What Is a Content REwriter?

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s become not only an
advantage to get things done quickly: it’s a necessity. And sometimes, in the creation of a new blog, business owners will start searching for a writer to get their blog up and running as fast as they possibly can. And if they dive deep enough into Google, odds are they’ll come across an unfamiliar phrase: a content rewriter.

Now, this phrase “content rewriter” can mean one of two things.

It can mean a content writer (a living, breathing person) who specializes in taking old articles and material and making them current, breathing fresh life into an old idea by finding a new angle. Usually, if you have content of your own that’s become outdated, you might consult a writer like this, in order to bring your blog or website up to speed.

But the term “content rewriter” can also refer to a number of software systems currently on the market. And that’s where things start to get a little confusing, and a little dicey…

So Which Kind of Content Rewriter Do I Want?

First, it’s necessary to understand the distinction, and what sort of written work you can expect from both the human and the automated “content rewriters”.

The material generated by a software program is going to be very different.

These programs are referred to as “spinners”, “spinbots”, “paraphrasers”, or any of a number of other terms. They work by scanning a text document and swapping some phrases out for others, in an attempt to keep the meaning the same, but the words different. When used this way, one can generate dozens of “knock-off” articles without actually doing any extra work.

But if you’re not using your own content to begin with, of course, they can easily become programs that less ethical people might use in an attempt to pass off someone else’s work as their own. And doing that will prompt the use of one of the dirtiest words a writer can use to describe another… plagiarist.

But even if your intentions are honorable, and you’re using your own source material, there are some serious risks.

The Downsides of Using an Artificial Content Rewriter

The artificial type of content rewriter (the software program) will do its best to guess the meaning of the original author, and then start replacing words.

Although this might seems like a quick way to turn one article into something brand-spanking new… is it really that fast?

It Doesn’t Save You Time

If the original content is very simple, then it might be easier. But the more expressive the writing is, or if there is any humor in it, the more likely it is that the machine will veer off the rails faster than a cheetah.

Just as an example, we ran a short bit of text through one of these programs in order to illustrate our point. So here’s those last couple sentence again… computer rewriter style.

“If the initial content is extremely straightforward, then it would be easier. However, a lot of communicatory the writing is, or if there’s any humor in it, a lot of it’s that the machine can veer off the rails quick as a Acinonyx Jubatus.”

You see the problem? The program is able to change content quickly, but the finished product seems to be generated by a person with limited writing skills (and, apparently, a knack for being very precise when it comes to referring to animals by their scientific names).

In order to make this new content fit for human consumption (that is, in order to put it on a professional blog with human customers and employees) it’s going to need a lot of editing first. That means trying to figure out what a computer means with sentences like “the a lot of it’s that the machine can…”

That means cleaning up the content with a second round of edits… and at that point, is any time being saved at all?

You Sacrifice Writing Quality

If you don’t sit down and spend the time to edit the computer-generated material, you’re going to wind up with an end product that is choppy and strangely formatted.

Computers are great at guessing, but ultimately, they aren’t so advanced that they get it right all of the time. And especially when it comes to punctuation or small details, a small error can throw the rest of the sentence completely off.

So there’s a problem that can compound. Bad punctuation, especially when it starts to become commonplace, can easily lead to confusions over what exactly the writer means.

You Run a Higher Risk of Mistakes

One of the sneakier things about using an automated content writer: sometimes, the meaning of a sentence will actually be changed in the process. Despite best efforts, computers will inadvertently read a sentence incorrectly, and come up with a “translation” that is completely and utterly wrong.

This is especially risky in a language like English, where there are many loan words from other languages, as well as homonyms (multiple words that are spelled the same way, but have different meanings). English is widely regarded as a difficult language to learn, and this is no less true for an artificial intelligence.

You Get Something That Sounds Like It Wasn’t Written by a Person

Of course this is going to happen with a computer.

Good writing (in most cases) should usually aim to be conversational and understandable. Even if people aren’t reading out loud to themselves, mumbling every word under their breath, many people still “imagine” a voice when they read text. Not everyone does this, of course, but a large portion of the reading public is used to taking this approach.

If you want people to understand what you’re saying, the prose should sound good if read out loud.

But a computer doesn’t have the ability to know what “sounds good.” Certainly not in the same instinctual way that a person does. So even in cases where the computer keeps the meaning of a sentence intact, the flow of the language––the readability––will be noticeably diminished.

It Makes a Bad First Impression

All in all, what does using computer-generated content mean for blogs? I have to say, after years of writing, reading, and perusing blogs (both commercial and personal), it’s an instant discouragement for me.

When I go to a site that is full of content that looks like it was created by a machine, I have the same reaction that I have when I get a robocall on my phone: “if this isn’t worth the caller’s time, why should it be worth mine?”

Is that really the reaction you want your blog to have?

Ultimately, readers want to know that they’re reading an article that was put there by a real person. They want to know somebody took, at last, a little time to think about the quality of the content. And they want to know that this person also thought about the end result; that is to say, they considered what it would be like for the person reading it.

That’s simply something that a machine can’t do.

The Other Kind of Content (Re)writer

A real content writer (or a content rewriter) will be able to take a piece of outdated material and not only find a new way to say it, but will also be able to find something new to say about it.

Maybe your personal situation is not quite that cut-and-dried. Maybe the problem is that you have a partly finished article. Or that you just have a lot of notes… maybe you know what you want the article to say, but you haven’t been able to organize it properly.

When you hire a content writer, you find someone who has the ability to sit down and look at the piece as a whole. Then they can start blending old information and ideas with new ideas, to create blog posts that are both original and a joy to read.

The Human Touch: SteadyContent

At SteadyContent, we currently keep 600 writers and over 150 editors hard at work, generating millions of words of content every month… the human way.

Well, okay, they’re typing away on computers and laptops, but you get the idea…

Of course, we also use the latest in internet research to find the right keywords for your blog, and to make sure you’re getting the maximum amount of attention from search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and many others. But when it comes to the content of your blog, the words should sound like a person wrote them. Don’t you think?

We also work closely with our clients, so we know exactly what sort of material needs to be generated before we even start. Getting an idea of what needs to be communicated, and then adapting it for keyword usage and SEO.

SEO content will people to your page. But having a human connection will keep them reading, and encourage them to pick your service over another.

So if you’re looking for a content rewriter, give SteadyContent a try, and see what our writers can do for you today.