There a one-line ad on google.com
"New! Get your own website on Google Sites. It's free and easy"

After Chrome, the G1, (?), which product will be next: Google Profiles? Is the 20-80 rule applies here (20% of the time, google.com has an ad)?

Google is also promoting Google Sites on other Google locale domains.

Is it me or Google Sites and Knol are some of the weakest Google services? They're both built on the JotSpot platform, but they're poorly designed and slow.

I tried to edit a Google Site and the Insert menu is so long that, when you click on it, you also click on one of the options.

I find Sites quite powerful and use it for my Companys domain, I think you have seen it before at http://quin-lok.com but there are too many "work-arounds" needed for it.

Knol on the other hand, I love. I think it is a great idea, far more interesting and informative when it takes off properly, as you get to hear many people's opinions and can reference two sides to an argument in an assignment or whatever you need information on easier without having to eave the site as is often required on Wikipedia.

TechCrunch had an informative article criticizing Knol today
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/25/why-google-knol-is-no-wikipedia/

But I think this response article raises much better points
http://lostthetech.com/2009/01/why-google-knol-is-no-wikipedia-and-why-its-ok/

I recommend that you read both of these short articles :D

I also found that certain details in Google Sites show a lack of usability. Sometimes for instance the dialog feedback is too dynamic and subtle to be immediately noticed.