ABOUT THE TOPIC:
We are all know by now that "Markets are conversations." But Lois Kelly, author of Beyond Buzz, says it's not enough anymore to spread "Word of Mouth." To succeed in the marketplace today, you have to have a meaningful dialog -- and really listen to your market.

Stay tuned for more details. And be sure to join IAOCblog.com November  5-9, 2007 when guest host Lois Kelly takes over the conversation with:
Conversational Marketing: Mood over Matter?

ABOUT THE DISCUSSION LEADER:


Lois Kelly writes, consults and speaks about how to use conversational marketing and social media to more quickly connect with customers, employees and marketplace influencers.

Reviewing her new book, Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing, Northeastern University professor Walter Carl said “The Cluetrain Manifesto was a call for corporations to wake up to the global conversations about them, and potentially with them. In Beyond Buzz, Lois Kelly gives corporations the practical tools to answer that call.”

Lois' articles have appeared in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Brandweek, Advertising Age. Clients have included Sapient, SAP, Sun Microsystems, FedEx, The Business Innovation Factory, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Communispace. 

One big reason CEOs and other executives give for not even considering blogging is the time commitment.

What about "Ghost Blogging" -- could this ease the time burden and the blogging still be effective?

The chorus of self righteous bloggers, and we are a self righteous group, are probably chanting "Evil", "Not Authentic" and "Burn Ghost Bloggers and Bloggees at The Stake" now!

Sure, a blog entirely produced and scripted is not going to be effective. For example Dilbert's boss' blog was entirely produced without his input (to see it done very wrong here, here, and here -- links removed by the evil Ratbert,. These comics are offline and supposedly going into the next Dilbert book).

Ghost writing is accepted in other areas, for example books. And those quotes from your CEO in the press release -- we know they didn't really say those but it's considered OK. Why not blogging?

I strongly believe that "light" ghost writing and editing can be useful but the thoughts and opinions in the blog must be authentic. I prefer the term "Ghost Drafting."

I was approached by a CEO who wanted me to ghost blog for him. He wanted to build thought leadership, but he didn't want to write or think. He wanted me to produce his blog with little or no input from him. I simply refused. I not only have morals but he didn't offer nearly enough money :)

I am now talking to another CEO about ghost blogging. If it works out, we'll talk quite often, and I'll write drafts based on our discussions, on HIS thoughts. But he'll have to do the final edits AND hit publish himself (thanks to Mikal Belicove for first introducing me to this technique).

Ghost blogging for CEOs and other busy people? Sure, if it's done right. A ghost blogger writing drafts based on conversations with the ghost bloggee is just fine, despite the chorus of "no way, it's evil" some of us may put forth.