Ghost blogging - the process of writing a blog in someone else's place - is just not right.
Strong language. Do I mean to push so hard? I don't have a problem with ghost writing per se. It's just that my idea of a blog is open and connected. Ghosting feels like it breaks that bond.
The topic has been bouncing around a bit, along with Dilbert's entertaining look at it. Luis Suarez writes about the issue in 5 Reasons Why Ghost Weblogging for CEOs Is Not Such a Good Practice with a number of links and references.
While Luis goes into great detail, his five reasons are something to consider. Here are his 5 Reasons Why Ghost Weblogging for CEOs Is Not Such a Good Practice:
- Trust.
- Authenticity - the real you.
- It will no longer be your own Personal Knowledge Management tool.
- Faking relationships.
- Lack of passion, involvement (and trust).
All of these elements, barring #3, are about making a real connection with people. And this is what blogging does. The human face of a blog makes the company behind the human seem more reasonable and understandable. When an intermediary sits between the company and the public, that connection is much harder (impossible) to establish.
#3 gets me for reasons related to the idea of a blog as a personal knowledge repository and history of thoughts and ideas that I have as an individual. Not all blogs are meant to be knowledge-logs, so this issue isn't nearly as strong for me in this context.