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  • John Pope

    Lead Editor/Moderator

    36 Posts

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    John Pope, a.k.a. JohnP@Dell, has been involved with social media since 2006 and computers since, well, let's just say...

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    Gaming Guy

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    John has been active in social media at Dell since April of 2006, starting with the blog outreach team, and now as the ...

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    Manager, Global Operations for Community Team

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    Digital Life Liaison

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    Chris works closely with the online community on all things "digital life" and is known on Twitter as @ChrisBatDell. Wh...

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    Raconteur

    15 Posts

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    To paraphrase the Bard, some are born great bloggers, some achieve great blogging and some have blogging greatness thru...

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    Anne B. Camden

    Consumer Product PR

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    Anne has been with Dell Corporate Communications for 10 years, proudly practicing product PR the entire time. Started o...

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    Jennifer Hughes

    Community Content Manager

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    Jennifer leads the content coordination for Dell’s social media properties. She has been involved with social media s...

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    Randy Gibson

    Imaging & Display Guy

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    Software Engineer for Austin-based NetQoS

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    Jesse Leonard

    Vista and Ubuntu Linux Liaison

    5 Posts

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    Jesse Leonard, a.k.a. Dell-Jesse_L within the online Dell community, has been involved in the Dell Forums for eight yea...

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    Winnie Wong

    Alienware Marketing Communications

    4 Posts

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    RichardatDELL

    Two Ears, One Mouth Advocate

    4 Posts

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    After a career in Canadian politics, Richard moved to the U.S. to build out a career in communications. He joined Dell ...

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    Lionel Menchaca

    Chief Blogger

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    Richard Bernier

    Dell Community Security Liaison

    3 Posts

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    I have been with Dell for five years; two of those have been spent with the conversations group. You may have seen me o...

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    Jacqui Zhou

    Lead Editor/Moderator of Direct2Dell Chinese (http://chinese.direct2dell.com/)

    2 Posts

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    Born and raised in Shanghai, China, Jacqui always wanted to travel and see the world. After she earned a college degree...

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    Ellen Murphy

    Consumer Public Relations, EMEA

    1 Posts

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    Ellen works on the Consumer PR team in EMEA. She has nine years of marketing and communications experience, ranging fro...

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    • Dell UK Formula 1 Test Day Event at Silverstone

    Andrew Ford

    Head of marketing, corporate accounts, Dell Europe, Middle East and Africa

    1 Posts

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    Andrew is a keen internet, e-mail and social media enthusiast, and has worked in the IT and telecoms industry since the...

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    Bob Blomquist

    Senior Manager, Electronic Media

    1 Posts

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    Bob has spent 15 years at Dell working in a number of communications roles ranging from video productions to broadcast ...

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    Stefanie Nelson


    1 Posts

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    Stefanie has been entrenched in online media since the mid 90s, currently runs the marketing communications programs fo...

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    Ricardo Guerrero

    Global Online Project Manager & "Twitter Dude"

    1 Posts

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    Hailing from Colombia, South America, Ricardo has worked at Dell since 1999 as a content developer, and most recently ...

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    • Twitter: It’s Not Just TMI About Your Friends!

    Michael O'Dell

    Team Dignitas, Managing Director

    1 Posts

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    I've been a gamer since I got my first computer, a ZX8, in 1980. Last year I was able to fulfill a lifetime dream and t...

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    • Join Team Dignitas Live on WebCam at the M Festival Tomorrow

    Dawn Lacallade

    Lead Stormchaser

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    Dawn has been with Community for several years and is currently the Lead Stormchaser for Dell Ideastorm. She has been w...

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    Mary Ellen Krautter


    1 Posts

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    I've been on the cutting fringe of the technology world since 1981 when my husband brought home one of the first person...

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    MoneyGuyBK


    1 Posts

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    MoneyGuyBK is one of our most active and helpful customers on the Dell Community Forum, where he has earned “Supersta...

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    Kara Krautter

    Foodie in Training

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    Although I spend most of my day managing the Small Business blog for Dell, any free time I have seems to involve food. ...

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    Jennifer Allison

    Global Consumer Internal Communications

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    Jennifer joined Dell’s Corporate Communications group in 2006 to focus on executive and employee communications for t...

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    Deborah R. Wood

    Independent Communications Consultant

    1 Posts

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    Open to learning about almost any topic and a professional interest in helping people communicate in new and traditiona...

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    Shaun Clark

    World Class Gamer

    1 Posts

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    Shaun Clark (game name Apollo) is a name that has been partnered with command and conquer since the release of EA's tit...

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    Stuart Wallock

    Dell Senior Manager, Global Community & Personalization

    1 Posts

    About

    Loving new tech things to play with since I started gaming on my Atari 2600 way back when, I have been working with Int...

    Recent Posts

    • New Dell Special Art Edition Laptops

    Matt Parretta

    Dell Analyst Relations

    1 Posts

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    Matt has been at Dell since 2006 and is responsible for relationships with consumer industry analysts. He spent four ye...

    Recent Posts

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    Eric Erway

    Program Manager, Global Online

    1 Posts

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    Eric serves as a program manager for Dell’s Global Online team, working with multiple groups to translate customer re...

