Or, if not evil, at least not for good…
I browse the writing sections of CraigsList periodically to see if there are any projects or clients I’m interested in pursuing. I ran across this little gem earlier this week:
I’m looking for someone to ghost write my tweets and FB updates. I have a lot of friends and followers but I often lack the time to be creative and witty.
You will send me clever things to post on my pages so that I will appear hip, funny, in-the-know. An overall fun guy that people want to hear from and be friends with.
I will pay based on number of tweets/posts I use ($2 per via paypal)
To be considered, please send 10 sample tweets so I can see your style and if it matches my persona.
I am male, 32 yrs old, single so write from that point of view.
subjects of interest:
life in Boston, food, music, movies, funny observations, current events, politics (I tend to lean left politically)
I don’t have any pets
My first impulse, sadly, was a very literal laugh out loud. Then, I had to share it with my SO, who happened to be sitting next to me at the time. After we both had a little giggle, it led me to reflect a bit on how sad this person is, and how my personal ethics come into play in something like this.
I have no problem Tweeting or writing Facebook posts for a business, or even a professional individual, who doesn’t have the time to do it himself and needs to maintain an online presence for business purposes. But I draw the line at using my writing skill to make someone “appear hip, funny, in-the-know.” This sort of personal deception is abhorrent to me, and it’s something I would never do.
That got me thinking about my ethics as relates to writing for businesses. Most of the writing that my clients hire me for is marketing-related; I’m creating copy to make the clients sound good and inform potential customers about their service offerings or products. I’ll certainly use my skill to promote these businesses – within reason.
I would never lie in any writing project, regardless of how much the client paid me. I would never use my skill to mislead consumers and trick them into paying for a product or service that can’t deliver on what it promises.
I view my writing skill as a talent that comes with responsibility. I task myself with not misusing this skill to the detriment of my fellow man. Hopefully all freelance writers feel this way, although I suspect that there are people out there (particularly some noteworthy sales letter writers *cough*) who would sell their souls for a high enough price tag.
This is where my personal ethics set me apart.
I’ve only had to turn down jobs a couple of times because I was unwilling to write persuasive copy about the specified product or service. But I have been in a position to make this call before.
This sad man who is looking for writers to help him mislead his “friends” and “followers” is just another type of ethical dilemma for writers. Personally, I wouldn’t go near him with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole, and would hope that he doesn’t find someone who will fill this role for him. But the cynical side of me knows that he probably will.
I accept the responsibility to use my writing gift for good – not evil. Words have power, and I vow to use my power only for good.
But I do feel sorry for the poor schmucks who are “friends” and “followers” of this guy.
