1. Just because the CEO writes it, that doesn’t make it authentic. What he writes could be full of crap.

2. Everybody can use a good rewrite man, as they used to say in the newspaper biz. That doesn’t mean the editor’s byline is required to go alongside the reporter’s at the top of the story.

3. Just because it is ghostwritten, that doesn’t make it inauthentic. Could be very insightful — like many of the ghostwritten autobiographies that dominate bookstore shelves.

I write a blog for a client, published under my byline much as Geoff does for his. As long as everything is above-board, and as you say, the readers like it, what’s the problem?

I do draw the line at ghost-writing for someone unaccredited. There are so many other ways to accomplish the task that I don’t see why you’d do it.

If you want to connect your CEO to the customers, and he(or she) doesn’t like or have time to write, you could:

- do what Bill Marriott does — record a podcast and then have it transcribed. That’s authentic. He just prefers to speak.

Or just do a podcast message from the CEO.

Or have a professional writer interview the CEO periodically and put that up on a company blog that has other content as well.

Lots of choices and we don’t need to put everything in neat boxes.

The ones who do their praying out on the street corner, even if their content is insincere.

Your analogy is FAR richer than you know.

It’s so true- the internet is once again (or still) totally deconstructed. The only rule is there are no rules, other than (for me) being honest/ transparent.

A blog is, and always should be, what you want it to be- not something dictated from on high by some A-List a-hole/s.

Great post… I think we might just love you all over again.

I have a ghost written blog (CEO directs content and approves everything), and its getting a ton of attention in DC. Why? Because we understand what her readers want. And when people ask her who writes it? She tells them the truth. We’ve even posted on our blog that we’re doing it.

It’s not about “blogging.” to me it’s like being a journalist again, and I have an editorial mission to accomplish. Our readers love it and that’s what my client and I care about. Win-win-win.

Good to see Idea Grove’s rocking again.
GL