Tadas Viskanta

As the web fills up with an increasing load of content (or, something much less flattering), web aggregators are quickly becoming the new influencers du jour. Rather than taking cues strictly from the major media father/mother-figure (e.g., Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Bill O’Reilly, etc.), the web has empowered new voices to judge what content may be worth your scarce time.

One such voice is Tadas Viskanta. Tadas is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the extremely popular financial media aggregator Abnormal Returns. Visiting Abnormal Returns has been part of my morning reading routine for years. I find Tadas to be genuinely fair and balanced with an exceptional eye for important issues. I caught up with Tadas to get his insights on how web aggregators are evolving on the web …

Damien Hoffman: Tadas, what is an aggregator?

Tadas: There are at least three ways to think about aggregation.  The first is what we do: we take an independent editorial approach.  I continue to see more people doing this, at least on an occasional basis.  The second is functioning as a standalone aggregation site like Seeking Alpha, greenfaucet, Real Clear Markets etc.  The third is automated aggregation like NewsFlashr.

Damien Hoffman: Tadas, have aggregators grown in popularity as the web fills with noise?

Tadas: My guess is aggregators have become more popular over time, but that is simply a guess.  My only direct experience is with Abnormal Returns which has had pretty steady growth since inception.

Damien: Do you think top aggregators are the new gatekeepers of information?

Tadas: I have seen the gatekeeper tag thrown around.  I think that attributes too much power and/or responsibility to the people doing this.  I don’t think aggregators hold the keys to blogging success.  I think blogging is largely a meritocracy.  If a blogger generates interesting content and puts it in front of the right people, their work will get noticed.  However, that does not guarantee a successful blog.  Successful blogging is a long, hard slog that requires timely updates and interesting content.  A lot of bloggers come out of the gate really strong, but for any number of reasons are unable to maintain that pace.

Damien: What framework do you use when deciding what to include in your daily list?

Tadas: The Abnormal Returns linkfest is just one guy’s opinion on things worth reading in the investment blogosphere.  In that light, there are really only three criteria for getting something included in the Abnormal Returns linkfests.  Posts need to be timely, interesting and informative.  I don’t necessarily agree with the sentiments expressed in every post I link to.  Oftentimes I link to opposing viewpoints on the same day or over time.

Damien: Do you have a limit if there are an extraordinary number of great articles that meet your three criteria?

Tadas: I wrote a post on this a little while ago as our linkfests grew in length.  I don’t edit for length.  Maybe I should.  However everything in a linkfest got us interested enough to write it up.  Over time as the investment blogosphere continues to grow this approach may become unworkable.

Damien: Ending back at the beginning, how did you get started with AR? Is it a passion or a chore?

Tadas: When I first started blogging I thought I would be full of all sorts of original insights.  Over time I noticed that a lot of those insights were either written up faster and/or better by someone else.  Aggregation seemed like a logical way for us to bring some value-added to the investment blogosophere.  Abnormal Returns is both a passion and a chore.  You don’t do this nearly every day without having a passion for it.  However, like any other endeavor some days seem easier than others.

Damien: Tadas, thanks for sharing your insights. Keep up the great work.

Tadas: Thank you.