In the reporting today following the AOL purchase of Huffington Post there were two points of note worth highlighting. One suggests that since AOL purchased TechCrunch traffic to the TechCrunch site has increased 30%. I’m not sure if that as a good or bad thing. Was the reader gene pool slighting diminished by that add? I suspect so. But if TC holds to its editorial mission, that growth may find its proper level.
Secondly, Tim Armstrong was quoted as saying “We are essentially two years away from a growth business on the Internet.” Hello? It’s the Inter-neck. It’s a content strategy. In the content business you are only as good as your next refresh. I understand about building a mission and infrastructure and team and all that, but if Egypt can change a country in three weeks, I think AOL with some imaginative thinking and mad content posting can add some readers in less than 2 years. BTW, did anyone read the AOL memo from Mr. Armstrong circulated on the web about his plan to turn the business around? Maybe that’s why he said 2 years. Dash that plan and start dialing up the original, thoughtful and creative content. (Oh, and Patch isn’t it.) Peace it up!