Things to do in Washington DC: SOMEONE BLOGGING FOR YOU. ISN'T THAT CHEATING?

Lanre:  I guess I'm the first to comment.  Right off, it doesn't strike me as cheating.  You're paying for a service and there is a valid point in that,  "we are paid to sell, not to blog"  but blogging is a way for me to sell.  I know I spend hours writing and reading blogs and I have wondered if I took all the time invested in doing that and invested it instead in getting out and meeting and greeting, what would happen.  As for me, I like blogging and don't necessarily want to trust it to someone else to do it for me.  Blogging has brought me business and I for one, would not pay $399 for something I can do myself and have full control over the content.  I suppose it is misleading if someone has their blogs written by another and tries to pass them off as their own work.  I'm not sure what the disclosures are on paying a service for blogging.  As long as it is disclosed, then I guess it's not cheating.   

Lanre, I have to agree with Donna. As soon as I get things in place, I am going to have one of my office staff do the main work on writing my blogs. I will still have the final say-so. No I do not look at it as cheating. My time is worth so much an hour. Why should I spend my time that is worth $50 per hour writing posts, when I can pay someone $10 to do the same thing. I am ahead $40. And, I can spend the time elsewhere growing my business.  Interesting post!  Thanks.  Have a GR8 '08!  8-)

Cheating? Its not cheating. Why just yesterday I had my steroid shot because I make too much money per hour to work out for myself, so I sent my assistant and she had a good workout and I had some steroids to wash down my HGH that I took. My clothes were ready at the cleaners, but I told everyone that I iron my own shirts. My former president told me it was not sex, but I can't get my wife to understand its not cheating if its not actual "sex". Everyone commented on how nice my car looks and I told them I found a new way to wax my car, which is really a car place down the street because I make too much money to wash my own car. My term paper is due in college but I make too much money to do my own research so I hired someone to do it for $10 an hour and I turned in their work with my name on it. Unfortunately, someone else used the same person and they kicked me out of college for cheating!

Bottom line, if you don't do your own blog and put your name on it as if you did, that is called cheating and misrepresentation. If you hire someone to blog for you, fine. In college they call it a citation. If you use someone else's work you have to cite the source. So hire a blogger, then cite the work as it is not yours like you are supposed to do, and be a standup person. As soon as people figure out you are not blogging your own material, you will be a phony and lose credibility. And don't kid yourself, people will figure out its not your blog.

Lanre, I have to disagree, respectfully, but disagree.  I blog here, and read blogs to gather information, inspiration and whatever else I can from other Realtors or Mortgage professionals.  I don't come and spend what time I can afford to spend here to read a paid blogger that isn't in the same boat so to speak as I am.  I know that time is valuable, that is why I want to read posts from my peers not a ghost writer.  I don't know that I would call it cheating, but I do know that I don't like it.  Great question however, thanks for posting it!

Lanre, I don't like the idea of ghost bloggers.  And I think that people will be able to tell the difference.  They likely have a standard set of posts that the customize slightly with some keywords for each local area.  However, how can they actually provide good solid local content?  I doubt they will.  I think that all Realtors and many consumers will be able to see right through the ghost-written content.

There's a place for ghost writers, ad copy writers, etc, but blogging for you ain't it.

Write your own stuff.  If you need it, hire an editor, a spell checker, etc, but write your own stuff on blogs.

There's always someone willing to cheat, and there's always someone willing to get paid for helping you cheat.

It's your morals.  Use them.

I think that blogging at Active Rain is definitely not a place for a Ghost blogger. We all read these blogs and relate to whom we think wrote them. I would be very upset if the people that I read are not themselves!! Yes, not only would that be cheating, to not acknowledge it, but if I found out, there would be no referrals.

If you maintain an outside blog and it is for Localism type posts and not intended to be your personal self, then I could see paying someone with an acknowledgement on the blog itself.

It's pretty easy to spot when someone has another blogging for them though. Is this what you want your clients thinking?

My blogs may not be great, but they are me! Good Question!

Lanre~

I see people who put blog after blog, that are long thought out well written pieces that can not possibly all be their writing. First, the writing style is not all the same in each piece, second, no one has that much time to put into their blog. It would take all their spare time just to read what they are posting as their own. I don't agree with it at all. I think that it is not displaying what you are really about... and the purpose of your blog is to share some of yourself! It's with that said that I know I will never hire someone to write my posts, my posts all come right from my heart. (Maybe that is why I don't get featured) None of my writings are masterpieces, just fair and honest truth and experiences.

