A ghostwriter is a person who takes someone else’s thoughts, turns them into writing, and doesn’t take the credit. Ghostwriters are used by politicians, musicians, business owners, and even other writers. When it’s a letter to shareholders or a keynote speech, ghostwriting is considered acceptable, but the ethics of ghost blogging are debated vehemently.
The key difference between traditional media (like magazines) and social media (like blogs) is the two-way interaction – readers can and will comment on a blog post, turning an article into a conversation. Ghost blogging muddies the ethical waters by making unclear exactly who the participants in that conversation are.
Ghost blogging is so common that social media commentator Guy Kawasaki revealed that he has a staff of three writers handling his vast social media obligations. As one observer noted, “Martha Stewart can’t do it without staff, and neither can Guy, and that’s okay.” Now that Guy has acknowledged his staff writers, however, they are not ghostwriters at all – they’re now his outsourcing department.
The ethical distinction made by most bloggers has to do with attribution: who wrote this post?
Supporters of ghost blogging contend that ghostwriting is extremely common and perfectly ethical. 90% of political books are ghostwritten, as are a large number of contemporary biographies. Ghostwriters lend their writing skill to people whose talents lie elsewhere.
What is the best practice for a business blogger who isn’t comfortable with writing? Consider these points:
- Some people simply cannot express themselves in writing.
- Ghost blogging is perceived as unethical by some people.
- Blogs can drive potential clients to a business.
- Lack of credibility can turn those potential clients off.
Rather than distracting from the main message by trying to justify ghost blogging, The Blogger’s Voice uses journalistic blogging to sidestep these issues. Each blog post includes a disclaimer like this one:
This post was written from an interview with Joe Schmo of Joe’s Bank and Window Cleaning Service by Terence P Ward of The Blogger’s Voice.
The views are Joe’s, and Joe is responsible for replying to any comments on the post. Joe’s readers know that his expertise is being represented, but that he didn’t choose the exact words. It’s a transparent blogging system that allows Joe to share his thoughts without having to write . . . or claim that he does. Problem solved.