I spent a good amount of time exploring Knol when Google opened this Wikipedia like product for public some two months ago but that was it. I can’t remember a single instance where I have referred to any of the published knols in the past sixty days.
Maybe the reason is very simple – there’ aren’t enough knols available yet despite all the initial hype.
Try searching for What is Knol on Google and you’ll be surprised to see a suggestion like "Did you mean: what is knoll." Search for knol on Windows Live and the top result points to Wikipedia while the official site itself is at #5.
Like everyone else, I also perform a fairly high number of web searches every day on Google & Yahoo but cannot recall if I ever encountered a Knol on the front page of Google search results.
Why? This Google search suggests that there are around 23k knol entries in English language which is definitely not a bad number but the signal to noise ratio may not be very healthy.
Now I cannot comment on the quality of articles available in Google Knol but you’ll get enough hints if you spend five minutes at this official directory of ‘featured knols’ – lot of content doesn’t add any value or is written to boost the visibility of another website.
One article that’s featured on the front page of knol directory is lifted verbatim from Wikipedia so getting listed in the directory doesn’t add any credibility.
Finally, here’s a Technorati chart that shows the number of blogs who have mentioned ‘knol’ in their articles in the last 60 days. Ignore the first week of launch and it become obvious that even the Google loving blogosphere has forgotten knol.
Take this poll – Do You Use Google Knol?
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/internet/who-uses-google-encyclopedia-knol/4644/
Tags: feature, google knol, wikipedia, Internet
Reader Comments
The main problem of knol is nobody know well about it and yet to get much popularity among people.I think it take some time become success wait and see.
Written by Litto on 09.23.08
Google Knol is just a ploy of Google to dominate whole of internet world. This dominance started by acquiring blogger, then youtube, and so on..And from the looks of it Knol is not of much importance for Google but just another challenge to Wikipedia..SO that Google can even take up sources like Wikipedia too under their belt..
Written by Manpreet Singh on 09.23.08
The problem with knol is there is no check and quality control like mechanisem as article directories are having.
Hence a lot of duplicate content which it self will show at a side bar of knol there fore no value in terms of seo.
This could be the reason why it is not with good search results.
Written by suresh on 09.23.08
To be fair, we should give Knol some more time to actually compare it with Wikipedia. But you are right in the sense atleast as of now one can’t see Knol outperforming Wikipedia.
Written by Nikhil Pai on 09.23.08
Knol is going to end up exactly like Google Answers.
Written by Ankur Banerjee on 09.23.08
Ya,
The day Knol was launched amid great hype, I too wrote an informative article. But I was disappointed as, leave alone Google search, even in Knol search it was difficult to locate it. By searching the exact title also it didn’t appear.
Of course, there is no method in the success of any concept.
Written by Indscribe on 09.24.08
Knol is a very different concept. Google will allow it to choose its own rhythm, path and speed for a couple of years and then streamline that
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Wiki has its own inherent weakness, which Knol has addresses beautifully
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Written by Bruno on 09.24.08
Yes it’s forgotten. Because it gives so many burdens and ask for so many very personal information that generally general surfer unable to give. Or, they don’t wish to give.
Written by Professional Lab on 09.24.08
Do you think Knol is for Indians?
It is not available for Indians and major of the writers in online media are Indians, so where would Knol get the content from?
Written by Chetan on 09.24.08
The whole problem is Google had other product releases lined up like the GChrome and Android. Guess they didn’t want(or didn’t) to market this that much..
Any one else feels the same way ?
Written by Swaroop on 09.26.08
If the biggest player on the net invited you to be a strategic partner – why wouldn’t you? Google knol is a long term project that for those perceptive enough to see a rising start and are hitching their wagons to it. Why wouldn’t you get in now and become recognised as a valuable contributor to the knol project? Who knows where it will lead but I am pretty please to be aligned with the #1 global player. Get in now – beat the rush is my advice.
Written by Peter Baskerville on 12.19.08