Comments on: Ghostwriting Does NOT Preclude Authenticity http://authorizer.fileslinger.com/articleblog/2007/05/ghostwriting-does-not-preclude-authenticity/ Articles by Author-izer and Collabowriter Sallie Goetsch Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:48:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Sallie Goetsch http://authorizer.fileslinger.com/articleblog/2007/05/ghostwriting-does-not-preclude-authenticity/#comment-100 Sallie Goetsch Wed, 23 May 2007 14:44:36 +0000 http://authorizer.fileslinger.com/articleblog/2007/05/ghostwriting-does-not-preclude-authenticity/#comment-100 Hi, Terry. I'm inclined to agree with you about not wanting to bring the wrath of the blogosphere down on your clients, and I was trying to make the point that the lack of generally accepted conventions for using ghostwriters in blogging was one of the differences between blogs and other forms of writing. And this is particularly important if the author's identity, rather than the content of the posts, is the main attraction of the blog. (In such a case, one might even want each post to say something like "Posted by X with help from Y" to be clear about disclosure.) All I really object to is the assumption that ghostwriting and authenticity are mutually exclusive. Hi, Terry. I’m inclined to agree with you about not wanting to bring the wrath of the blogosphere down on your clients, and I was trying to make the point that the lack of generally accepted conventions for using ghostwriters in blogging was one of the differences between blogs and other forms of writing. And this is particularly important if the author’s identity, rather than the content of the posts, is the main attraction of the blog. (In such a case, one might even want each post to say something like “Posted by X with help from Y” to be clear about disclosure.)

All I really object to is the assumption that ghostwriting and authenticity are mutually exclusive.

]]> By: Terry Fallis http://authorizer.fileslinger.com/articleblog/2007/05/ghostwriting-does-not-preclude-authenticity/#comment-99 Terry Fallis Wed, 23 May 2007 13:43:27 +0000 http://authorizer.fileslinger.com/articleblog/2007/05/ghostwriting-does-not-preclude-authenticity/#comment-99 Outstanding post Sallie. Very thoughtful. Just one comment with respect to whether there's any real difference between hiring a speechwriter and hiring a ghost blogger. I agree that in principle, there's no difference. What separates these two situations are the expectations and assumptions of the audience. When a CEO gives an important Chamber of Commerce speech, the vast majority of the audience has come to understand and accept that while the CEO is delivering the speech, he/she may not have written every word. That is the audience's understanding. When I read a blog post under someone's name, I, and, I contend, the lion's share of blog readers, assume the post has been written by the "blog-owner." Such is the expectation in the blogosphere unless there's a disclosure statement at the outset. I would never counsel a client to hire a ghost blogger without the appropriate disclosure. Not because I think there's something morally deficient in the practice, but because as a PR counsellor, and protector of my client's reputation, I wouldn't want to expose my client to the wrath of the blogosphere when it is invitably discovered that the blog is not written by the person whose name is on the blog banner. Blogs and speeches are different, with a different set of audience expectations. Thanks for advancing this debate Sallie with your excellent post. (By the way, I received no editorial assistance in writing this comment.) Outstanding post Sallie. Very thoughtful. Just one comment with respect to whether there’s any real difference between hiring a speechwriter and hiring a ghost blogger. I agree that in principle, there’s no difference. What separates these two situations are the expectations and assumptions of the audience. When a CEO gives an important Chamber of Commerce speech, the vast majority of the audience has come to understand and accept that while the CEO is delivering the speech, he/she may not have written every word. That is the audience’s understanding. When I read a blog post under someone’s name, I, and, I contend, the lion’s share of blog readers, assume the post has been written by the “blog-owner.” Such is the expectation in the blogosphere unless there’s a disclosure statement at the outset. I would never counsel a client to hire a ghost blogger without the appropriate disclosure. Not because I think there’s something morally deficient in the practice, but because as a PR counsellor, and protector of my client’s reputation, I wouldn’t want to expose my client to the wrath of the blogosphere when it is invitably discovered that the blog is not written by the person whose name is on the blog banner. Blogs and speeches are different, with a different set of audience expectations. Thanks for advancing this debate Sallie with your excellent post. (By the way, I received no editorial assistance in writing this comment.)

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