Dell Launches a Blog

Posted on July 11, 2006

Dell has launched a blog called One2One. Technorati shows over fifty links to the new Dell blog already. As you might expect the new blog was instantly criticized. Jeff Jarvis had some early complaints about the blog. It certainly isn't the first time Jeff Jarvis has been critical of Dell.

Andy Lark says to give the new blog time to find a voice.

The bloggerati just need to get over every blog coming out the gate reading like a conversation at the local pub and not rehashing the past trials and tribulations of bloggers. It takes time for a corporate blog to find its collective voice.

Robert Scoble also says to give Dell a few weeks but he doesn't think anyone will.

By the way, I agree with Andy Lark that we should be nicer to new companies that try the bloggy Web. At least give them a couple of weeks to get settled into their new homes before we start lobbing rocks through their front windows. Of course, I doubt anyone will listen to me because these companies came into the bloggy Web so late that the mob isn't gonna automatically be nice the way they were to me three years ago.

Andy Beal also says Dell deserves some time.

Give Dell some breathing room, let them find their voice, offer them advice. If they still suck in a couple of months, then have at them. In the meantime, think back to when you first started blogging and how nice it felt when people cut you some slack.

LikeItMatters has a round-up of more Dell blog coverage.

Lionel Menchaca, Digital Media Manager answered some of the early criticism with a post titled, "Real People are Here and We're Listening." The post links to several blogs discussing One2One.

Corporate blogs are a different beast than personal blogs and media blogs. Some blogging evangelists and pr bloggers love to point out flaws with corporate blogs. Sometimes this can be very helpful to the corporation and sometimes the criticism is overdone. In the end what should matter is how useful the blog is to current Dell customers and potential Dell customers.