Adam C. Engst of Tidbits reports that Google is talking about creating an alternative to Wikipedia in which each page or “knol” is controlled by one author. The idea is to give Google a chance at reaching the first spot in its own search results so it can serve ads on that page. Like Engst, I’m unimpressed.

Knol is an interesting example of the tension in Google between its primary mission as a search engine and its competing goal to provide platforms for generating ad revenue. While this new project does not mean Google has turned to content creation itself, I wonder how neutral it will be when it comes time to serve links in its search results. It has been neutral with pages served by two of its other children, Blogger and Google Page Creator. Let’s hope that trend continues.