In a bit of blogging-centric news, TechCrunch has recently hired Erick Schonfeld as its co-editor, Mr. Schonfeld being the former editor of the late Business 2.0 magazine. It does beg the question with the hiring earlier this year of Heather Harde, who was then the SVP of Mergers and Acquisitions at Fox Interactive, how “mainstream” TechCrunch is really getting — and perhaps more to the point, if TechCrunch is really still a “blog”.

I think the answer is still a definite “yes”, as in my mind as TechCrunch still sticks to a blogging structure in the way it organizes its news and commentary — with a reverse chronological order, comments, feeds and so on.

But will TechCrunch still maintain the spirit of a blog over time? Highly opinioned, shooting from the hip, breaking-the-news-first-everything-else-be-damned, still acknowledging and participating in the blogosphere (and not be above it), pull-no-punches kind of spirit?

Hey, I hope so.

Clearly, however, as TechCrunch continues to grow and solidify itself as amongst the super-tiered blogs, it has in its own right become a mini-media empire. Its responsible to its readers, its reputation, and just as importantly, its sponsors and advertisers.

And over time, I think its natural for complacency and inertia to set in, to find safety in the absence of risk, and above all, avoid biting the hand that feeds you.

I have no idea if this is what’s in store for a super-blog like TechCrunch, but watching things evolve is proving to be a fascinating case study in how a new media giant has grown and evolved. And I think it remains to be seen if it falls to the same kind of content and editorial doldrums as it becomes increasingly perceived *as* the “mainstream” publication for “web2.0″ news.