Hi Lanre,

The way I look at it is that this is a business, and that the main goal is to make face to face contact with as many people as possible, so when you reach that level of hiring out for the things you don't have time for, then that's just what you have to do. I would imagine that most of the top producing agents have assistants that do this type of for them, that way they can monitor and edit the work. I wouldn't look at it as cheating, but it's something that should be kept as close to your side as possible.

Lanre--I consider Active Rain time marketing time.  I plan a certain amount of time and build it into my schedule for reading and writing blogs.  In the end I meet other agents from across the country and build a referral network, learn a whole bunch from other's experiences, boost my SEO, share info about the beautiful area I live in and I hope to gain clients from it eventually. 

It's not cheating, but it defeats the purpose of Web 2.0.    Web 2.0 is all about turning a stranger into a friend.   No one can learn anything about YOU if your blogs are being written by a complete stranger.

Howdy Lanre

I feel eveyone should do their own bloging. I think the folks that are taking their time to read my blogs. Then I need to take the time and write my own blogs.

Have a good one

Dale

 i am new at this but i would say it is cheating. my understanding is this is for sharing information that you personally know and have experienced-not something you get from a calton sheets video!

I guess someone has just found another way to make money.  Is it right to allow someone else to speak for you? Hmm, something to think about.

Sharon

Hello Lanre!

Well, I wouldn't call it cheating...I would say that it is not a really good idea if someone is writing for someone else.  Signing things as if they are someone else...but, if they are just writing a blog to use it to increase chances of web traffic....that is up to them.  I feel that they will be the only one who is going to be cheating themselves.  I would think that if the Real Estate Agent who has someone totally take over the entire blog concept is going to be missing out on something...I would think that it would take more time to review and remember what someone else wrote for you ...then to just write it yourself. 

 

I wonder how "local" the ghost blogger can get for $399 a year?  It might be well written and have a more general focus.  How many locals will subscribe to general real estate information - can't they get that anywhere?  Maybe I am wrong, maybe they can create a local feel.  But I doubt it.

I would say it definitely is cheating and those people that do that should be penalized point or be banned from AR. Especially if they are signing your name to it.  I think it defeats the whole purpose of active rain. I would not want to be associated with a company that would endorse this type of behavior on the site, especially when I am trying to network with realtors in other areas.

I believe it is one of those gray areas. Some have personal assistance that do the same. I am sure.

wow  there are some very intersting comments on here.  Thanks for this post

Don

Sounds like a good deal, Blogging takes a lot of time. Lance

Lanre, I have read here were a member is offering this service. I agree she and her staff write better than I ever will. BUT my point is for my client read and know me. I write about things I am interested in and have personally done. How can a ghost write about 23 years in Real Estate business when they are 20 something. I would recommend not to subscribe to someone's blog which is not original. With me what you see is what you get.

Lanre

I have mixed feelings about this, I can see where it maybe a benefit to pay for someone to do your blogging like add your listings to localism.com or build the information to the towns you work. Blogging to the Active Rain community is you, this is where people get to see who you are and if they want to build a relationship with you or not. Hope this helps you. Have a great day!

I think it depends on the blog.  If it's mostly written as a giving information type blog (newsletter-ish) then it would be ok for someone else like an assistant to write it but if it is written in the first person as if that specific agent is writing about a personal experience or opinion then it should be written by that person.

The whole point of writing a blog is for people to know who YOU are and to make YOUR personality come across in your blogs.  I can almost always tell that a blog was not written by the owner of the blog.  Especially in Real Estate Blogs.  To ME it defeats the entire purpose of blogging.  Also I would worry about paying an assistant to write real estate information.  Since a secretary cannot give out information on a listing over the phone, I can see where having an assistant give out information on the internet could be equally dangerous.  Just my opinion which can be strong :)

Ethics.....that's what it all boils down to. It's not cheating because there are no rules anout it(at least as i know of). But if my name is associated with it, you better believe I'm going to be writing it. If it's my company's name, somebody representing the company can be writing it-but they should actually be part of you're company, not some outside company being paid $400 or whatever. With blogging currently, it's my name, and I will be writing it, it represents me and what I stand for, know, and believe!

If someone else writes the blog then it is cheating and really fraud.

If the blog/article is written by Jack, but at the bottom it says "1/5/2008 1:00 AM by Jill", then that is dishonest, fraudulent, and just wrong.

