UPDATED approx. 12:30: Below with more posts about the new Dell blog, and a point to ponder.
My youngest son (5yoa) can easily become frustrated when he tries something new. He’ll give up quickly and be reluctant to try again. Everytime that happens, my wife and I explain to him that he will get better, that people don’t usually do things perfectly or even right the first few times they try something new, and point to past activities where he had trouble early on but then became better and had fun.
Though it is frustrating, I’m glad that we don’t do things right or perfectly the first time around. If we did, how unrewarding life would be! We work, we learn, we get better and better each time we do an activity.
Blogging is the same way. While I like some of my early posts, I also cringe at some of them (and am glad no one was reading them).
Individuals are like that.
Companies are too — and more so because multiple people are typically involved in the process, and there are a lot more considerations than with individuals (legal, compromises among the people involved, jittery stockholders, etc.)
Dell has started blogging. Great. Good for them. They are late compared to some. But early compared to most other large corporations.
More so than individuals, it’s easy to criticize and blast faceless corporations like Dell. Edelman/Micro Persuasion’s Steve Rubel has done it. And, of course, so has BuzzMachine’s Jeff Jarvis. (Of course, Jarvis has a sour past history with Dell, so anything Dell does, Jarvis likely will criticize.)
But, look at the first and early posts by Rubel and Jarvis. Were they perfect? Knowing what we know now, could we have criticized them then? Was it their best work? Have they become better since then?
Now, I’m not saying people cannot be critical of Dell’s blog, but give ‘em a break. Like any newcomer, welcome them, offer praise for what’s right so far and advice on how to improve.
Blogging is new. Like any individual and company that blogs, it takes awhile to find your voice, to get into the flow or rhythm of blogging, to get your focus, to really determine what you want your blog to be.
It seems like some bloggers have forgotten that.
– Mike
(who did buy a Dell Dimension E510 earlier this year and, so far, has had no problems)
Other posts related to Dell’s new blog launch (in no particular order):
Andy Lark
Shel Holtz
Robert Scoble
Jeremy Pepper
John Wagner
Rubel’s 2nd post
Kevin Dugan
Scoble’s 2nd post
Point to Ponder: With the negative feedback — seemingly mostly from Rubel and Dell-hater Jarvis — it seems there are far more blogs defending Dell, or at least criticizing Jarvis and Rubel then there are criticizing Dell. Nothing like an unprovoked attack to bring about some corporate sympathy. Looks like common sense is prevailing, John.
Technorati tags: Dell, corporate blogging, business blogs
