No week passes without TechCrunch featuring another couple of cool, non-public, not-even-released yet betas and some serious rumors.

You know, it must be quality journalism blogging when you read about:

• Ajax Homepage Number 11: Wrickr, not working, landing page. great!
• Digg Acquisition Rumors
• Yedda, “which will be launching in the next month or so (the current home page is taking email registrations).”
• Tello, not working, not released.
• Ether, “is taking email addresses for a new beta.”
• CarHarbor, “which is still being developed and is far from launch”
• YouTube Acquisition Rumors

Yaaaaaawn!

Check out www.mashable.com for a more critical view on Web 2.0 product releases

Great gangsta-style video:

http://h8r.net/gfyshake/

Techcrunch.com writes about another hyped service (rbloc.com): Some actual content would be nice, of course. But I’m always patient with new services, unlike all of you people.

Yes! I couldn’t agree more. Some actual content would be nice!

We’re also patient with new services but unlike others we can’t stand it when the ratio just isn’t right. Maybe you should (sometimes at least) write about good services with public content.

Last Shit-Hype:

www.dogster.com (the real dog poo and the funny part is: we had a cynical rule “tag your dog” in our 9rules for web2.0)

www.rbloc.com (no actual valuable content yet)

ideas.live.com/programpage.aspx (you’re excused you don’t have green light)

www.shopify.com (not working)

www.diigo.com (closed beta)

ajax.parish.ath.cx/translator (like translategoogle, babelfish, … only not as great BUT with ajax, woohoo)

What’s also weird is that TechCrunch writes like an essay about Hamachi VPN even though he hasn’t even tested it

He writes: I have not tested the software, but if it works as promised it will allow local area network-like functionality across computers distributed on the Internet.

Why don’t you write about services that have content, valuable features and sometimes even have a business model, like:

www.feeddigest.com (mix, convert and syndicate feeds)

www.oyogi.com (searchable question-and-answer site)

www.blummy.com (bookmarklet manager)

search.mercora.com (music search)

www.smarkets.net (buy/sell shares of amazon products)

It seems schizophrenic. Once you say you only write about web2.0 companies, then you write about retrievr. You write about stuff that doesn’t work yet, give them fame but do not write about websites that already work.

Anyway it’s your blog and you can write about what you want but it just pisses us off and I’m sure we’re not alone.

Oh my God. This is so cool! You can buy adspace, it’s using tags, it’s clearly web 2.0 and it has never been there yet.

Eh, wait. Isn’t that what YellowPages is doing?

Except that they are publishing valuable content other than affiliate links and other bullshit? I wonder if M.A. has his own affiliate links on 1000Tags.com or why would he write about the millionth version of useless adspam.

Techcrunch writes:
… it is a smart idea that I wish I had thought of and executed on. Good for them.

Write about valuable websites, not services using unfair trade practices. Good for us.

We’re honored, pleased, -insert- to be on CrunchNotes, which shows we’re doing our job right: Help balance the hype.

Alex Bosworth from SourceLabs wrote a good comment on what we are:

It’s not that bad… You have to admit that TechCrunch helps hype plenty of bad ideas or things that just don’t work, the idea of the blog seems to be to help balance the hype, not attack TechCrunch specifically.

http://momb.socio-kybernetics.net/

Great!

… all hyped by TechCrunch but not actually working:

www.shopify.com

www.newsvine.com

www.diigo.com
…

Useless services from founders with (too much) money and time:

www.squidoo.com

www.clipfire.com

Feel free to extend the list with your comments

#1 – Overdesign a simple page with two input fields where people can leave their name and e-mail to get spammed when the site is online. Although that won’t happen the next upcoming months

#2 – Closed Alpha, Closed Beta, Closed Online, Closed Down

#3 – Use tags even though they are not necessary or just misused. Tag your content, tag your posts, tag your dog

#4 – Use rounded edges, font shadows, bevel and emboss everything, use font-size: 20pt – you don’t want to miss out the 2.0-blind people

#5 – Tell everybody you are using Ajax, although you are just cleaning the house

#6 – Delete all white space from your source code and don’t code in XHTML . Read why

#7 – Use ruby on rails, c on sea, python on road, perl in the sky, php on moon, Basecamp, Backback, eh Backbone, Tadaaaa

#8 – Generate a name, generate ideas . Use this

Done everything?

#9 – Send an E-Mail to Mike Arrington, TechCrunch

Web 2.0 has its ups and downs. Ok
What sucks most is that people like Michael Arrington hype a whole load of shit that doesn’t even work or is online yet.

Bloggers and especially him should spend more time on describing valuable projects rather than pleasing their buddies from the valley. Also they shouldn’t just copy the stupid stuff just to fill up their blogs.

We try to help balance the hype, not attack TechCrunch specifically, although  it seems necessary sometimes.