I've watched with absolute astonishment as the Blognation debacle has come to a head in the past few weeks. Every time the story seems to be drawing to a close, some more details, accusations or vitriolic blog posts appear. The whole story is now extremely grimy.
I explained the background last week. In short: Blognation is, or maybe was, an ambitious network of international blogs covering the start-up scene. But funding for the project - and consequently payment for a large number of writers - has not appeared, despite the reassurances of founder Sam Sethi.
Like many of the usual suspects on the tech circuit, I know Sam Sethi from around and he's a very likeable, personable guy. When he fell out with Mike TechCrunch Arrington this time last year, I put it down as one of those regular techie testosterone internet spats, and didn't think too much of it.
I've had extremely angry emails from several Blognation writers and people very familiar with the way the company set up and run. I contacted Sam hoping to seek some resolution to the story, and he replied with an equally angry email loaded with as many allegations. It appears to be Sam's word against everyone else.
There's no point rehashing the accounts given by Mike Arrington, by Sam and by some of his former writers. It's also a legal minefield. But it's a sordid, bitter story for this time of year, and the worst part is that a good number of very experienced and respected writers have been stranded, without payment.
And it's not over yet - I've been told that "several" blog networks are bidding to buy Blognation. This is pantomime season, after all.
Technorati Tags: Blognation, MikeArrington, SamSethi, TechCrunch
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