And I know many people on here do it! I can tell by the way things are phrased, especially when there are activerain posts from a bunch of member in one office or team. You can see the similarities. 

Someone else is not supposed to be logging into your activerain account or whatever account for that matter, and post material under your name. It is probably even a violation of Terms & Use. 

After reading more of the comments above, I am glad to see some members here agree that member should write their own blogs and that ghost-blogging, phantom-blogging, and having assistants or anyone else writing a blog for you is not right.

Oh, and in some of the above comments, some of those were written by ghost-bloggers. Did you figure out who?

 

So, if you want to spend spend spend. Then go for it! Funny what people pay for these days. 

It shows me a sucker is born every minute and that alot of people  (not everyone) stand for nothing, so they will fall for anything. 

Howdy Lanre

After reading the comments on your blog post and also seeing that some of them are done by ghost-blogers. It has made me start thinking just maybe some of the posts folks take the time to read and make good comments on and to the writer of the post and have asked a question of the writer. Maybe it was written by a ghost-bloger and that is why they never get a comment back to their comment and never get an answer to their question. Just something for folks to think about.

What do you think of this idea Lanre?

Have a good one

Dale

Would you really want someone writing your blog for you?  I wouldn't.  God knows what weird stuff someone would write..and then they'd be putting your name on it!

Wow! Honestly speaking,I didn't expect some many people to respond to it. Thank you all for responding to my post. I am very sorry that I can't respond to every single one.

Okay, I've let the thread die a bit.  I am the guy behind the company offering a "blog-for-you" service.  Hello.  Nice to meet you all.

A few quick points:

1. Blogs are marketing, just like your direct mail newsletter and community updates.  If you pay a third-party service to handle services like that, then you shouldn't see an issue with having somebody write your Web site/blog copy.
2. We all need to stop looking at blogs with a form of idealism.  While you are doing that and typing/reading for hours each day, your competitors are out meeting clients face-to-face.  If you don't know what I mean, look at the top producers in your region and see how much time THEY spend in front of the computer -- they have "teams" to help.  We are your "blogging team".
3. Take a minute to actually look at our content before you blast it. It's actually quite good.  No, it's not local, but that's why our members can add content whenever they want.  We cover the "big picture" items that your clients care about each day; you cover the local scene when you feel like it. I know this system works because our clients tell me how much traction they get from it.
4. There is a HUGE blogging world outside of AR.  Bring the Blog is not intended for blogs that live in the activerain.com domain.  Plenty of our members use WordPress, TypePad, and our home-grown platform.  I agree -- Bring the Blog does not play well within these walls.

There's a reason why your broker hates when you blog (and it's not because you make write something silly).  It's because blogging is a ginormous waste of time for almost everyone who does it.  We can't all be Laurie, Ardell or Teresa, after all.

Treat your business like a business.  Invest your time and money wisely.  For a lot of people, Bring the Blog is an excellent investment.

Thanks...

Dan - Isn't logging into someone elses activerain account against Terms of Use?

So, your telling us it is ok for the dumbest people here to hire someone who can write something for them? hmmm

 

@ Joseph Grabowski: I'm not sure I understand what you mean.  Yes, I am sure that AR has an issue with one user logging into another user's account. 

On your second point, I am not sure what you are implying.  Can you be more specific?

Ok, First of all I have said this several times....I do not believe anyone should write your blog but you....I think if you want a ghost writer, then get a newsletter....or an e-mail letter...the template ones that all say the same thing.  Why in the world do I want the same material that you have?????? 

I strongly disagree with what Dan G. says....As a Broker I want all my agents Blogging....I also want them all on the Internet more.....and I want them all to project themselves in their work, not be phoney by having someone else write their material.  This has been debated here.....and I will NEVER think it is OK to pay someone even $1 to write my Blog for me......and I feel betrayed if Dan is not Dan.....Sally is not Sally....and TLW is not TLW........I want to know who I read is really that person.  And as a consumer I want to know that the person behind the Blog IS that person!!!!

@ Joseph Grabowski:

I visited your Web site and I see that you have pages and pages of content that you didn't write yourself, including the ubiquitous "Free Reports for Home Buyers" and "Free Reports for Home Sellers".  I also noticed that you never attribute the original author of that content.

If you knew me better, you'd know I am not saying any of this with malice or meanness.  I'm just pointing out that you are condemning Bring the Blog and its members at the same time that you are engaging in the same type of behavior yourself.

