A recent TechCrunch post about Twitter is cited here as an example of what differentiates big-time blogging and journalism, and why advertisers will continue to be wary of blogs.

“Our focus is not page views,” [Rafat] Ali said. “Our focus has been laserlike on the C-level executives in the industry. That’s why we get triple-digit CPMs. That’s nearly unheard of in the industry.”

"What’s the most obvious sign that a traditional news brand is merely reproducing online what they do in print, instead of publishing in a way that makes sense for the web? They way news is organized on the homepage."

"Ever since the NYTimes.com swept away the last remaining boulders of its subscription pay wall … in mid-September, its traffic has been going through the roof. According to comScore, it gained 7.5 million readers worldwide …"

Techcrunch ‘brings in $240,000 per month in advertising — but Nick Denton says blog publishing companies are "still minuscule by the standards of traditional media. And none have weathered a downturn."

Bobbie Johnson: "Let’s be clear, the birth of blogging is hardly even an argument, let alone one worth that’s worth having. And reading Techcrunch is increasingly Just Not Worth It."

Michael Parsons on Fred Vogelstein’s Wired profile of Michael Arrington: "good bloggers work like dogs. You can’t expect readers to show up unless you show up. And the internet never closes."

"Companies are directing more efforts toward buttering up these New Media players, often feeding them exclusives that play well with their targeted audiences. And for marketers who are increasingly comfortable with spending money on blogs, advertising wit

TechCrunch UK is aiming for a June 1 re-launch, and Michael Arrington is looking for an editor. Words like "poisoned" and "chalice" spring to mind when thinking about that gig.

Michael Arrington has been threatened with a libel suit, and offers the aggreved person an unedited response to his allegations. Shouldn’t he have offered an opportunity to respond *before* publishing his post?