When it comes to blogging, I enjoy it but my life does not revolve around it. I do have a day job and am not trying to build the next media power house. Getting 2-3 posts out each week means that I write when I want to write, period. I am not competing for that next big scoop.
This is a long winded way of explaining why I am writing about the AOL acquisition of TechCrunch now, when it was the big news last week (I did tweet about it a few times then).
Some wrote about the symbolism of it all, and what this means for tech blogging and PR. Some said that they thought the buyout spelled the end of an era (see Scoble’s piece), and expressed concern that a once independent voice will now change, as it becomes a captive of larger corporate interests. Others wondered how the acquisition could change the world of tech PR.
Sure, TechCrunch is an important outlet for tech news. And Arrington has been very outspoken about PR, so it is hard to argue that this is not important, as it raises a number of questions about the future of the franchise and his role in it. But I continue to believe that this will not change the daily routines at tech PR shops all that much, or have any great impact on the tech companies seeking coverage and visibility.
I was reminded of the power of really big media by an article I read in the NY Times Sunday business section, about how a brief mention in Oprah’s O magazine meant rapid growth for a young company (the resulting traffic to their website crashed their servers). I thought about all of the conversations I have with friends and family that start out as “did you see that article in the NY Times…?”
These are just a couple of examples pointing to the importance of distinctive and strong brands in the media landscape in terms of driving conversations and generating visibility and buzz for the people and companies mentioned in their stories.
So, what are the equivalents of Oprah and the NY Times in the tech media realm? Does TechCrunch fit the bill? Is it server-crashing big?
I would argue that the tech media landscape is cluttered and diffuse, overall.
TechMeme is a tech new aggregation site that features the big and rising stories in tech. Its Leaderboard shows the news outlets that have stories featured on the site the most often. Although TechCrunch is indeed at the top, it has a relatively small plurality of 11.27%.
I think TechCrunch will continue to be important, and hopefully AOL won’t mess with this successful tech news site too much. But I don’t think the deal will change the daily routines at most tech PR shops, nor will it make or break most tech startups.
Seems to me it depends on what AOL’s intentions are. I once worked for a company that AOL bought and it was a pretty positive experience. In that instance they were just holding on to that company for a few months until they could sell it off. My own experience is that getting bought out by a biggie like AOL is not the end of the story.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
It seems to me that AOL is working more like a media company these days, I’d be surprised if they are planning on flipping it…