And BELIEVE ME -- it's completely okay with me that you're doing it.  Writing your own Web site is a waste of time when there's so much good stuff already out there.  That's why everybody does it.  It's only because blogs are looked at like something IDEAL that people seem to have issues with blog-for-you services.

Blogs are nothing special.  They're a MARKETING CHANNEL for your business.

So, the same way that you and other agents use canned content on your Web site, some people are choosing to do it on their blog (which -- after all -- is just a Web site).

For fun, I ran a quick Google search for "Free Reports for Home Buyers" and it turned up 3,620 entries.  You're not alone.

@Kathy McGraw

I like to hear that, but remember that you are NOT a consumer.  You are a broker.  All that your consumer wants is good information that they can apply to their home purchase or remortgage.  That's it. 

I know this because it was part of my market research.

 

I agree with you Kathy. Agents who pay someone to blog for them are phonies. And so are the people writing the blogs.

 

Dan,

The "free report" things are a basic setup used by many, but we DONT sign our name at the bottom of them or pretend to deceive consumers by putting a photo of ourselves on it, but allow someone else to write the content.

 

@Joseph Grabowski: There's no need to resort to calling people names.  That's against the spirit here, isn't it?

Like I said, you don't know me well and the comment section is a bad place to make someone's acquaintance.  I think you thought I was being mean, or rude, or something else.  That's not me at all.  There's plenty of people that you can ask about that.  I'll just assume you didn't know...?

Anyway, I wasn't indicting you.  I was just making the point that a blog is a just a Web site and too many of us spend too many hours for too little return.  Look, it's 9:30 P.M. in Yardley right now and you're watching for comments on a thread that has nothing to do with your business.  Instead, use this time to write something for your clients, or spend time with people that are important to you.

Blogging can rule your life if you don't exercise some control over it.

Speaking of -- I'm off to bed.  Hope nobody else calls me names before the sun comes up tomorrow.  :-)

I agree with you Kathy. Agents who pay someone to blog for them are phonies. And so are the people writing the blogs.

Where should I start?

Gregg Neumann?  Maxine Gellens?  They're phonies?  I've met them ,Sir and I can assure you that while they may use a ghost-blogging service, they are not phonies.  No 8 figure real estate producer (even in a bad market) is a "phony"; they are very much for real

Barbara Corcoran write on Active Rain for a while; we found out that she wasn't really writing her articles here because she wasn't responding to comments.  By your logic, Sir, is Barbara Corcoran a phony? 

Furthermore, I'm appalled that you would harshly criticize a sponsor of this community (especially without knowing what they really do).   bring the Blog, among the other fine sponsors, keeps this community free for us.

Thank you, Dan, for keeping Active Rain free.  Without you, Sir, we would all be paying for the right to make imbecilic statements 

 

Dan, Bring the Blog - "The spirit here"? Cmon now. What is everyone here on activerain have to agree with each other? I know thats what you would like, but people have their own opinions and are free to use their voice. I never called you anything. I simply said people who have other people write blogs for them are phonies and so are the people writing them. Take it how you want to take it. Fully clothed or butt-naked. It is what it is. When someone has their photo, their name, and their signature at the bottom, but someone else writes the content, that is called a fake. That is deceitful to consumers and deceitful to other members in the community. It's funny cause you tell me how to spend my time online, and that I should be spending it somewhere else, but who is pretending to be someone else??? Oh, wait, that's you.

 

Brian Brady - We can't criticize someone here now can we? The people you mentioned above, I have no clue of who they are, and I never heard of them. If you are willing to point them that they have someone write content for them, but they put their photo and their name on it, then they can be considered phonies as well. REGARDLESS OF SALARY. How do you have the balls to say that someone who makes X amount of money cannot be a phony? Brian, are you really Brian, or are you really Dan logged in under Brian's account? That is what we get when we have people falsely advertising themselves. I am appalled that you condone these activities.

 READERS, CONSUMERS, MEMBERS BEWARE - A BUNCH OF THE BLOGS YOU ARE READING ARE WRITTEN BY SOMEONE ELSE AND NOT THE PERSON WHOSE NAME IS ON THE ACCOUNT!

joe

Bucks County Real Estate 

Bucks County MLS Homes Search 

Lanre - I personally would rather write my own, as bad as they may be.  Kind of like in school, would rather do it myself and get a decent grade then have someone else do it for an A.  Just doesn't mean as much.

Well, this got quite heated.....and I see Brian is on here (Hi Brian)....regardless of who says what I still feel it is wrong to pretend that you have written a Blog that someone else did.......isn't that a violation of the Code somewhere .....false advertising? 

