Arnesha Dixon
Advanced Rhetoric
Friday, October 10, 2008
Investors Blog
In the accounting field there are many people and companies that use blogs. These blogs are usually used to communicate news and announcements from many different sources. One of these many blogs is titled “Analysts Accounting Observer or AAO.” This blog is more of a personal blog that is developed by Jack Ciesielski who is a CPA. He also owns an investment research portfolio management firm. This blog has been around since 2005. Much of this blog is generated to cover accounting issues and news that concerns finance and investments.
The physical appearance of the AAO Blog is different from many of the other blogs that I’ve seen. This blog appears to have a much more professional status. The right side of the blog contains hyperlinks categories, including a keyword search function, monthly archives links, and connections to other external websites. However, this public blog is now outdated. The blog offers its subscription to members only. In order to be a member it requires a annual cost of $500. Membership allows them to get a 12 month subscription to post and articles regarding accounting issues in financial statements. At the top of the page in big black bold letters it states “The AAO Weblog covers accounting issues and current events as they relate the practice of investment analysis. All posts prior to September, 2007 are in the public domain, but after September 4, only subscribers to The Analyst’s Accounting Observer will see all posts going forward. Only selected, occasional posts will be released to the public domain from September 4 forward. Subscriptions to full posts available for $500 annually.” (Ciesielski)
The blog is to appeal to investors, hoping to get them to subscribe to the blog, by giving them a glimpse of occasional post that’s offer to the public. One of the public post that the blog gives investor a glimpse of is called “Survey: Profs Not Planning to Add IFRS to Curricula” This talks about a survey that was conducted by American Accounting Association. The survery tested that not many people are planning to incorporate International Financial Reporting Standards into the lesson plans. This article allows potential subscribes to see what type of information it would supply investors with. This blog is not very appealing to accountants who are not members. The blog doesn’t allow accountants to utilize the full potential of the blog because they are not members. Although bloggers are not able to access the blog it still appeals to the credibility because the Jack Ciesielski is the developer of the blog an he is the owner of R.G. Associates Inc., an investment research and portfolio management firm located in Baltimore. He has a Certified Accountant Management Designation since 1988. He also spent many years as a security analyst.
There is a negative bias about the blog because I feel that the information he is offering on his blogs can be accessed anywhere else, if accountants and investors would just take the time out and research the latest news regarding financial issues. Jack Ciesielski states that “On Friday The Financial Accounting Foundation appointed Mark Siegal the leader of the Accounting Research and Analysis group at Risk Metrics Group to take of over the board post currently held by George Batavick who will retire from FASB.” FASB is the Financial Accounting Standard Board this particular group of people establishes and improves the financial standards that accountants use. This information regarding FASB can be discovered on many of the other accounting websites.
The blog is misleading to bloggers and accountants it states that it’s a public blog when actually it really is not. The blog is also misleading because it teases you in away because it lets you get a glimpse but you don’t have a right to access the all the monthly post that lies on the left hand side within the blog. The blog does not state how many accountants or investors have memberships. Most people that have memberships are institutional investors who want to look at current financial accounting topics, or those investors who don’t quite understand the topics that are being discussed in the news and want a clearer understanding or examples that would make sense to them as they analyzing their financial statements. These institutional investors include people such as mutual funds and money managers. The blog goal is to keep institutional investors and research departments up to par on accounting issues in financial statements. Jack Ciesielski believes that this is an important factor for investors to build upon.
In conclusion, this blog compared to many of the other accounting websites is not the most reliable blog for free communication and networking with other professional accountants about important issues regarding accounting. However it does seem to be a good source for a more laid back accounting or investor, who is not willing to go all out of their means to find out new information regarding accounting issues in financial statements.
Works Cited
Ciesielski, Jack. “AAO Webblog.” Survey:Pfofs Not Planning to Add IFRS to Curricul. 08 Sept. 2008. 08 Oct. 2008.
<http//www.accountingobserver.com/PublicBlog/tabid/54/EntryID/12468/Default.aspx>
