Comments on: Corporate Blogging: a Load of B.S.?

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:02:11 +0000

When it comes to ghost blogging, what’s so harmful about a person merely transcribing another person’s thoughts and ideas. The content is the same. It’s only the typist that is different.

It’s my opinion that ghost blogging becomes shady only when the words written within the blog were not originally created by the subject of the blog.

By: John Cass

John Cass — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:13:55 +0000

Leslie,

The difference in perspective regarding ghostwriting on a blog, and for other speeches is that in the culture of blogging the blogger is writing personally. The words they write are supposed to be the real words of the blog, authentic not those of another person. Ghostwriting on blogs is the equivalent of meeting an executive at a business meeting, and having someone else speak for them. You would not think very much of the executive, you probably would not be very impressed with them.

By: Myra

Myra — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:20:32 +0000

I do believe corporate blogs are effective, but I don’t think you need to end every post with a question. It comes across as trite.People are clever enough to know that they can comment on a post without your having to prod them each time.

By: Les Leslie

Les Leslie — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:55:24 +0000

Oh, Good Grief!

When did we become such snobs that Ghostwriting is OK in one forum but not another? Maybe I’m missing something here. What does virtually everyone do when they want a certain amount of writing done but have not the skills or other resources to do it? They hire someone to do it. Isn’t a Copywriter just a Ghostwriter with a label? We certainly (in most cases), are not writing copy solely for our own products. What advertisement or sales letter contains the author’s name?

It seems to me that the only real issue is whether the writing accomplishes a purpose.

What is “doomed to failure” is poor quality writing or writing that does not accomplish its purpose.

By: John Cass

John Cass — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:32:14 +0000

@Gloria One interesting phenomenon with blogging is that that the medium can connect people within a professional community in a way that was not really possible before the web. I think many professional associations have had ethics codes for many years, but unless a code violation is particularly bad most codes a pretty dusty affairs. A blogging community in contrast polices itself. If the community disagrees with the idea of ghost writing, the blogger who uses a ghost writer faces a reduction in credibility and disapproval from the community. I don’t know the % of people who don’t approve of ghostwriting in most blogging communities, however, if the majority of voices are against ghostwriting I think there is a greater chance of people understanding that the practice is not something the community wants you to do. I hope more people in the community speak out against the practice.

By: Joel Heffner

Joel Heffner — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:42:49 +0000

The best blogs are spontaneous. If a corporate exec has something to say and has the guts to say it…he or she will. If the exec is too timid or the corporation is restrictive, the blog probably won’t work, especially if a someone else does it. Unfortunately, even some of the best and apparently enlightened companies frown upon those who speak for the company. There’s an interesting comment on the subject at http://www.marketingapple.com/marketing_apple/2008/01/apple-and-a-blo.html concerning Apple, Inc.

By: Bob Yokl

Bob Yokl — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:08:24 +0000

Let’s all face it, it is all not part of the blog-O-sphere and some will be obvious and some will not be obvious. To me taking off my blogger had and thinking as a reader, all I want is good information and if a ghost writer or actual person provides it then I am ok with that. It’s the information we want and if the blog sucks then we wont read it anymore!!!

Hey our President’s all had speech writers, all the TV Commercials, movies and TV shows we like and love all have writers (ghosts??). Hey even reality shows have writers when you think they don’t. Even podcasts have writers and I guess you could call them ghost writers because the host of the podcast may not write their own stuff.

Is it all that much different?

By: becky

becky — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:24:57 +0000

I have to agree with Yvonne. I think there’s a big difference between blogging for a corp and ghostwriting. One of my friends blogs for Ty’s Toy Box and it’s been a popular feature of their site. While she doesn’t sign her name to each post, there’s no secret to who she is. Heck, I’d love to blog for a corp as long as it’s aboveboard.

By: Yvonne DiVita

Yvonne DiVita — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:28:46 +0000

Okay, let’s separate ‘ghost writing’ from ‘blogging for a corporation.’ They can be two different things. I get paid to write and maintain a blog for Purina, the pet food company. I write about my pets. I sometimes write about stuff Purina does. There is a vet who answers readers questions (former Purina researcher) and all of this is totally above board.

Purina is happy with my blogging, readers are happy with it, and the world has not stopped moving.

So, upfront, authentic blogging, while being paid, is a new career path. Ghost writing on a blog is another story entirely. I wouldn’t do it, and I’d have issues with anyone who did.

Mind you, I help clients post…by adding THEIR writing, and I council them on how to handle comments, even what links to put in their posts. But, I don’t write the posts. They do.

By: Gloria Hildebrandt

Gloria Hildebrandt — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:06:04 +0000

Ghost writing blogs is inevitable. It happens now and will continue to. I would guess that most execs are simply too busy to blog, or don’t have the skill. If they did, they might be writers. I ghosted a blog for a while, but the problem was that the company owner did not pay enough attention to the blog world. We were trying to raise his profile in his area of expertise, but he thought it could happen without his participation. Uh uh. You can ghostwrite a blog but the person has to be closely involved. When that happens, the benefits can be endless.