Alaska - please re-read what I said - I am talking about sexual, racial type comments that would not be allowed in public.

Not removing comments because you disagree with them.

TechCrunch doesn’t do many reviews about Internet startups anymore. When a review is done, it’s usually short and bland…just the company name, some name-dropping about the investors and founders, and funding amount. It’s as if you are bored to tears with doing in-depth startup reviews.

Where’s the beef? According to Michael a few weeks ago with Guy Kawasaki, you guys receive a steady stream of startups every day looking for coverage. I would expect to learn about at least one new startup a day…and to learn more than just-the-facts stats.

Please, please, please focus on introducing your readers to Internet startups again! Or write about interesting up-and-coming websites like Marcus Frind’s PlentyOfFish.com, who is a one-man band kicking the pants off of much larger paid online dating sites. I could find only a paragraph of TC coverage here: http://www.techcrunch.com/2006.....find-love/ I find it completely fascinating what Marcus is accomplishing by himself. TC’s coverage of PlentyOfFish would have you believe it is nothing special…but indeed Marcus has a hugely important and interesting story to be told and analyzed by the startup crowd.

Every non-startup story you post is yet another interesting Internet company/service you didn’t provide me and your readers an opportunity to learn about. I don’t even care if you feel the company “deserves” coverage…let your readers determine that. Also, why not post a list of all the companies that get rejected for a write-up? That would be a great source of information, too.

Reporting on the small no-name underdogs is much more interesting than yet another Google/Yahoo/Amazon/MySpace story. Your readers are more than likely to be working at the underdog companies, not at the category leaders. Help us dream our dreams as the underdogs!

I shouldn’t have to be writing this. TC is plugged into the Internet startup scene more than possibly anyone else. You are doing everyone a great disservice. You are wasting the time of the startups forwarding themselves to you, and you are sitting on information you are not sharing with your readers.

If you can’t honor the passion about startups contained in your mission statement on your About page, then be courteous and announce to everybody your new focus (or lack thereof) so we can read someone else’s blog to find leading-edge news about Internet startups.

I seem to recall a period — not long before Natali got hired — when folks were complaining (rightly IMHO) about Michael’s posts “pimping” startups no matter how trivial and mundane that they were. TC seemed to be shilling for certain start-ups. So TC (again before Natalie arrived) began to include more criticism on startups. And then we had the “youtube tool” cease and desist controversy — again a Michael post. Some folks were complaining that providing downloading tools had nothing to do with TC’s mission. But I assume that TC got a boatload of hits from that whole saga. I seem to recall over 100 comments.

Now it’s Michael’s blog and he can do what he wants. I sense perhaps a change in his vision for TC, though. Whatever. I still enjoy reading it.

And then Natali was hired. As with any employer, I assume that Natali is doing what her employer wants her to do. If the direction of TC is changing then perhaps Michael is the one who folks need to hash this out with.

I DO know that this endless pile-on on Natali and her posts and the condescending treatment of her is getting tiresome. If posters were piling all this crap on some newly hired dude, I bet that he would have already told you to f#%k off — in one way or another. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to be polite.

So here’s my suggestion. If you’re that unhappy with TC, go read something else. Otherwise, why don’t you STFU about Natalie this and Natalie that and everything sucks.

Oh, and Michael, how about standing up for your employees? Sitting there and letting her take all the hits for your changing vision is tacky, dude.

Hang in there Natali. Don’t let the bastards get you down.

I will most probably keep an eye on amazon over the coming few days.

Yes, just in time for after holiday sales crunch. Maybe this will inject some much needed traffic toward the ‘zon affiliates.

Yup, start using the “delete comment” option liberally, Natali. Don’t feel guilty at all. It’s time to start kicking ass and taking names, girlfriend. It will all work itself out in the long-run. Some folks are just getting their jollies by using you for target practice. Pull their plug. If they don’t like it, well then they can write their congressperson.

You’re doing great, Natali…your old PC Mag crew is proud of you for what you’re doing over here on TC. I’m learning myself how stressful it is to jump feet-first into tech blogging, and I have the utmost respect for you for being able to jump right in and do it under such intense scrutiny.

gr8 news, finally I can get my Wii console! Cheers.

what is a wii…and I like xbox…:)

I’m waiting for Nintendo to drop the price to $200. Unless that doesn’t happen, which means I may be Wii-less for awhile.

“Amazon is going to start selling both game consoles “in the coming days.””

Notice coming days in quotes…should I hold my breath (which may be just as dangerous as the alternative) or should I risk being trampled on…..

Adrian
http://www.jollyjo.org

Looks like White Marketing. Or retro marketing at the best. Cool strategy of compnaies not to ceate a glut of their Gizmos.

Cool news.. i wish i have my luck in that… xbox rocks..

TechRaunch. Another worthless post. Go Amazon!

Just got an email from Amazon with the subject “An Important Message Regarding PlayStation 3 From Amazon.com” - unfortunatley the body of the email only contained the text to opt-out of future emails and nothing at all pertaining to the PS3! Not sure if they screwed up the announcement or if this was sent out pre-maturely.

To all who criticized Natali Del Conte:
All of your criticism on Natali is harsh and unfounded. How was your first week on the job? Were you an expert? This reminds me of a school bully in which you get your thrills by being cruel instead of objective.

If you have time for critcizing during this time of year to which you are expected to be nice, then perhaps you should get employed with Techcrunch and let us see what you can do.

Sorry but what a pussy you all are!

W.L - you just made it worse for Natali

I don’t understand why people get agitated so easily. If you don’t like Techcrunch just go to another blog.

I know I’ve been reading less and less of TC lately and have almost never visited Crunchgear.
Blogs are changing a lot these days. Maybe there are too many of them that I can’t give the same kind of attention I used to give or maybe I am bored of this stuff. I go anywhere I get the same stuff.

“I’m waiting for Nintendo to drop the price to $200. Unless that doesn’t happen, which means I may be Wii-less for awhile.”

Tim, you may have your wish:
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets.....222182.php

Silvia, spam elsewhere with that broken english.

rug
rugs