If I advertise my name is.......and I am a Broker for.......and this is my Blog.....and this Post is on XXXXXX wouldn't the consumer THINK that I wrote this?  And according to my interpretation of truth in "advertising" that if I put my name there, then I wrote it.......

Now to your comment Dan, you said," All that your consumer wants is good information that they can apply to their home purchase or remortgage.  That's it.  I know this because it was part of my market research."

I disagree that I am only a Broker and not a Consumer....I read the Blogs here, and find out who I want to hire for whatever....and I sure would be ticked if what I see is NOT what I get :) I like to know who I am working with, or spending my time with, and I want to know that Integrity and Honesty are more than just words on their Profile........

My opinion is my own....  there is no power trip in my mind because what I think no one can change but me...you guys pay to blog...blog and pay or do whatever you like. I like my own style and so do my leads that contact me ....because of me in it.

If you guys think it's fine and dandy ....cool beans. Then respect the rest of us who like REAL.

Hi Lanre!  This has been a continuous topic of discussion and don't know why people think they're going to convince others it's the "way".  It's not MY Way :) And.....to each his own...right?

I think if someone wants to pay a writer to write blogs for them, that is their choice. The whole point of free speech is choice.  I do think though that a blog is an expectation of something personal.  Most consumers would expect when they read a blog, that it is written by the author. I personally believe that when there is a mass expectation or belief such as that, when you deviate, you need to disclose. I would just write on the bottom of the blog, "blog ghost written by such and such."  That way consumers will be clear that you are not representing that you are the author. 

I would love to have the eloquence of Andrew Lenza's metaphors, Jennifer Bukaty's etherealness, or Lenn's hard core style.  Unfortunately I am not eloquent, ethereal, or hard core.  If I was a consumer reading Andrew Lenza, thinking I was getting an eloquent agent, and Melina Tomson showed up at my door, I'd be disturbed by the obvious difference in communication styles.

Consumers do read our blogs as a gauge of who we are.  I guess if you think otherwise, maybe ask James Frey, the author of A Million Little Pieces about representation and his thoughts on the topic.

Well it may not be "cheating" - but as in everything like - it should be disclosed.

At the bottom of the post should read:

 "This was written some staffer.  These may or may not be the words of this agent.  We just make stuff and type it for them.  This isn't actual "Real Estate Advice" because we are not REALTORS, we just type for money."

"Any similarities to other blog posts is of course not accidental - we can't make original stuff up for all our clients!"

- The whole point of BLOGS was that of a person sharing and writing about their own experiances and opinions.  But like everything - we find a lazy way out and pay someone to think and write for us.  Thank God for free enterprise!

 

I see some more interesting comments......and I like the one that said just because someone else believes something it doesn't mean we all will.  Also,,,James and Melina are right on about disclosure.....that would alleviate the issue of a consumer, me, or anyone else reading thinking the Author is whose picture we are looking at, and whose name is on it.

Wow!  What a great (but heated) discussion!!

As a Virtual Assistant, I would like to comment on this topic because it leads to many other "what's ok and what's not" conversations.  As a VA, there are many tasks that we handle for our clients that have the agent's name on it - newsletters, postcards, drip e-mail campaigns, website content and more.  I think the misunderstanding here is that the Rain community is more about making contacts and meeting people you may refer to down the road or use their services later on than blogging outside the community.  Blogging here is not like typical blogging outside of Active Rain.  Most blogs are strictly informative.  Blogs at the Rain tend to be more introspective, advice-oriented, or just plain "hey, let's chat" posts.  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with those types of blogs.  They serve a purpose (as I've quickly come to learn and understand) as do other, strictly informative blogs.

When we write blogs for clients (on WordPress blogs or other similar setups), they have a specific theme or purpose.  Our clients will tell us what they want us to write about, we write it and send it to them for revisions or approval, then we post it.  Unlike what I've found here, though, we actually respond if someone comments.  Or the agent does.  I've found some really great tips on this site, written to the blog owner a question or two, and never received a response.  Probably because they don't monitor their blog like a VA would do, which is unacceptable.  However, the point here is that the blogs we write are done so in close contact with the agent.  They are their ideas that we map out in words.

Now, just as we write the content for your newsletters and send them out with your name and picture on them, and just as we write the content for the drip e-mail campaigns that we place your leads on, which has your name and picture on it, informative blogging is so similar.  When we post to blogs for our clients about a specific topic, it is not a "copy/paste" job.  Each post is written specifically for that client for that topic.  You won't find it anywhere else.  I guess that's the difference between using a VA who will write specific content for you as opposed to using a $400/year service that does not customize the posts but only gives you the same content someone else is using.  Template blogging is not a productive use of your time - or anyone else's for that matter.

