

Has The TechCrunch Machine Gotten Out of Control? - besvinick
http://ventureminded.me/post/6753901515/techcrunchmachine

======
ivanbernat
I remember when TC was just beginning and it was full of stories about micro
companies doing cool stuff with new technologies. Big companies were rarely
given any coverage at all. Today it's completely different. Most articles look
like recycled PR posts about Company X raising Y millions from a Z fund.

Another thing that is completely ruining it is non-stop fan boy posts (MG
anyone?).

~~~
ca136
I used to spend a lot of time on TC, but there's so much fluff and crap to
filter through it's not worth it anymore. Now I only find myself there if
there's an interesting link on HN. And the best articles by far are written by
guest authors. It really isn't a useful or productive resource for startups,
it's kind of like the TMZ of the tech world.

~~~
besvinick
Great call on the TMZ analogy - it's become too mainstream and gossipy. I'm
all for hearing _major_ news about the big name startups, but I feel like they
have sold out by not giving as much exposure to the up-and-comers.

------
donohoe
Oh TechCrunch... I haven't deliberately gone there in months but when I
accidently do I can't help but notice how the "Whats Hot" hasn't changed...
still been this for a year now?

    
    
      What's Hot: Android, Apple, Facebook, Google, Groupon, Microsoft, Twitter, Zynga
    

If something is "hot" all the time, then its pretty pointless. Thats the UX
grouch in me.

~~~
besvinick
How is Microsoft "hot?" Last I checked it wasn't 1998...

------
tatsuke95
Part of me thinks that if we see the "worst case scenario" tech bubble pop,
combined with the "Aol Way" brand of journalism, Techcrunch will fade into
obscurity over the next five years.

~~~
Macha
Well at least there's one positive aspect to the worst case scenario then.

------
ChuckMcM
Summary:

TC has higher volume / lower median quality

Time-to-market trumps quality / accuracy in a zero barrier to entry space.

The AOL buyout gave TC some resources it didn't have before and it put demands
on the staff that were perhaps not as explicit before. That it would evolve is
unsurprising, whether or not the evolution is for better or for worse is
impossible to predict. If they leave a gap another TC equivalent will grow in
that gap.

That being said it would be fun to have a site focussed on what the original
TC market was, small startups & new ideas & connecting people. And if they
could do that without egregious site advertising (I don't mind advertising but
the TMZ look is, well distracting to say the least). I would read it.

Disclaimer, I still read the RSS feed for TC but don't visit much.

------
retube
This is a pretty weak post, and states the obvious.

tldr; much of techcrunch coverage focuses on the larger heavyweight firms.

~~~
PaulHoule
It's hard for a site like that to not focus on the heavyweight firms. I
remember scanning Slashdot in 1999 and found that most of the links went to
bigger sites; the story that some small site would get in Slashdot and get a
huge amount of publicity was the exception, not the rule.

TechCrunch wouldn't get the audience it gets if it wasn't focused on brands
that people care about. If it was all about tiny obscure companies, TechCrunch
would be a tiny obscure site.

~~~
retube
Oh I'm not critisizing TC. They got to do whatever pays the bills. It's just
that we all know this, and really that article didn't add any insight.

------
Yhippa
There was an interesting comment at the bottom of the post about how TC could
lose out to basically anybody who out-scoops him on a story and about how TC
hangs its hat on being able to publish first. I think it would be great if
they could maybe move away from the "ready, fire, aim" the author talks about
and provides really sound analysis and discussion about startups.

------
soulonfire
I have stopped reading techcrunch.com about 7/8 months ago even though I still
subscribe to its rss feed. The website is bloated and takes forever to load. I
have also noticed the quality of the articles go down in the past year or so.

------
pedalpete
My last company was covered by TC (back in 2007), and I think all this
'blindsided' stuff is insincere.

I was happy to get the coverage, but I don't think not being contacted by TC
before they posted an article had nothing to do with a 'hot' story. Contacting
companies takes time. It may take only 20 minutes to talk to an entrepreneur
about there business, but 20 minutes dedicated to each company would really
slow down the whole process. It's about pumping out as much content is
possible as much as it is breaking a 'hot' story.

------
phereford
The AOL buyout has really pushed me to stay away from anything they write.
While the quality of articles and writing was dropping pre-buyout, it has
definitely gotten much worse post-buyout.

------
egze
What are the good alternatives to TechCrunch?

~~~
siglesias
GigaOM

------
PaulHoule
My guess is that Arrington feels it's a machine that's gotten out of control
but he doesn't have a way off.

~~~
ignifero
I think he already sold it and moved to Seattle.

~~~
workhorse
He moved to Seattle and then sold it.

------
workhorse
It is completely unacceptable that their website loads that slowly.

