Google building its own wikipedia

I noticed nowadays, whenever we search something, it is quite usual to see wikipedia link appears in the top search result. I guess that's why Google has decided to go into the business by launching its own wikipedia - knol. However, the mechanism of this new service is a bit different from existing wikipedia.

It would invite author to write article with their name on it. This would put some kind of ownership into the article, as individual reputation is at stake. This is getting a little bit interesting as the final structure is still unknown.

But, Google is a formidable opponent. It is yet to see how wikipedia can counter the new setup. Or after all, they can co-exist happily. What ever it is, I think it is generally good for all web user, as more knowledge can be captured and shared across the globe.