Attention, Out Of Work Journalists!

from the new-career-path dept

The newspaper business is in the can, papers are closing left and right, and lots of others are laying off staffers. But perhaps some of those who have their newspaper gigs can get in on a hot growth industry: ghostwriting Twitter messages for celebrities. Even better if you're a laid-off copy editor who wrote headlines -- all the better to deal with the 140-character limit as you seek to convey the personality of a celebrity who's too lazy/incompetent/uninterested to do it themselves, while making their fans feel really special because they're enjoying what they think is a small personal connection. Shaquille O'Neal, who writes his own tweets, sums it up pretty well: "It's 140 characters. It's so few characters. If you need a ghostwriter for that, I feel sorry for you."
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: ghost writing, social networks
Companies: twitter


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Weird Harold, 27 Mar 2009 @ 3:15pm

    It's the next step down the road towards making twitter totally irrelevant and passe.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Mar 2009 @ 3:15pm

    I'll pay someone to ghostweet for me by texting you seminude pictures of my hot 17 year old body

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Devonavar (profile), 27 Mar 2009 @ 3:41pm

    I certainly hope that was posted tongue in cheek ...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jesse, 27 Mar 2009 @ 5:14pm

    And it was passé before it started?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rogers Cadenhead, 27 Mar 2009 @ 6:18pm

    Mocking Laid Off Journalists

    I like TechDirt because it doesn't take the lazy, snarky route like other blogs in this space. The items here show an effort to be thoughtful.

    However (and you had to know this was coming), what's the point of mocking laid-off journalists and shuttered newspapers like this? That's not exactly a laugh riot.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 27 Mar 2009 @ 6:27pm

      Re: Mocking Laid Off Journalists

      However (and you had to know this was coming), what's the point of mocking laid-off journalists and shuttered newspapers like this? That's not exactly a laugh riot.

      Rogers, I don't think the post was mocking laid off journalists at all. It was mocking those who feel the need to ghostwrite via Twitter.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 27 Mar 2009 @ 6:37pm

      Re: Mocking Laid Off Journalists

      I like TechDirt because it doesn't take the lazy, snarky route like other blogs in this space. The items here show an effort to be thoughtful.

      I should respond to this as well... I actually feel it's important to mix up the content on the site, and always have. We've always had a mix of longer more thoughtful pieces, mixed in with quicker more fun pieces. This one is a fun one. I don't see how it really is all that snarky towards anyone really.

      I'm sorry you feel otherwise, but I think this is a perfectly fine post.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gene Cavanaugh, 28 Mar 2009 @ 10:20am

    Twittering for others

    Two comments:
    1. Obviously brains are not a requirement to play basketball.
    Shaquille O'Neal's comment shows that. As Blaise Pascal said once "I apologize for this long letter, I didn't have time to write a shorter one". Writing a worthwhile message in 140 characters is MUCH harder than writing a long, rambling discourse, and people who "do it quickly" don't really do it.
    2. "celebrity who's too lazy/incompetent/uninterested" - how about "too busy to do it right, but wanting it to be right"?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 28 Mar 2009 @ 12:01pm

      Re: Twittering for others

      From what I remember about physiology, I would think that he does have a brain ...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 28 Mar 2009 @ 1:02pm

        Re: Re: Twittering for others

        The doesn't rule out the fact that his may be vestigial.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gene Cavanaugh, 28 Mar 2009 @ 10:20am

    Twittering for others

    Two comments:
    1. Obviously brains are not a requirement to play basketball.
    Shaquille O'Neal's comment shows that. As Blaise Pascal said once "I apologize for this long letter, I didn't have time to write a shorter one". Writing a worthwhile message in 140 characters is MUCH harder than writing a long, rambling discourse, and people who "do it quickly" don't really do it.
    2. "celebrity who's too lazy/incompetent/uninterested" - how about "too busy to do it right, but wanting it to be right"?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Raybone, 28 Mar 2009 @ 10:17pm

    Re:Re: Re: Twittering for others

    Dude...I laughed myself out of my chair..

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.