http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/ International Association of Online CommunicatorsThu, 04 Jun 2009 21:29:00 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-454 AnonymousFri, 18 May 2007 13:23:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-454Hi Debbie,
Why would a CEO hire a ghostwriter ? Not enough time ? Not a good writer ?
There are CEOs out there that take time to either write themselves or dictate their thoughts to an admin who types it out, and it works. So why would others hire a ghostwriter ?
If someone is hired to write for a CEO it should be clearly indicated on the blogpost. Transparency is key and in some industries I guess it can even be required by law.
But advising companies to hire a (PR) ghostwriter to write their corporate blogs as some PR agencies are doing is going way to far… Those are the kind of cases that end up in the list of “blogging disasters”… ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-453 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 18:48:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-453It seems to me that Jeffrey, Maggie and others (including Debbie, who started all this) make a strong case for some level of disclosure as to authorship when a CEO blogger gets more than a little editing help.
There have been so many creative ways presented here for the CEO (and others in the organization) to join in the conversation that, as Jeffrey points out, it's hardly worth the risk to resort to ghostwriting . I'm persuaded that it's not just new media group think but good reasoning (and good advice) to keep authorship transparent.
Don Dunnington ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-452 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 16:57:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-452Steve and Morty,
I understand your reasoning for a ghost writer (vacations, time, etc.), but again, then why not just have someone else write the blog? Or why not have a team of bloggers.
I still hold firm on this issue of identity -authorizing someone to write on your behalf and standing by the comments after the fact is not enough.
As for the blogosphere being sacrosanct, I agree that bloggers to often get up on their soapboxes and often prefer utopian ideals over business realities.
However, perception is reality and if people perceive a ghostwriter as unethical (as most bloggers and many journalists probably will) than CEOs and executives should tread carefully.
Again, my argument is that when looking at the risk-reward, a ghost writer just doesn’t make sense ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-451 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 16:31:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-451Amen, Steve!
With all due respect to Doc Searls, we take the “All Markets are Conversations” metaphor too literally. Blog purists make ghostwriters sound like Cyrano de Bergerac. I think Steve got it exactly right.
The Cluetrain left the station a long time ago. It's time to realize that blogs are a great tool, but not sacrosanct.
Morty ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-450 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 16:23:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-450Jeffrey,
We all seem to agree there's an ethical line here, but disagree on when it's crossed. You say the CEO should directly approve of the content of posts or it's unethical. I would set the bar a little further out — that the CEO can authorize someone to blog on their behalf *and take responsibility for those posts* without directly approving any of them. One of the most important reasons for having a blog ghostwriter is to cover vacations and other absences when it is inconvenient for the CEO to pre-approve postings.
Further to this discussion, a ghost blogger is not writing for himself or herself. They are “chanelling” for the CEO. Thus, ghostwritten entries should be in the CEO's name and the CEO should be held accountable for them. I see no substantive difference between a ghostwritten speech and a ghostwritten blog entry.
Great discussion!
STEVE O'KEEFE ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-448 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 16:15:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-448Absolutely – but your CEO does not have to write it. It can be created by Marketing, Communications, whoever. And it doesn't even have to be a “blog”, it can simply be content managed using blog software (which, frankly, is the way of the future).
You just have to call it like it is. Authenticity is key in this new communications environment. ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-447 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 16:13:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-447“Why do you have a blog?” A good answer to that is that right now search engines such as Google are disproportionately favorable to blogs. Blog entries pop near the top of Google search results not because they are more useful or authentic than other content online but because they are updated frequently and contain lots of incoming and outbound links.
Until Google stops rewarding blogs for their architecture — not their content — having a blog is an important marketing strategy, regardless of who writes it.
STEVE O'KEEFE ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-449 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 16:01:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-449Having a ghostwriter publish a post, respond to a comment or leave a comment on another blog on behalf of a CEO, without the CEO directly approving the content is unethical.
It violates the Word of Mouth Marketing Association's principle of honesty of identity.
The analogy of ghostwriting speeches is fine, but as one comment mentioned, it is the actual CEO who delivers the content, not an actor.
A CEO blog is a powerful medium of communication, but there is a reason why so few CEOs have their own blog. A group blog, where the CEO chimes in once in a while is often a much better idea. ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-446 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 15:57:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-446Then I guess the question becomes, “why do you have a blog?” ]]> http://www.iaocblog.org/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-445 AnonymousFri, 29 Sep 2006 15:51:00 +0000http://www.iaocblog.com/2006/09/18/is-it-ok-to-ghostwrite-a-ceo-blog/#comment-445Maggie,
I've written emails for people too!
A blog is the script. Not the performance…. Perhaps a more apt comparison would be having someone ghost-record a podcast. And even that would be more dumb than dishonest.
Morty ]]>