Co-authorship, as the name suggests, is creating a piece of work together. It’s an association of two or more authors working together on things including a literary composition, music, a legal document and a legislative bill.
In co-authorship, you work together on a project and agree to share ownership of the results. All parties must agree on how much work each collaborator is expected to contribute. In the case of co-authorship on social media, it’s a collaboration between two accounts and this is something that our marketing agency in New York has seen be beneficial for our clients.
What is Co-Authorship?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a co-author as “one who collaborates… in authoring….” To be considered a co-author, you have to make a significant contribution. Co-authors have rights that can affect how you use the work, so agreeing on who can be considered a co-author is a preliminary requirement of the co-authorship process.
An example of co-authorship can be a coming together of like-minded people to research a topic and unanimously present their findings. It can also mean content creators working together; each person plays a significant role and can own rights to the product. To be named as a co-author, you should have:
- Made a notable contribution to the work
- Created, revised or reviewed the product
- Agreed on the means of publication
- Taken responsibility for the content
- Agreed to share responsibility in resolving any issues arising about integrity and accuracy
Plagiarism occurs when an author uses the work of another without acknowledging their contribution. There’s also the issue of which order the names of co-authors appear.
Invitation to Co-Authorship
It can be exciting to be invited to work with other creators. It makes you feel appreciated, but trying to ensure you are a valued member of the collaboration. The last thing you want is working hard but not receiving the recognition you deserve. On the flip side, you could be the one inviting co-authors onto your project.
When should you invite co-authors on board? The best time is during the initial stages of the project since the co-author can determine how your project (or in our case, social media post) takes shape.
As a co-author, it’s your responsibility and your collaborators to decide in advance what the content will be. To make the invitation to co-authorship simpler, you should agree upon key aspects including when to publish your co-authored post.
Co-Authorship and Social Media
As part of East End Yovth’s social media marketing services, our team will reach out to influencers in your company’s space to help forge a relationship. Whether it’s someone who has followers within your target audience or someone with a following who wants to collaborate with your business, co-authorship benefits both parties.
When two social media accounts choose to co-author, it means that both names will be attributed to the post on the newsfeed. As a result, the post is shared to both of the accounts’ followers. This allows for the potential for each account to capture new followers that they don’t share.
The team at East End Yovth has a relationship with a number of influencers and performs outreach to relevant influencers within our clients’ respective business sectors. Either way, any social media account can benefit from a co-authored post with the right collaborator in order to expand their fanbase (and potentially their customer base).