Knol was a Google project that aimed to include user-written articles on a range of topics. Launched July 23, 2008; shut down May 1, 2012 — it lived 3 years. One of 23 Google products killed in 2012. Knol was a Google project that aimed to include user-written articles on a range of topics. The lower-case term knol, which Google defined as a "unit of knowledge", referred to an article in the project. Knol was often viewed as a rival to Wikipedia. Wiki link Data: Killed by Google (killedbygoogle.com, MIT).