Have you compared your earlier projections on who Hearst will retain (something about number of comments) vs. the list recently published?

For what it's worth, I went to college with Joe, he lived in the same dorm I did and we had classes together. I've gotten drunk with him more times than I can remember, worked on the campus newspaper with him, eaten tons of meals with him, etc. He's as nice of a guy as he is talented. I wish him the best of luck.

Yea, I read the microsoft blog very often and it will be missed.

Oh is that who does the spin for MSFT in their blog ... maybe they can hire him now?

No one is indispensable. Believe it.

Eli,

Joe Tartakoff is a fantastic, young reporter. Having worked with him in the past, I respect his coverage. And I wish him well in his new venture.

Joe did a good job on the Microsoft blog for the four months that he ran it, growing the audience and getting some great scoops. But let's not forget that the bedrock of the Microsoft blog was built over five years through smart, aggressive beat reporting by my colleague Todd Bishop. The community was built. The audience was there. Joe continued that tradition. He did not invent it.

Starting an online community from scratch is not easy.

Todd is one of the most respected Microsoft reporters/bloggers in the country. And while what we do as journalists may be automated or replaced to some degree, I have faith that good storytelling, aggressive news reporting and smart use of technology will have a role in this new media world. (If not, we're all kind of screwed as journalists).

Good blogging -- in my mind -- is really nothing more than aggressive beat reporting. That happens on the Slog. That happens on TechCrunch. It happens on Politico. We are big believers in that concept at TechFlash.

It's truly sad that the P-I is disintegrating in this way, since some of the smartest beat reporters I've ever worked with are still there. These are journalists who told important stories in this city.

I am hopeful, however, that out of the chaos new online models will emerge that reward those journalists who dig through legal documents, sit through school board meetings and find those little nuggets of information that no one else bothers to look for.

John Cook
TechFlash.com

Agreed, Bill. If there was ever a case to show you that the people getting the short end of the economy stick can be talented and hardworking, this is it. Best of luck, Joe.

No doubt Joe is good -- but let's not forget the reason Joe's blog is popular is because Todd Bishop who started that blog at the PI was able to build a huge following with his timely and spot on reporting... You can follow Todd now at TechFlash.

Joe's success though, as Eli astutely points out, shows that pretty much any reporter could've built up that Microsoft following over time with diligent, steady reporting.

The lesson here is that most reporting is fungible.

The bottom line on the P-I project is there isn't the ad revenue to support even this small venture. When the print shuts down, 85 percent or more of their existing advertising walks. Rates will now be based on web-only operations, not newspapers and their pass-through rates in which print subsidizes the online effort. It's DOA from the start. But someone has to do it to show how ludicrous the web-only idea really is. I would seriously like to be proved wrong. I won't. If Hearst doesn't get cold feet next week, they'll take losses out of the starting gate and shutter the operation by the end of Q3.

Makes you wonder how weeklies are holding up. I haven't picked up a paper copy of the Stranger or Weekly in over a year. I barely notice online ads. Never clicked on one unless it was by accident.

One wonders how the Stranger and the Weekly ARE doing, financially...