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I just realized I haven't been to TechCrunch in months. It's rapidly become more of a press release distribution platform than a "journalistic institution." An

I just realized I haven't been to TechCrunch in months. It's rapidly become more of a press release distribution platform than a "journalistic institution." And how much interested traffic is it really driving? Look at the number of comments: 2, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0. It used to be full of (albeit low-quality) comments. I don't think that can be blamed on the commenting platform. As I prepare to launch a startup and close up funding I've made contact with some TC writers, but I don't see a TC writeup as integral to the launch process as it used to be. I don't know if there's anything that would fill that gap -- Show HN, maybe? PandoDaily, kind of? Talk to startups that have been featured there, and they'll be shocked at how little traffic and interest it drove - one app had a full writeup about them and they saw a bump of a couple hundred downloads. TC is as much of an ego-rub for the founders as it is anything else at this point.

rfnslyr 13y ago
I never read any startup news or any of that nonsense, I don't read 90% of HN blogs. So pointless. If your product is good, people will tell each other, and it will spread.
- Koulia 13y ago
  Thank you for sharing that with the rest of us.
- stephengillie 13y ago
  These blogs are one way how people tell each other.
- potch 13y ago
  I have your medal here, just waiting for an address to send it to.
minimaxir 13y ago
TechCrunch lost comments not because of traffic, but because they switched to the barely-functional LiveFyre commenting system. (yeah, correlation != causation, but the drop happened immediately after.) The previous Facebook Comments system had limited functionality, but it atleast worked. I've written articles on it [1]. Yes, I have no life. Disclosure: I'm a rather frequent commenter on TechCrunch. [1] http://www.quora.com/Max-Woolf-2/What-does-Max-Woolf-think-about-TechCrunchs-decision-to-stop-using-Facebook-comments http://www.quora.com/Max-Woolf-2/What-does-Max-Woolf-think-a...
- qnk 13y ago
  I stopped reading TechCrunch when they switched to the Facebook commenting platform and you made irrelevant comments in almost every single post. Not that I stopped reading because of you or the commenting platform, but it's the last thing I remember about TechCrunch.
- devindotcom 13y ago
  Oh, hey Max. Yeah, the old systems worked better. Disqus was better, I believe, but we got into it right at the start and it kept going down at critical moments, so someone insisted (maybe erick?) that we ditch it. Bad move, I said, but nooo!
- devx 13y ago
  Techcrunch used to be my #1 go-to tech site a few years ago. After they switched to the Facebook commenting system, I stopped caring about it, because I found I didn't want to comment anymore. Also, if anything, I think Facebook comments were ultimately worse than the ones before. I agree they made it even worse with Livefyre but not necessarily because of the system itself, but because they're requiring "Techcrunch accounts" for it. So they've gone from bad decisions to worse, for the commenting system.
  - minimaxir 13y ago
    To be fair, I started commenting on TC after the switch to FB comments from Disqus, so I can't comment on the before/after. I agree that forced registration for "TechCrunch Accounts" doesn't help at all. One of the advantages of FB Comments was zero-click registration for new users. For better or for worse.
- conductr 13y ago
  [1] That's the oddest Quora entry I've seen. Did you ask yourself a question so you could elaborately answer it?
  - minimaxir 13y ago
    No, someone else asked the question. (on Quora, you can tell who asked the question by seeing who is the first follower.) Case in point: http://www.quora.com/Online-Commenting/Whats-the-deal-with-Max-Woolf-on-TechCrunch-AOL-comments http://www.quora.com/Online-Commenting/Whats-the-deal-with-M...
rob05c 13y ago
I quit reading TechCrunch/CrunchGear after they published an article about how human rights violations in China were a good thing. I forget what their argument was. I used to check their site multiple times a day. I decided not to give them ad revenue after that.
- nonchalance 13y ago
  > not to give them ad revenue after that You can use adblock and other tools. In fact, on TC it's essential: ghostery reports 15 different classes of trackers and ads on the site
  - nemothekid 13y ago
    As much as I support ghostery and other non-tracking tools, I believe its a stronger position to not use a service you don't agree with rather than steal it.
    - rob05c 13y ago
      I agree. I'd rather not use a service at all which I find morally objectionable, than just deny them revenue and keep using it. Adblock does kind of feel like stealing to me.

rfnslyr 13y ago

I never read any startup news or any of that nonsense, I don't read 90% of HN blogs. So pointless. If your product is good, people will tell each other, and it will spread.

Koulia 13y ago
Thank you for sharing that with the rest of us.
stephengillie 13y ago
These blogs are one way how people tell each other.
potch 13y ago
I have your medal here, just waiting for an address to send it to.

minimaxir 13y ago

TechCrunch lost comments not because of traffic, but because they switched to the barely-functional LiveFyre commenting system. (yeah, correlation != causation, but the drop happened immediately after.) The previous Facebook Comments system had limited functionality, but it atleast worked. I've written articles on it [1]. Yes, I have no life. Disclosure: I'm a rather frequent commenter on TechCrunch. [1] http://www.quora.com/Max-Woolf-2/What-does-Max-Woolf-think-about-TechCrunchs-decision-to-stop-using-Facebook-comments http://www.quora.com/Max-Woolf-2/What-does-Max-Woolf-think-a...

qnk 13y ago
I stopped reading TechCrunch when they switched to the Facebook commenting platform and you made irrelevant comments in almost every single post. Not that I stopped reading because of you or the commenting platform, but it's the last thing I remember about TechCrunch.
devindotcom 13y ago
Oh, hey Max. Yeah, the old systems worked better. Disqus was better, I believe, but we got into it right at the start and it kept going down at critical moments, so someone insisted (maybe erick?) that we ditch it. Bad move, I said, but nooo!
devx 13y ago
Techcrunch used to be my #1 go-to tech site a few years ago. After they switched to the Facebook commenting system, I stopped caring about it, because I found I didn't want to comment anymore. Also, if anything, I think Facebook comments were ultimately worse than the ones before. I agree they made it even worse with Livefyre but not necessarily because of the system itself, but because they're requiring "Techcrunch accounts" for it. So they've gone from bad decisions to worse, for the commenting system.
- minimaxir 13y ago
  To be fair, I started commenting on TC after the switch to FB comments from Disqus, so I can't comment on the before/after. I agree that forced registration for "TechCrunch Accounts" doesn't help at all. One of the advantages of FB Comments was zero-click registration for new users. For better or for worse.
conductr 13y ago
[1] That's the oddest Quora entry I've seen. Did you ask yourself a question so you could elaborately answer it?
- minimaxir 13y ago
  No, someone else asked the question. (on Quora, you can tell who asked the question by seeing who is the first follower.) Case in point: http://www.quora.com/Online-Commenting/Whats-the-deal-with-Max-Woolf-on-TechCrunch-AOL-comments http://www.quora.com/Online-Commenting/Whats-the-deal-with-M...

rob05c 13y ago

I quit reading TechCrunch/CrunchGear after they published an article about how human rights violations in China were a good thing. I forget what their argument was. I used to check their site multiple times a day. I decided not to give them ad revenue after that.

nonchalance 13y ago
> not to give them ad revenue after that You can use adblock and other tools. In fact, on TC it's essential: ghostery reports 15 different classes of trackers and ads on the site
- nemothekid 13y ago
  As much as I support ghostery and other non-tracking tools, I believe its a stronger position to not use a service you don't agree with rather than steal it.
  - rob05c 13y ago
    I agree. I'd rather not use a service at all which I find morally objectionable, than just deny them revenue and keep using it. Adblock does kind of feel like stealing to me.