Kevinjohn Gallagher

I try hard not to comment on start-ups, celebrities or personal relationships on my website. I also strive to keep myself separated from my work. But I’m about to break all of those ‘rules’ in one go.

What many of you don’t know is that one of our more successful websites is, effectively, a celebrity gossip website. From a tech standpoint, it’s an amazing testbed and I learn something from it on a daily basis – but its not a website we ever publicise to the tech world (you’d be amazed how close minded some open source fans can be).

Background Information

Here’s a few facts to cover real quickly to make sure we’re on the same page:

• Ashton Kutcher is married to Demi Moore
• Ashton Kutcher has 8 million+ Twitter followers
• Ashton Kutcher uses Twitter a lot – i mean A HUGE AMOUNT.
• Ashton Kutcher may have had sexual relations with other women.
• Ashton Kutcher is an early VC investor in the start-up: Chime.In

Now that we’re all caught up…

Early in the week Demi Moore released a short and classy statement to AP announcing that she had filed for divorce.

With great sadness and a heavy heart. As a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life.

Ashton Kutcher didn’t issue a press release. He didn’t post on Twitter. He didn’t post on Facebook. Instead he linked to his Chime.In posts via Facebook and Twitter. This is his Chime.In post:

I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and Light, AK

Seems a little superficial to me, but hey, I’ve not been in that position. Personally, I’d sign my actual name, and not sign it off with “Love and Light”, but then, I’m not a complete arsehole.

It does seem like a really really shitty move to choose that exact moment to start posting on a social network that you have a heavy financial stake in, but again, I am inclined to give people the benefit of the doubt (especially during times of crisis, and I’d put divorce in that category).

So imagine my surprise and disgust when I received this e-mail from Dana Berkowitz at PMK•BNC Brand Marketing and Communications:

Hi!
We know many people are reporting on how Ashton sent his best wishes to Demi, and we wanted to point out that he actually used Chime.In. He linked his Chime.In account, a way that he is now communicating through social media, to his twitter feed for that message.
To follow Ashton on Chime.In:

http://chime.in/user/aplusk/chime/74686248724119552

Best,
Dana

Why was it felt necessary to send out such an e-mail? Well because some news sources said that Ashton “tweeted” his message, which obviously wouldn’t bring his new venture any money or exposure. And after all, what divorce is complete without some form of marketing angle to earn you money from your start up??

Worse of all??

Chime.In is shit.

It’s like a cross between MySpace and AoL in 2001.

Today, I’m embarrassed that I’m involved in things like this.