Ghost twitters

There has been some talks in the media lately about Ghost writers/twitters that is publishing content and messages on behalf of a person or a company. I read an article in the New York Times about this, and there has also been some other sites that has posted their opinions regarding this topic. I have disussed this on my videopodcast – SofaPrat – (sorry guys, but it is in Norwegian) where me and Thomas Moen (@thomasmoen) debated the consept of Ghost twittering. We agree on the basic prinsipals, but to some extent we also disagree. But first, here is a quote from the NYT article.

«Britney Spears recently advertised for someone to help, among other things, create content for Twitter and Facebook. Kanye West recently told New York magazine that he has hired two people to update his blog. “It’s just like how a designer would work,” he said.

It is not only celebrities who are forced to look to a team to produce real-time commentary on daily activities; politicians like Ron Paul have assigned staff members to create Twitter posts and Facebook personas. Candidate Barack Obama, as well as President Obama, has a social-networking team to keep his Twitter feed tweeting.

The famous, of course, have turned to ghostwriters for autobiographies and other acts of self-aggrandizement. But the idea of having someone else write continual updates of one’s daily life seems slightly absurd.»

My personal point of view
I think the whole idea of the term ‘Social Media’ is misused when a celebrity, politician or person decides to let someone else write their tweets and content. The reason for this is quite simple. What is Social Media? It’s a place where you take part in the dialogue – That’s the whole point of web 2.0 – To listen, engage, learn, share, add value, be a part of the conversation, and most importantly be authentic!  How can you do so if someone else is doing it for you? If that someone does not see me as important enough to respect me and take the time to write his own tweets, why should I then follow that someone? I know that there are no rules on the internet, but there is something called twitiqette – how to behave – and I think that the people that choose to have someone else write their stuff, are missing out on something huge; a genuine and authentic dialogue with your fans.

One celebrity that has catched the point is Shaq;

The basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, for example, is a prolific Twitterer on his account — The Real Shaq — where he shares personal news, jokes and occasional trash talking about opponents with nearly 430,000 followers.

“If I am going to speak, it will come from me,” he said, adding that the technology allows him to bypass the media to speak directly to the fans.

As for the temptation to rely on a team to supply his words, he said: “It’s 140 characters. It’s so few characters. If you need a ghostwriter for that, I feel sorry for you.”

This is so true, and says it all – by writing your own stuff, you add value to your fans and followers. By using a ghostwriter, your screwing with them and saying indirectly «I don’t have time for you and you are not important to me»

Joseph Nejman, a former consultant to Ms. Spears who helped conceive her Web strategy, said there was a more than a whiff of hypocrisy among critics.
“It’s O.K. to tweet for a brand,” he said, remarking how common it is for companies to have Twitter accounts, “but not O.K. for a celebrity. But the truth is, they are a brand. What they are to the public is not always what they are behind the curtain. If the manager knows that better than the star, then they should do it.”

I disagree, because it is not authentic. If Ms. Spears can’t handle to write 140 characters herself on what’s going on in her life, and take a few minutes of her time to answer some of her fans, then get off the twitterville wagon. If you have someone else write your posts, be honest about it and let them be the owner of the account, with full name, and instead inform in his/her own words what is going on with your life – then it is authentic.

My business point of view
This is more complex and has some greyareas to be attentive to, but in general the same thing goes here. I think that a company where the management and it employees are present and active on different social media networks, add value to their customers and build a stronger brand in the long term. How awesome is it that the CEO of a company takes the time to listen, reply and engage in the dialog on the Social Media arena? And the fact that the people that work inside the company are the ones that ‘speak’ on behalf of the company makes it authentic and earns respect and customer loyalty.
Scott Monty from Ford is one that I respect, he writes on behalf of his company as Head of social media at Ford Motor Company. He shares information, he is active in the converation and he is most importantly authentic.

I think Social Media is a powerful tool that can build a brand strong and in the long term increase revenues and customer satisfaction. Zappos is a company that managed to – despite the recession – increase their revenues in 2008 to over $1 billion from $870 million in 2007. They have a clear online/social media strategy, where the CEO’s are active on behalf of the company, but also 400 of their 900 employees have been given the ‘green light’ to be active on social media as a ‘voice’ for the company – that’s authentic, that’s taking your customers serious, that is an example for many companies to follow.

When a company hires a PR company or an advertising agency to write on behalf of them, I think they will fail – simply because it is not authentic. Only a person from the company can reflext the sense and the feel of the company in it’s true way. The correct role of a PR company or an advertising agency is to be the advisor, the planner, the one to lay-out and create the strategy for the client’s social media presence.

This is the role I’m going to have for my clients. To teach them how to be present, to listen and be authentic on this powerful arena – so that they can build their brand and get more loyal customers that belive and engage in their brand. That’s true Social Media – Word of Mouth, from one person to another – in a authentic way, based on trust and respect.

What is your thoughts? Let me know.

Tagged as: Britney Spears, Ghost twitters, Shaquille O'Neal, twitter