What is it that makes a good blogger, a good blogger?

What is the one characteristic of all must-read bloggers that separates them from those just acceptable to read?

The ability to be unique.

Take a look at all the blogs you find yourself returning to frequently, and ask yourself if you find similar information elsewhere? Here’s a few of my must-reads:

Fly: I’m not afraid to say that I’ve stopped reading Fly for his stock picks. It’s not because he isn’t successful, because he clearly is. But his risk tolerance and trade objectives are different than mine. A human stomach and nervous system cannot sustain the torture of Fly’s P&L swings. (Maybe The PPT actually built The Fly?) But his identifiable and humorous prose regarding subjects I’m interested in are more than enough to keep me coming back to iBC day in and day out. And of course, he was one of the first to do it, “The Blogfather.” That’s what makes The Fly unique.

Chess: It may be cliche to just say he works harder than anyone else… but in the case of ChessNWine, this is what actually makes him unique. I can get quality TA from numerous sources. I even know a few whose ability to remain calm and objective rival that of Chess’s. But the frequency with which Chess posts quality TA makes him unique. Everyday you can get 5 or more quality stock looks and explanatory text that serves not only as justifiable reasons to make a trade, but also as a way to learn.

Market Anthropology: I could try to accurately describe what Erik does over at Market Anthropology, but I would probably misrepresent the description of his analysis. Suffice to say, it’s not your typical technical analysis and certainly not anything you’ll find elsewhere on the internet. And, of course it helps that he is right more than any other blogger I read.

Kid Dynamite:  Back in 2011 when silver was making it’s run to $50/oz, I kept finding myself on KD’s site. Shortly after, I was finding myself there on my own. Another blogger early to the scene, his site is full of intense forensic analysis on a myriad topics that sometimes (thankfully) never have to do with individual stocks. For example, he continually sets the record straight on how ETF’s like GLD & SLV operate. Or, more recently, he’s been on top of the HLF Ackman/Icahn battle. Whatever it is that KD writes about, you can count on the information to be objective, accurate and complete; qualities most bloggers lack.

Musings on Markets: If I told you that you could access, for free, an NYU finance professors course in equity valuation, would you believe me? For this alone, I would recommend Aswath Damodaran to anyone interested in furthering their trading skills. But, take a look at his blog. Here, you’ll find forensic  fundamental analysis of the quality that top-tier hedge funds conduct in house. Often accompanied by bonus material on investing sourced from Aswath’s experience, Musings on Markets is unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere.

These are just a few examples.

So, what makes a good blogger, a good blogger? Why the fuck should anyone read your site.. no, why the fuck should someone NEED to read your site? A good blogger provides his readers with something they can’t find anywhere else – a trait found in every sales success story. Believe it – blogging is sales, you’re selling people your letters.

What is CHIVO going to provide you that nobody else can? Stay tuned to find out. My days are about to become more free next week, and I know just how I’m going to fill them up…

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