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AOL's Blogging Network Aims to Provide Fresh Insights for Investors

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

AOL's new blogging network, bloggingstocks.com, is on a mission to provide investors with unconventional insights into eight well-known stocks, including Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Led by Web entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, the site enlists bloggers, nonmainstream analysts, and journalists to share their thoughts on the companies. Calacanis, who founded Silicon Alley Reporter in 1996 to track the personalities behind the dot-com boom, aims to offer useful information on companies whose shares are widely owned, but often overlooked by traditional analysts.

Key Takeaways:

  • Bloggingstocks.com, launched on April 27, is a free blogging network that provides coverage of eight well-known stocks, including Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft.
  • The site has attracted over a million page views a month during its beta testing period, with a goal of making money from ads.
  • Calacanis emphasizes that bloggingstocks.com won't give buy or sell recommendations for any stock, focusing instead on providing insightful commentary.
  • The network has enlisted bloggers, nonmainstream analysts, and journalists to share their thoughts on the companies, with each blog post updated throughout the day.
  • Calacanis notes that without any independent "rating system" on the source of postings, readers may be left wondering about the credibility and reliability of the data.
  • The network has faced some criticism, with Jock Gill, a former Clinton adviser, expressing concerns about the lack of a rating system.
  • Calacanis has denied fears of legal issues, citing a full legal review and compliance with SEC rules.

Statistics:

  • The blogosphere has doubled in size over the last six months, with Technorati reporting a 60-fold increase in the past three years.
  • Over 19 million people who start a blog are still posting three months later.
  • Blogs are attractive to advertisers due to their targeted audience, with businesses seeking to reach 50 million unique readers.
  • AOL's blogging network, bloggingstocks.com, has attracted over 1 million page views a month during its beta testing period.
  • The network will add coverage of two new stocks each month, with posts updated throughout the day.

Sources:

  • Jason Calacanis, AOL's new blogging network executive
  • Technorati, a search engine that tracks blogs
  • AOL's blogging network, bloggingstocks.com
  • Silicon Alley Reporter, Jason Calacanis' former publication
  • Time Warner, AOL's parent company
  • eBay, an online marketplace with a seller rating system
  • SEC, the US Securities and Exchange Commission
  • Jock Gill, a former Clinton adviser on the Internet and head of Boston-based consulting firm Penfield Gill

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