Could Technorati's investors, Mobius and DFJ, finally be realizing that the blog search engine needs a coherent strategy? Word is that a New York headhunter is looking for a new chief exec to replace Dave Sifry, the venture's founder and long-time chief exec. We've heard of at least one Silicon Valley exec who's been approached, with a mandate to give the company some direction, and sell it off if an independent course isn't viable. It would be a disappointing denouement for Sifry's ambitious project, which began as one of the great hopes of the new web cycle, but faces an array of new competition from blogger communities such as MyBlogLog, aggregators such as Techmeme and blog search engines such as Google's own. Technorati could have been many things: a search engine; a tool for bloggers; a news site; a way for marketers to track and promote web buzz. Unfortunately, Sifry chose to be all of them, often at the same time. A new chief exec is unlikely to have Sifry's geek credibility, personal charm or evangelical charisma; but he or she may at least bring focus.

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