Interview: The Techcrunch editor and entrepreneur speaks on mainstream media, Microsoft's plans and his responsibility as a Web 2.0 arbiter.If you're starting a technology company, you should get on Michael Arrington's good side.
The former lawyer and current entrepreneur is also the editor of Techcrunch, an influential blog that covers tech companies playing in the Web 2.0 space.
His opinionated blog entries can spark interest in, or derision of, a startup, potentially affecting its chances to raise capital or generate buzz in this fickle market.
Two of Arrington's recent entries, one on app-building platform Ning and another on "presence" application-maker Tello, caused several commenters to lambast him for his Web 2.0-centricism.
Arrington posted a response to the criticism on his blog, Crunchnotes.
We caught up with Arrington to ask him about the current Web 2.0 climate and his role as arbiter of new technology.
1. The recent grousing on your blog reflected a lot of "Web 2.0" backlash. Have you noticed the backlash in your conversations with people in the tech community?
I have seen some discussion of whether or not we might be in an investment or hype bubble from bloggers, technologists and entrepreneurs. I think a reason for this is that people's most recent memory of the Internet investment cycle is a crash, and so they assume it will happen again.
I think it's far more interesting to focus on the technologies and products that are evolving and changing people's lives in real ways. My life is substantially better because of iTunes, Flickr, Skype, Wordpress and other Web 2.0 companies. This makes me look forward to the next new, unexpected thing. If you look at it from that perspective, we are not in a bubble, but rather in the beginning stages of a wonderful new creative period on the Web.
2. Two new companies, Gather.com and Tello, recently started their media blitzes in established print publications. Does a technology company need to use "Web 2.0" communication methods, such as blogging and pitching to bloggers, in order to launch successfully, and then to succeed?
Yes, companies need to use Web 2.0 communication methods or they will be at a competitive disadvantage. Notice I did not say "Web 2.0 companies", but rather "companies." Blogs are an effective, informal communication method that makes people feel like they are talking to a real human, because they in fact are. A press release is a train wreck by comparison. Any PR firm that gives a client advice not to have a Weblog, with very few exceptions, is a dinosaur and deserves the criticism that is thrown at them. The advice that Tello received from their PR firm was ridiculous.
Mainstream PR is fine, and everyone likes reading a fluff piece in the New York Times about themselves. But this does nothing to drive customer adoption and feedback. Real engagement with your first customers comes through your company blog and other bloggers. Don't screw that up.
3. Your blog has become highly influential, at least in terms of blogosphere "Whuffie," to borrow Cory Doctorow's phrase. Given that your opinion on a company can bolster or undermine its reputation in important tech circles, do you feel a certain responsibility to be fair and accurate in your posts?
I take more care than I used to in research to ensure accuracy. A beautiful thing about blogging is that my readers quickly correct errors by pointing them out in the comments, and I am able to update posts.
I make no claim to be "fair" and in fact go out of my way to communicate my opinion, not a balanced story. Traditionally, journalists present both sides of a story because it's easier and requires less critical thinking. I'm not interested in that. I want to tunnel directly to the truth and present it crisply. Screw balance. Accuracy, yes. Balance, no.
4. The consensus seems to be that, of the "established" Internet companies (Google, Yahoo, AOL), Yahoo "gets" Web 2.0. It's acquired Del.icio.us, Upcoming.org, and Flickr, to name a few. And yet we haven't seen many changes to those services, and few hints about how Yahoo will incorporate them into its overall strategy. Your thoughts?
Yes, those companies do get Web 2.0. Why do you leave off Microsoft, by the way? In some ways they get it the most. Check out some of the recent stuff I've written about Live.com.
But back to your question, Yahoo is at the very least making bigger bets by acquiring these companies. Also, Google's extreme arrogance (all hot companies go through it) is stopping them from buying companies they should. They think they have the raw intelligence and market power to duplicate established startups and win. Of course, that's dead wrong.
Regarding integration, I am actually happy that Yahoo hasn't messed with Flickr much. There's no reason to rush a product merger when the risk is that people stop loving the original so much. Yahoo seems to be in the process of collecting products with strong network effects, and as long as growth continues they do not need to rush to incorporate them into the core Yahoo services.
5. Jason Calacanis vs. Joshua Schachter, bare knuckle. Who would win?
Calacanis would win. But Joshua is 10 times smarter.
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