TechCrunch blog covers Silicon Valley like newspapers

Two Wall Street Journal reporters wrote an article Thursday about the TechCrunch blog written by Michael Arrington and how it breaks news and writes reviews of Web sites and other blogs.

Arrington says in the story that he wants more page hits in two years than CNET. Last month, he was credited with breaking the news that Google was buying YouTube.

Rebecca Buckman and Vauhini Vara wrote, “TechCrunch has become a must read among many Silicon Valley venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Internet companies mentioned on the blog often report huge increases in business after they’re featured. Others get unsolicited calls from venture capitalists who want to give them money. Start-up iVentster Inc.’s gaming site, XuQa.com, got a positive review last month on TechCrunch. Afterward, two Japanese investors showed up unexpectedly at iVentster’s San Francisco office, saying they had heard about the start-up on TechCrunch, says company co-founder Ali Moiz.”

Later, they added, “Mr. Arrington is one of the higher-profile Silicon Valley tech bloggers, a group that also includes former journalists Om Malik and Matt Marshall. The onetime lawyer can often be found hosting tech parties in the backyard of his rented ranch home in the tony Silicon Valley town of Atherton. He also makes the rounds at Internet conferences, and has lunched with Sun Microsystems Inc. Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz and Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates. ‘I kind of got in front of the parade,’ says Mr. Arrington of his prominent position.”

Read more here.