Anyway, I hope what I'm trying to say has come across appropriately.  When you are blogging to get to know people, that should most definitely be done on a personal level.  However, when you are blogging as a form of disseminating information - like writing articles and distributing them online - that is a task that can be outsourced.

Rhonda

No, seriously!  ~Renae - Marketing 4 Realtors - http://www.marketing4realtors.biz/

Market 4 Real!

Ain't America great! We can all just throw whatever we think right out there. I will put my hat in the ring for a yes to someone else writing your blogs or even gathering information to blog about from other sources as long as you get permission to republish it. That's why we have to agree before we publish that if it isn't ours original thoughts we have permission to blog on it. There that is my thought on it. I respect your viewpoint and your right to blog for yourself and not to read someone's blog if it isn't there original thoughts. I visited your website will you visit mine?

 Thanks

Sally in Greenwood Sally's House

This is to Renae....you have some interesting perspectives.  And I do think you presented them well.....doesn't mean I agree, just means you presented them well :)  What I would like to say though is you made mention about people here on AR that did not respond to you......that is a problem with many people.....they just haven't gotten the reciprocal thing downpat yet, maybe they didn't read the rules, maybe they forgot about the post, maybe they have a fake profile, or any other million and one maybes......but I did feel bad that you took the time to ask a question and no-one answered (been there done that) .....

 

Ha.  Cheating.  That's funny.  The top agent in the country blogs.  Do you think she blogs herself? Do you think she has that kind of time?  Nope.  Plenty of celebrities maintain blogs through their PR agencies, how is that any different?  Are you disparaging these top tier Realtors for having the wherewithal to pay someone to post for them?  It's all marketing and if you pay someone to design and manage mail pieces for you, you shouldn't have a problem paying someone to manage your blog for you.  There is only so much you can do as a busy Realtor.

Dan Green - Bring the Blog - Again,I am just asking the question. Isn't that cheating? I didn't say it is cheating. I am here asking the brilliant real estate agents here if it is cheating? You right,top producing real estate agents are not spending hours a day in front of a computer blogging. Thank you very much. I will check out your company when I get the chance. Take care.

Mary -I am just asking a question. I didnt say Blogging is cheating,I said isnt it cheating? I am asking a question. You're right. The top agents on here blog. But every agent should blog for themselves with their own content. That's just me.

Kathy - I got some good responses from this blog. More than I even expected. Thanks for your post. Much success to you. Take care.

Sally - I will definitely visit your website. In fact,I am going to visit it many times if it can help improve your ranking on Yahoo,Ask,Google. Thanks for your great comments. Mary,seems like she is a little angry at me.

James - What's going on. Thanks for the e-mail. And I agree with you 100% bro. Take care man. Great post.

Melina- I think if someone wants to pay a writer to write blogs for them, that is their choice- I agree with you to an extent. But what about if the content is not the writer's own content? Great post.

Thanks for everyone responding to my post.

Lanre,

If the content is not the "ghost writer's" content?  Someone has to originate the content.  Whoever wrote it, has the copyright, and if they want to sell it to an agent for blogging that would be their choice.  Otherwise, if it is not the ghost writer's content then it is plagarism.

Renae,

I disagree that blogs are similar to print materials.  I think it is generally accepted that businesses hire copywriters to write material for them for print and advertising.  I think most people think of a blog as an online journal.  That why it's called a blog and not an article (which could be more acceptably ghost written).  Hiring someone to do a newsletter is an entirely different expectation of writing vs. a blog. I do think there is a different public EXPECTATION.  Blogs are a running commentary that are different in nature than a newsletter, which is not interactive.  Having said that, I don't think it's as bad when they tell you a topic, and then review it prior to publishing. At least they are accepting what is going out there. I do still think you should write at the bottom  "written in collaboration with Renae Bolton."

That is why there was such an uproar over Frey's book because he called it a Memoir when it really was a fictional memoir.

WoW...... What a reponse rate.... What else is there to say.........

 HAPPY BLOGGING EVERYONE !!!!

Melina -Frey is a great example to use. Sorry it took me a decade to respond. Thanks for your comments.

Roland -Happy Blogging to you too Roland. And sorry it took me a century to respond. Thanks for your comments.