Time to Say Bye-Bye to Google Knol?

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 by Andy Beal

Time to Say Bye-Bye to Google Knol?

It’s been a little over a year since Google launched Google Knol. Now it appears the service may not make it to its 2nd birthday.

As spotted by TechCrunch, traffic to the site peaked in February and has been on a downward slide since then.

It’s not the first time that we’ve seen questions asked about the futile contuation of Google Knol. In fact, it was just this past January that SAI asked why Google didn’t kill off Knol along with all the other dead weight.

It seems that even Knol users have become disenchanted with the service–resorting to using Knol as Craigslist classifieds alternative.

What about you? Are you still using Google Knol? Having any success?

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5 comments on “Time to Say Bye-Bye to Google Knol?”

WebHostingPad Coupon Says:

August 12th, 2009 at 8:51 pm

I set up a Knol earlier this year for something I was working on. An ebook I bought listed Knol’s as a way to promote. It was the first and only time I had ever heard about them. I mentioned Knol’s to a marketing coach I know and he had never heard of them either. Knol was meant to be like wikipedia so using it as a promotional medium was sorta like putting a square peg in a round hole. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever found a Knol in any search result I’ve done. Not even on Google. I abandoned mine.
Peter Gluck Says:

August 13th, 2009 at 2:32 am

This failure is a natural consequence of Google staying at the same level of information processing as Wikipedia. I am speaking about the hierarchy:data, information, knowledge, wisdom and prediction.Both KNOL and Wikipedia are about knowledge and Wikipedia has tradition and results, Google could get advantage by developing its papers to higher value and higher quality- i. e Wisdom and Prediction.No Google WISD and no Google PRED!
I have tried to explain this to Google by different channels, including a Google 10^100 Project with no success. Sorry for this lost opportunity (lost for Google and for human thinking). Or, isn’t it irreversibly lost?
AP Almost Gets Something Right… But Then Gets It Wrong | PHP Hosts Says:

August 14th, 2009 at 5:42 am

[...] Google itself tried to do something similar with its Google Knol offering, and that’s been a massive disappointment. And it has the inside scoop on how to get good [...]
Headline Commentary Aug 14-Aug17 | Health Content Advisors Says:

August 19th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

[...] » Time to Say Bye-Bye to Google Knol? [...]
JR Says:

August 26th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

I was banned, and I don’t know why. No one will respond to my emails, so I no longer care.

Marketing Pilgrim