Attention, Out Of Work Journalists!

from the new-career-path dept

Fri, Mar 27th 2009 3:09pm — Carlo Longino

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."

Filed Under: ghost writing, social networks
Companies: twitter

14 Comments

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Weird Harold, 27 Mar 2009 @ 3:15pm

It's the next step down the road towards making twitter totally irrelevant and passe.
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- some old guy, 27 Mar 2009 @ 3:26pm
  
  Re:
  I look forward to that moment. It only happened about a year ago. Maybe two years ago.
  
  Twitter was never relevant.
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- Rob (profile), 27 Mar 2009 @ 4:34pm
  
  Re: Weird Harold
  Sorry, Twitter was never relevant.
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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
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Devonavar (profile), 27 Mar 2009 @ 3:41pm

I certainly hope that was posted tongue in cheek ...
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Jesse, 27 Mar 2009 @ 5:14pm

And it was passé before it started?
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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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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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"?
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- 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 ...
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  - Anonymous Coward, 28 Mar 2009 @ 1:02pm
    
    Re: Re: Twittering for others
    The doesn't rule out the fact that his may be vestigial.
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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"?
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Raybone, 28 Mar 2009 @ 10:17pm

Re:Re: Re: Twittering for others
Dude...I laughed myself out of my chair..
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