Dell's blogging .... but who's supposed to be reading?
On Monday Dell officially stepped into the blogosphere and launched their new blog, called one2one.
I'm going to hold back from saying anything too negative about their blog just yet because How long before disgruntled Dell customers find the blog and use it as a forum for venting their spleen?it's new and just getting it's feet underneath it. However, as a reader I'm confused as to who the blog is aimed at. They started off by posting a number of videos, which is cool. But then they post a few server-related topics that are hip-deep in server jargon. OK, that's great for those with an interest (and working knowledge of ) servers, but they've lost/bored/scared away anyone interested in, say, an XPS system. Then there's the cow path post, an impenetrable post that's 100% marketing speak. Today Dell have a post that's aimed at reciprocating the link-love shown to them by the A-list bloggers, a post which crams Jarvis, Rubel, Holtz and Scoble all in two paragraphs! It's great to see that Dell are listening to feedback, but it's important for them to realize that talking to other A-list bloggers isn't the same thing as talking to customers.
The Jarvis/Rubel/Holtz/Scoble post actually outlines the intention of the blog - "Our intention with this blog is to address issues that are important to our customers" - but I'm still trying to figure out who these customers actually are. The blog needs to focus on a particular area or theme to keep the reader interested. A few days in and I'm finding it hard to keep up with the different topics. Partly this is because the blog has multiple authors, but mostly it's because Dell is trying to have one blog that appeals to all their market sectors. I can already see the one2one blog evolving into two or three distinct blogs, each catering for a different market. That, or Dell pull the plug on it as soon as things get hairy.
Final thought - how long before disgruntled Dell customers find the blog and use it as a forum for venting their spleen? A lot of Dell customers don't what Dell to do more talking, they want them to shut up and listen to the issues they are having with the company. Addressing issues important to the customer will mean taking the bitter with the sweet…