What we do at TechCrunch is actually pretty simple. We write about Web startups and the larger tech companies that try to either copy or acquire them. Depending on the day, I could be liveblogging the launch of the Amazon Kindle, arguing about free speech in the Internet age, uncovering secret projects at Google, giving Yahoo unsolicited acquisition advice, or writing about a hot new startup.
But we live or die by how fast we can post after a story breaks, if we can’t break it ourselves.
More often than not, putting up partial information is what leads us to the truth—a source contacts us with more details or adds them directly into comments.
We certainly cover the news and do original reporting, but we also discuss news reported by others and are not shy about voicing our personal opinions. We are as much a filter as a source.
Because what is a blog? It is a conversation with readers. And you don’t have to start a conversation knowing all the facts.
