Some might say I’m late on the story that Dell has entered the world of Social Media via their One2One blog. After all, it has been a month since Dell made the public jump into the very warm pool of social interaction on the web. My lateness is by design.

First off, I’ve noticed that the world of blogs (aka the blogosphere) tends to feed on itself at times. A big story hits and everyone is blogging about it and reporting on what everyone else is saying while doing so. At times, everyone else really means a handful of the most influential bloggers. In my opinion that doesn’t make for good information. In fact, that’s exactly what many individuals and companies have come to hate about mainstream media. Enough said on that, what about Dell?

All businesses can learn a lesson from the Dell blog launch. The first lesson they will learn is that Dell did it right. And in my opinion they did it right because they just did it. There wasn’t a ton of fan fare. There wasn’t a press release a month ahead of time heralding the impending launch. They started posting and the community caught on.

The second lesson that businesses can learn is the fact that jumping in has it’s risks. If you’re a company with a following it’s likely that some of those followers just aren’t happy with you and that sentiment may manifest itself on your blog. Dell found that out once they unveiled their new channel to the public. You’ve got to be ready for criticism via comments and know how to handle it. Dell handled it by moderating comments and rejecting those that were off topic or just plain mean spirited. There’s nothing wrong with that approach in my opinion. All comments should be on topic and free of rage. Dell did absorb some criticism for their comment moderation but that’s just the price of admission for a large company stepping out into the light of the blogosphere.

A third lesson is that you must listen and respond to the fans and critics of your blogging effort. It’s easy for people to criticize so you may see some criticism. It’s also very easy to cover your eyes and ears because you have an investment in your blog and you want it been seen as done right, right off the bat. The truth is that some of those who criticize might have good ideas that you can use. So do listen to what’s going on and feel free to respond via your blog if it seems like people are questioning your motives. There’s nothing wrong with a post that states, “Here’s why we’re here and what we’re trying to do with this blog.”

From then on you keep moving forward. You may tweak the look of the blog, the functions, work on frequency and content of posts. Think about including rich media like photos or short videos in some of your posts. The bottom line is that your blog does not need to stay as it is in day one. Success is not defined by standing your grand on the original ideas for the blog. Success is simply defined by entering the conversation with an open mind and true intentions.

If the previous attitudes are in place then you will be successful in opening up a new channel to your customers whether they love you or not. Once open, you can enjoy the benefits of direct and frank communication provided that you keep listening and adhering to the spirit of the effort.

So go forth and enjoy the adventure to be found in the world of Social Media.

[tags]Social Media, Blogging, Dell, One2One, Business Ideas[/tags]