I’m borrowing from Thomas Mann, but it’s possibly more true today than when he said it 50+ year ago. Especially in this endless season of presidential politics, it seems like we’re surrounded. On the Democratic side, it doesn’t look like things will settle down for awhile. I’m sure we’ll be sick to death of it by this summer, but in general, I think having a choice is a good thing. If I lived in a state that had yet to hold its primary, I would want a choice. I’d probably be offended by people saying we need to unite around a single candidate right now. Yeah, the below the belt politics isn’t productive, but democracy is about choice, right?

If you’re in the tech business, it’s hard to miss the battle that’s going on between TechCrunch and DEMO. I won’t rehash it — just check the blogs (and here) to see where the lines are drawn. It comes down to money and power, just like politics. Different business models for sure, but they’re not in this for altruism. And that’s just fine with me. We advise companies on how and where to launch products, so I like the choice. I realize any company that’s engaged a PR firm like ours for its launch is probably not going to have a problem scraping together the fees for DEMO, but nonetheless, I like the idea of choosing from the launch platform that makes most sense. We certainly had that in the past with DEMO and PC Forum. Each had its own distinct vibe. And the fact that they were held at different times made it easier for a young company, antsy to get its product launched, to get out in the market at the right time. Different timing meant the companies stood a chance at rising about the noise in the press coverage that inevitably resulted from those events.

If I were an entrepreneur weighing TechCrunch50 and DEMO right now and trying to decide what to do, I’d be bummed. Not only is the audience fractured, but it will be even harder to get noticed in the flurry of coverage during those few days. A little breathing room would have given all of us a lot more choice.

Silicon Valley, Uncategorized