The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy has to tip his hat (and he doesn’t do that often). Dell insiders say the company plans to launch its channel blog on May 16. Smart move. Here’s why.

If handled properly, the Dell Channel Blog could be a forum that builds an ongoing, honest dialog between Dell, current partners, target partners and lingering skeptics.

Give Dell credit. The company’s IdeaStorm site remains a valuable destination for customers to sound off and post suggestions. Dell has listened carefully to IdeaStorm, and productized many of the visitor suggestions.

Still, the Dell Channel Blog will likely face a far more skeptical audience. Although Dell has worked overtime to communicate with partners through Webcasts and managed services events, plenty of naysayers remain.

Win or lose in the channel, Dell partners will certainly have a soap box to stand on once the Dell Channel Blog launches May 16. And, unlike many corporate blogs, Dell encourages reader comments and user-generated content. Let’s hope Dell’s channel managers have thick skin as they listen and learn from partner feedback.