In a classy well-articulated post by ReadWriteWeb's Marshall Kirkpatrick, he summarizes what he learned from Mike Arrington when he worked at TechCrunch. The post is in response to AOL's acquisition of TechCrunch announced last week on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage in San Francisco. Points below:
- A great blogger is always on. Looking back over my emails while working for TechCrunch, many of them are apologies for not having anything posted by 10am, or explaining why I am stopping work on a Friday evening.
- It's important to be first, but if you're not first – it's important to link to whoever you learned about something from. The blogosphere is a trail of links, and status is built by earning links from others.
- It's good to stir the pot, to challenge people who need challenging, but it's also important to give people the respect they deserve.
- Details matter in your writing. Unclear, imprecise language is important to avoid.
- The background of company founders is important. It should influence who you chase down to write about and it should be included in any write-up of a startup.
- Conference sessions are boring and pointless, it's usually better to work the halls for stories.
- Even a big, career advancing scoop is not worth ruining someone else's career to get.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
