TCUK'd - A Blog Opera

I was at the Advertising 2.0 mash tonight, but the conversation (after a glass or 3 of wine) was about the new blog opera going on over at TechCrunch. I have written the odd article on TechCrunchUK and know Sam Sethi (and Mike Butcher), and was aware of the brouhaha brewing this pm, but coming back to my PC tonight, I am left gaping.

You can read about this all over the web right now, you really couldn't make it up!

Try here at TCUK, here at Mike Arrington's own blog here, or at Drew B's here.

The bit that I don't understand was that Sam was apparently fired not for the menagerie a trois with the US and French connections over Le Web 3, but for starting to organise a whole string of events with people like British Telecom's Ralph Cochrane (who I have also worked with and would rate highly) next year.....

Whatever the reasons, I wouldn't have done it like this I don't think...the blogosphere is proving very good at washing its own peanut butter stained laundry and Sam is pretty well respected and connected in the UK webscene (as is Mike), it makes things harder for someone to take TCUK over in the glare of all the publicity (and probable hostility).

But then the fat lady has yet to sing....I look forward to Act 2!

On the LeWeb 3 thingy...I wasn't there, but I do think it is an amazing feat to get a bunch of senior politicians at such an event. However, I think they clearly misunderstood the audience...these aren't just little people, they are little people with serious access to new media and boy are they accessing it - this was the new media equivalent of sh*tting on 1,000 small (and not so small) town newspapers - apres moi le deluge, as Marie Antoinette said!

Anyway, Dave, Gordon, we are having a little soiree at a pub down Soho way next week, if you fancy coming along......

Postscript....my access to the TechCrunchUK backend story editor is down, hard to tell if its Wordpress glitching or not. Mike Butcher also appears to be locked out. Darn, just when I was assembling a bevy of groucho-marxist politicians to flood the blogwaves

Post Postscript as of 15/12:

Mike Butcher has a written an open resignation letter outlining the facts as he sees them. Also condolences to Mike for the turbulent time he is clearly going through. Looks like he and Sam have a few plans going forward.

Post Post Postscript - the curtain goes up on Act 2......Sam and Mike have now set up independently at Vecosys