Blog articles ??

Well I've got to have my say first

It depends if you mean Blogs and articles.

When it comes to Blogs, I don't think you should use ghost writers, full stop.

The internet is awash with rehashed and reutilised articles by SEO and marketing companies. Then there's professionally written content on commercial websites, and quality articles, lovingly crafted by copywriters utilising the latest SEO techniques, and fair play.

I also think it's not a problem to write your own content, and let your own personality come out in the style, but I do see the value of professional copy, although it can come out a bit sanitized and "corporatey" if not done properly, and loses the small business attraction, depending on your target sector. You see it all the time, stock pictures of executives round a table, hollywood smiles, corporate style copy, then contact details are a mobile phone number and a bt internet address Credibility blown...

But when it comes to a companies blog, then this is a peek behind the scenes, written by someone who is inside that company, or is one of the owners. The style is personal, and may incorporate sales messages, but is also a chance to be honest or even interact with potential customers, as they leave their feedback.

I think you can get away with things on a blog, which you may not want on your squeaky clean web pages.

Having someone professionally write your blog for you would give me a feeling of fraud, the persons not who they say they are, it's just more polished sales spin, or done as blatant link bait, and not to engage an audience.

Theres no reason why you can't have guest bloggers, writing as themselves, but I'd leave any copywriting to just articles and web content.

Or maybe I need a ghost forum writer

(in the voice of Yoda) advertise we do, links we have, website help we must...

now you have put it into words I can see why we have disagreed on the pro copy stance.

The distinction between a blog and a article I find has been blurred over the years, for instance I read the personal blog of a certain Job board boss and yes I expect to see a personal touch to his writing about what he is up to and why.

but then you have his corporate blog which I also read and it is evident that it is checked by his teams of minions, that is if he even wrote it himself.
perhaps I am mistaken that his corporate ramblings are not a blog at all they are a news release platform.

and this is where our discussion have come to head as I am not interested in knowing about what yacht race he was in recently on his corporate blog, I am defo more interested in what he has to say about the industry and market place as a whole and what the job sites next move is.

Hmm one to ponder I think.

Come on peeps you lot are not normally slow coming forward.

Well, I can't say that I don't have a biased opinion, but...

I think that any copywriter or proof-reader worth their salt has to be able to work to their brief. It's up to you as the customer to determine what that brief should be.

If the brief is "take this drivel that looks as if it was written by a drunken baboon and turn it into a grammatically perfect showpiece with excellent syntax, running themes, literary/classical references and beautiful artistic metaphors," then yes, that's cheating and any reader will be able to spot it.

However if the brief is "keep the copy more or less the same, don't worry about the grammar, just tidy up the most appalling of the spelling and punctuation errors so that it makes sense," I think that's okay. Too many errors in a piece of text does look unprofessional but it doesn't take a rocket scientist of a writer to understand and follow an instruction to keep the overall tone of the piece.

In summary - sort out things like their/there/they're, but ignore rules like the one about never using a preposition to end a sentence with.

In forum posts and blog comments you can get away with errors - it's conversational and, critically, it's not in a part of your own website and likely to be viewed by your average customer. An actual blog post that is supposed to contain useful information is a bit different.

Pro, to continue our discussion from earlier, I removed a personal post on my website, that was generating silly traffic, but it was sending the wrong messages, leave it to the pros.

You may get more hits, but they can be crap traffic, a professionally written article will not only generate traffic, but actually drive people further into the website to seek out more, I do not think a personal all warts and all method would.

do you mean blogs or articles, or both?

Sorry, both, plumbers mend pipes, locksmiths change locks, wordsmiths write articles, content and blogs. Just took mine on. 2 a month, mine are too personal, need a third person writer.

I shall agree to disagree then KipMeister sir

That is the beauty of opinions my friend, an opinion cannot be wrong!

Obviously never met my wife