In 2010, The Motley Fool wrote almost 20,800 articles to educate, amuse, and enrich investors. These were our five most popular in terms of number of views (you'll find Nos. 6 to 10 here):

5) This Is the Best Dividend Play in the Market
Anand Chokkavelu explained the four traits an ideal dividend stock has: stability, growth opportunity, high yield, and the ability to thrive in various market conditions. Anand then provided pairs of related companies, with each pair sharing these traits. The pairs include Altria (NYSE: MO) and Philip Morris (NYSE: PM), and Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY) and Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM). When bought alone, they have weaknesses -- together, they balance out to be strong dividend plays.

4) 5 Dividend Monsters to Buy After the Crash
Stocks were down in June, and Morgan Housel had five dividend stocks to recommend to investors. Like Anand, Morgan recommended Altria, which at the time was yielding 7%. Morgan also liked Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and Southern Co. for their strong businesses, solid cash flows, and steady dividend payments.

3) I Wouldn't Sell This Stock if I Were You
Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner explained the story of a stock he sold for a 25% gain, which then went on to increase 45 times in value over the next 10 years. He believes a similar story could happen with Dolby Labs (NYSE: DLB), which has seen gains in recent years but has a long road of growth ahead of it.

2) This Stock Is Going to Zero, and You Know It
In September, Anders Bylund explained to shareholders of Blockbuster that the company had declared bankruptcy and management believed that both preferred and common stockholders of Blockbuster would receive nothing. At the time shares traded for just under $0.10, but crazily, they now trade for $0.15! If management's prediction turns true, once Blockbuster comes out of bankruptcy, new shares will be issued and current holders' shares will be cancelled -- with a full 100% loss for any owners of shares.

1) The Best Dividend Stock. Period.
Hats off to Jordan DiPietro, who wrote the most popular article of 2010 with more than 200,000 views. Jordan explained that Automatic Data Processing (Nasdaq: ADP) is the best dividend stock because it has an incredibly easy to understand moat and business model, has been paying dividends since 1974, and has been growing its dividend for years. 

The year to come
As we begin 2011, the Fool will continue to produce great articles and stock ideas. To kick off the New Year we have a free report on The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2011, in which we talk about the company we like best for 2011.

Dan Dzombak, on Twitter as @DanDzombak, is the Internet & Technology editor at the Motley Fool. He owns shares of Philip Morris.

Dolby Laboratories is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor selection. Philip Morris International is a Motley Fool Global Gains recommendation. Automatic Data Processing is a Motley Fool Income Investor recommendation. The Fool owns shares of Altria Group, Annaly Capital Management, and Philip Morris International. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.