Ghostblogging

In a previous life, I decided ghostwriting would be my new vocation. I don't mean writing books for other people; I wanted smaller, quicker projects such as marketing brochures or newsletters, and technical material. The Web was still a few years away, but the Internet made the idea of long-distance freelancing a compelling possibility. As it turned out, the realities of incompatible software, immature networks, pervasive cyberphobia, and generally negative attitudes toward telecommuting made the whole thing a lot tougher than I had anticipated. I did it, but it sure was a tough gig.

But here we are in 2006, and those compelling possibilities of working with—or for—someone in a distant place have become yawn-inducing matters of fact. The only missing piece now is widespread wireless access for our notebook computers, which have already taken the place of the deskful of paraphernalia we needed not so long ago—taken the place of the entire office, in some cases. Even so, anyone with a computer and an Internet connection already has most of the tools required for a business of some sort; add appropriate software and the skills to make use of it, and there isn’t much standing in the way.

The surging popularity of the blog as communication tool creates new possibilities for those who deal in words. I've been thinking about it a lot lately: blog we must, but it takes time and effort and especially in the business world, a certain facility with language. Blog-ghostwriting comes to mind, and evidently also to the minds of others; today I ran across a site whose proprietor is doing exactly that. How she managed to swipe the Big Idea from my brain and so quickly put it into practice is beyond my comprehension, but Peg Silloway's I Blog For You service may be exactly what the time- or word-challenged blogger has been looking for.

Time - You never have enough for everything you want and need to do. There's no question, writing well takes time, and writing well-focused short articles is challenging. So what if this kind of writing is not your strong suit? Do what you do best and delegate the rest. For your blogging that means...I Blog For You.

It's the truth. Writing a well-focused short article can be a real challenge, unless you're like me. In that case, writing even a poorly focused article is challenging. It's a problem. Anyway, Peg's The WordLens site has a nice look and feel to it, and her two blogs—both are listed on the site—contain some interesting, entertaining, and well-written stories.

As for me, I imagine I'll just continue writing my own stuff until my fingers turn black and drop onto the keyboard. I wish I could ask Peg to do it for me, but as the saying goes, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it.