to develop and promote expert authors. So, it would not surprise me to learn that both the article content and author’ status, contribute in the algorithm’s higher article ranking. It certainly seems to contribute to the changing of the Knol 'no-follow' policy for their trusted authors, and it may well help with the 'visibality' in the rankings.

 

Why write a Book?

Dale Beaumont from www.GetPublishedSecrets.com

Other ways to protect and promote your expert author status is to reference appropriately, to provide genuinely useful links to external authorities (at least 20) and to link to other Knols that handle a specific sub-topic well. (even those competing Knols, although I tend to only chose those Knols ranked ahead of mine in the search results).

 

Furthermore, don’t be afraid of contributing to the Knol project with suggestions, reviews of other quality Knols with the 'one paragraph' version ot more advanced article review version and providing constructive comments on Knol articles when you think it is warranted. Again, I am sure that it all adds to the Knol author’s rankings, their extended public exposure and could even open the door for future collaborative work with other knol writers, as it has done for me.

 

Analysing Knol's Top 30 authors (of which I mostly 'make the cut') identifies the following backgrounds;

Top 30 Authors AREA	#	POSITION
University or Technical College
	1	Vice Chair
	6	Professors
	1	Clinical Instructor
	2	Lecturers
	3	Students
Technology
	1	Software Engineer
	1	Programmer
Professions
	1	Senior Lawyer
	1	Engineer
	1	Pharmaceutical Biotechnology R&D Advisor
	1	Psychologist
Specific Field Experts
	1	Veteran
	1	Magazine publisher
	1	Hunting, fishing, camping
	2	Artists
	2	Photographers
Not defined	4	Anon

Specific fields of the University and Technical college include: Applied Mathematics, Andrology, Urology, Bacteriology, Chemistry, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Zoology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Aerospace Engineering.

 

One tiny point to add here, is to give yourself a 5 start rating before publishing. If you believe in your work then reward yourself with the appropriate score. (It just stops your recently published Knol from looking 'unloved' in the early stages of its release.)

 

                                                                                                     

Conclusion - Write Knols that Rank 'Top 10'

How to write Knols that rank 'Top 10' - www.wordle.net

So, there are no great secrets revealed here, just explaining once again the hard work required to give both your readers and your partner (the Knol project) the things they most want. They in turn will reciprocate by giving you the key thing that you need - being recognized as a global expert in your field.

 

Now, it's highly probable that there are a great many other pre-eminent experts in your field, but if you are the only one visible and 'out there' (via the Knol project platform) then you are the one to get the kudos. (I have borrowed this thought and mind-set assumption from the SEOs)

 

So, I don’t just look at my activities on the Knol project as simply being a content provider or an article marketer or ‘link juice’ builder, but rather as a partner in a global project that could revolutionize learning for the planet; that is,

 

"To deliver a world-class, comprehensive and eminently affordable education to every person on the planet - anytime, anywhere, on topics relevant to their need and at a pace suitable to their learning preference, ability and start-point"

OK, that's my beef ... but I believe that through the platform of the Knol project, I have been given an opportunity to 'hitch my wagon to a rising star' and being the entrepreneur that I am – that’s exactly what I am doing and will continue to do.

How to write for the web

Johathan Roper (Australia) gives good writing tips

Just one last word on monetization – I’m into it … but I believe that there is a far more commercially rewarding outcome to be gained by taking an investment approach to your online digital product enterprise, than by going for the smaller $ quick-kill strategy right now.

 

So, at present I am using the Knol project to build the momentum for my commercial products which I fully intend to monetize when the time is right and when I have fully figured out the new business model that is emerging in this fast changing and dynamic online learning sphere.

 

OK, so now you know the work that you need to put in "to write Knols that rank 'Top 10'", so go write one ... but before you do, tell a friend about this one.

 

For more tips on writing Knols from those that write them ... Click Here

 

                                                                             

Summary for the 'time-impaired'

Write for your readers ... ONLY

 

1. Write engaging, informative and well researched articles
2. Don't just write to get ranked (SEO)
3. Write to promote learning and education, not just the facts
4. Add plenty of visual media (at least 7 and make 1 a video)

Turn your Knol into an investment

 

1. Write a 3,000+ word article
2. Take one section of the Knol, re-write and post to other sites or forums with link-back. 
3. Use appropriate grammar, correct spelling & clear explanations
4. Commit to making it better. Constantly revise. Look to improve often.
5. Format by sections. Include opening, closing & section summaries

Be 100% unique in content & site choice

 

1. Write your Knol with 100% original content (not so much in ideas, but in expression)
2. Post on the net just once - as a Knol
3. Request action from KnolHelp on identified plagiarized work

Relationships first - money second

 

1. Don't just default to AdSense and don't make it your focus in writing.
2. Decide the content areas that you will not use AdSense. i.e. sensitive expert areas.
3. Don't over commercialize with too many links back to commercial sites.
4. Respect your reader's intelligence. If the interest is great, one link is enough
5. Build goodwill with the reader first, before considering commercialization.

Aim at AUTHOR...ity.

 

1. Write a Knol as you would a chapter of a 'soon to be published' book.
2. Write with the intent of being acknowledged as an authority in your field
3. Don't publish junk or allow a poorly viewed article to remain in your portfolio - Rewrite or remove
4. Write only in your field of expertise. Carve out your niche using your unique, uncommon or highly contextualized knowledge
5. Qualify and support your Knol with appropriate references and extensive links to authoritative sites. (aim at 20 of these links)
6. Actively participate in the community - Provide reviews, comments and suggestions where appropriate.
7. Give yourself a 5 Stars before publishing - if you have done all this, you deserve it!

 

About the Author

This author supports the fight against plagiarism on Knol. Report HERE Peter Baskerville is a lecturer and facilitator of entrepreneurial education at Southbank Institute of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. He mounts courses and mentors student entrepreneurs in a role he calls "New Venture Architect." He holds a degree and awards in finance, accounting and entrepreneurial education; is recognized in Australia as Content Expert in Entrepreneurship and is Entrepreneur in Residence at Southbank. Peter has written 28 Knols and is currently ranked third among Knol's top pick English language authors. Murry Shohat is deeply experienced, widely published. Reporter, editor, strategic and tactical PR, outbound and inbound marketing, articles, research, positioning, press releases, white papers, case studies, SEO, newsletters, desktop publishing design templates. My work spans conceptual, analytical, interpretive, journalistic, and persuasive projects. Experience in high technology, real estate, dentistry and health care, aerospace, law, general business, B-B and B-C. Located in California's vino-licious wine country, my education includes a degree in Journalism and post-grad work in Business. Murry has authored or co-authored 16 Knols and is currently ranked second among Knol's top pick English language authors.

                                                                

PHOTO ATTRIBUTION

• #1 - Image source - 4 Authors - Public Domain WikiMedia Commons - uploaded 18 January 2009
• #2 - Image source - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracy_olson/61056391/ Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic by Tracy O - uploaded 18 January 2009
• #3 - Image source - by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ - uploaded 18 January 2009, Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic http://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/43208610/
• #4 - Image source - by richardmasoner uploaded 18 January 2009, Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic   http://www.flickr.com/photos/bike/248030268/ 
• #5 - Image Source - by paparutzi Attribution 2.0 Generic - uploaded 18 January 2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/paparutzi/285865099/