HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Well, not me, but my BLOGGING adventure. Yes, today marks my one year anniversary in the stock blogging world. I started WeeklyTA.blogspot.com on August 14, 2008 and this was my first post: http://weeklyta.blogspot.com/2008/08/market-comments-indu-11734.html.

Time sure does fly when you're having fun. For those that don't remember, I started blogging at the desperate plea of my friend who needed some major help. He wanted me to share his ideas with him. I am a very private person, so it was difficult starting out. In fact, I choose the name "WeeklyTA" because I thought I could get away with blogging only once a week!

Boy, was I wrong.

I was so internet illiterate back then that I needed help setting up a freakin' blogspot. I had no idea what I was doing. I have to give Trading Goddess some serious props for helping me out during my humble beginnings. Once I got the blog started, I created weekly commentaries. Here are some examples of a few:

August 10
August 25
September 2
September 8
September 15

I even started trade e-mail alerts and even an online coaching program. I ditched the alerts after a month, but kept my core group of 5 guys, who I not only view as my students, but as my friends and peers. You may have even met a few of my students online somewhere, most likely on twitter. They are very secretive and rightfully so.

Around the same time, about 49 weeks ago, I started blogging at greenfaucet.com, and now run the Exception blog. They are the folks that offered me the tremendous opportunity to join their panel at the Money Show in San Francisco this coming August 22-23.

Then finally, at the end of October, I started posting in the Peanut Gallery at iBankCoin.com, sharing my charts and views. Yes, I was picked up from the PG and you can see some of my early posts here: http://www.ibankcoin.com/peanut_gallery/index.php/author/weeklyta/.

I also joined twitter like back in April, again, totally clueless in the beginning as to how things worked. I now have an army of over 2,500 followers, mostly pikers who want to feed off my trades (just kidding!..or not). Seriously though, I appreciate the support, so thanks.

I also recently started contributing to the Chart.ly blog and have a lot of things planned for you guys, whether it's with Chart.ly or with Stocktwits, so stay tuned.

As you can tell, since first starting my original "third-tier" blog exactly one year ago, I am determined to make my mark in the stock blogging world. That's just who I am. I want to excel at everything that I do, despite my serious sleep deprivation issue.

I am proud to have built a community as the Chart Addict, filled with like-mided folks (for the msot part), and to be able to help hundreds, and maybe even thousands of people out there. I never forget that this all started out with my intention to help one friend who was struggling during the greatest crash of our lifetimes.

I continue to build my reputation and express my sincere desire to help people by sharing my strategies with the coaching students that signed up last month. My one goal is to help turn you into me.

I met a lot of great people along the way, but I am sorry to say that I will not be blogging anymore.

Just kidding. Sorry for the false alarm.

But getting back to point, I wouldn't have been able to get to where I am now without the help of many people. I owe my thanks to the following people: TG, the Fly, Jim Slagle, Chip Hanlon, Phil Pearlman, just to name a few.

To my students (so far): Steve, Nap, Andy, Wyman, Gordon, Benson, Tony, Allen, Sandor, Mike - I got your back, always.

As you may know, I run many businesses, including an investment fund, commercial real estate investment, a bar/club, a horse farm, and a few others. This is the reason why I sleep so late. I will be expanding into other businesses by year's end.

A word of advice: If your goal to become wealthy, follow in the footsteps of those that are already there. The vast majority of the Forbes 400 list billionaires made their money either in 1) the markets (trading/investment firm/company ownership), starting a business, and real estate investment. The new frontier is in all this internet stuff, thankfully something that I am participating in.

We've come a long way, but I can assure you that the next 12 months will be even better than these first 12 months.

Thanks for the continued support, always.