Jason Calacanis quitting blogging has been widely reported, switching over to a newsletter format instead. I’m on that list, and I’m happy to say there’s been plenty of interesting e-mails from the Mahalo guy already. This isn’t surprising, the e-mail format doesn’t stress you to write on a daily basis, so Jason can stick to the good stuff, leaving out things not being as necessary to comment.

The last e-mail was on Knol (Wikipedia entry), Google’s “we’re not in the content business” project that so obviously is in the content business. I think that Knol is a step in the wrong direction for Google, if they want to keep their search domination. Think about it, how reliable is a search engine if some sources of information will be valued higher because they are owned by the search engine itself? We already get YouTube results pushed out on every search, and Knol is ranked high already, of course.

The whole Knol idea is good, with a revenue split and everything. The problem is that it is the wrong company doing it. Google should stick to search, retire Knol, or suffer the consequences. I think they’re inviting Microsoft to the search engine table if they push Knol, or start pushing content they’ve got control of/stake in. I know I would trust them less.

For the sake of it, Jason asked a number of questions, which I’ll answer below just for the fun of it.

1. How dependent is your business on Google today?

Somewhat. Overall, counting all online projects, I think we’re looking at a 60% traffic coming from Google. However, I don’t think Knol being pushed out would change that as much as it would affect other kinds of businesses. Still, I dislike being as dependent on Google as I find myself, and I’m doing what I can to strengthen the brand so that they really can stand on their own two feet, even without Google.

2. Do you think Google is going over the line by wanting to own not only search but the items in the search results?

Yes, they are crossing the line, and they’re jeopardizing their integrity as a search engine as well. If there was a decent search alternative, which I don’t think there is today, I would give it a serious go. I doubt Google will have the luxury to be that much better than the competition for long, though, so I expect to try something else fairly soon.

3. Do you think Google is a content company or not?

I didn’t use to think so, but now I’m not so sure. With YouTube, I gave them the benefit of a doubt, and besides, up until recently they focused on amateur content all the way. Knol is a way more obvious step toward being a content company, and that’s disturbing.

4. Do you think Google is the new Microsoft, or are these projects just fun diversions?

I think they lean towards fun diversions, but that doesn’t mean they’re not the new Microsoft. I already believe that they are doing what they can to keep control of the ad dollars generated from search, with deals to make sure that the top target destinations after a search will contain Adsense ads, therefor maximizing the cash flow. This tactic is somewhat Microsoftish, and the way Google is trying to dominate the web application sphere is another matter. So yes, but not in the way you mean.