    Recent Posts

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    Michelle Mosmeyer

    Dell Communications Analyst

    1 Posts

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    Michelle has been with Dell Global Communications for more than eight years. In that time, she’s worked in Executive ...

    Recent Posts

    • Tech Tips for Those of Us With Wanderlust

    Rick Scott


    1 Posts

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    Rick is a PADI open water scuba instructor and photographer. He splits time between his home in Austin and his ranch ne...

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    Todd Smart

    Dell Community Outreach Administrator

    1 Posts

    About

    My job is to support our Community Liaisons as they help to resolve customer issues. I’m originally from Western New ...

    Recent Posts

    • Wireless Networking is Great, But There Are Practical Concerns

    Geoff Knox

    Supervisor, Global Operations for Community Team

    1 Posts

    About

    Geoff has been with Dell since 2005 and has been working with Dell’s social media efforts since 2006. He has been a f...

    Recent Posts

    • To Be, or Not To Be, on the Vista SP1 Bandwagon?

    aikiwolfie

    Frequent Contributor to IdeaStorm

    1 Posts

    About

    I got my first Atari when I was only 2 years old - 1980 I think - and I've had a computer of some kind ever since. Past...

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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Hey DJs! It’s the Million DJ March

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

  “The Million DJ March will express the history of the culture and show appreciation to the people that are truly the backbone of music and entertainment.”

Well that was the quote I originally read on the Web site. It has since been removed and the site has gone through two visual design changes as well.  I’m not sure if this speaks to the uncertainty some feel about this Aug. 28-30 event in Washington, D.C., but it does make me question if they are clear on the message they want to present to the world.

Along with the above changes, the event itself has moved from a 72- to 48-hour event, and given the schizophrenic nature of these changes, I encourage anyone interested to check the Web site often for updates.

But hey … nobody ever said DJs were stable. =)

One topic tossed about online in discussion of this event is unionization of this base industry.  Can you imagine unionized DJs?

“DJ embargo on!!!!”

The silence of Duff-Duff music might make some people happy, but what about those who love the original old-school Hip-Hop from the likes of Grandmaster Flash.  I can’t imagine Flash would ever go on strike and *not* spin the music he loves, especially for the fans that appreciate his skilz.  Not to mention there would probably be a revolt.  Led by… well… me. =)

Because like many, I do need my DJ fix on a regular basis.

A lot of “DJs” have received criticism lately, especially those who now spin CDs instead of vinyl.  And don’t even mention those DJs who are now showing up in the club spinning what’s loaded on their iPod’s.  iDJ’s get no respect from purists, at least not yet.

That said, if “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” it might take A Million DJ March to move things forward.  Power to the people, or DJs in this instance.  And as the World’s Famous Supreme Team said, “Hey DJ just play that song….”

Peace!!

Posted in Events, Music, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Separating Ourselves from the Animals

Friday, June 13th, 2008

I grew up in Longview, Texas, and went to school where uniforms were the way of life. Differentiating yourself from your classmates was, well, a challenge. It’s like one of my favorite, fashionable quotes: “The only thing that separates us from the animals is the ability to accessorize.” Literally, that was really the only way to separate yourself from others. 

Today, personalization is the way of life, and companies that help us showcase our style in a unique way, well, they rule the world.

I recently had the opportunity to meet Mark Batliner, VP of direct sales for SkinIt. If you’re not familiar with SkinIt, perhaps you’ve heard the term “skins.” No, I’m not talking about a flag football team. SkinIt makes skins and provide the ultimate in personalization for your laptop, desktop or just about any electronics device.

Take a look at Mark’s vlog to get the full scoop. Oh, and for those of you who have procrastinated buying a Father’s Day gift – yep, it’s this Sunday – you may want to pay close attention to the “Create Your Own” page. You can import pictures and “create your own” skin. Enjoy! And don’t forget to come back to Your Blog and let us know what you think.

Posted in Design, Fashion, Laptops, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Drinking From the Fire Hose

Friday, June 6th, 2008

Dell hosted a large group of reporters from the Asia/Pacific/Japan (APJ) region earlier this week – introducing them to all aspects of our business. We sometime call these kinds of briefings “drinking from the fire hose” because the amount of information shared over the short time can be overwhelming. But attendees are usually appreciative – especially when they’ve flown halfway around the world for it.

I got to sit on the consumer business briefing, hosted by Alex Gruzen, our senior VP of consumer product marketing. Alex touched on a variety of consumer focus areas – including mobile growth, desktop category expansion, personalization, expanding retail presence and taking Alienware global.

Alex also provided some hands-on time with two consumer products we’ve previewed in recent weeks – the ultra small eco-responsible desktop and the ultra-mobile device (UMD) mini Inspiron. Interest in these devices remains high and details are still scarce, but David Flynn of APC Magazine seems impressed and shared his observations. Unfortunately, time constraints and real-time translations meant less time for Q&A, but below are a couple of exchanges that caught my attention.

Alex: What percent of Americans age 39 or younger have a tattoo somewhere on their body?

The answer is 40 percent. The point is personalization is important to individuals and Dell can deliver personalization in its products. Our new process that “tattoos” unique designs/artwork into the laptop’s exterior is going to take personalization to the next level.  (For those of you with kids, like me, this puts the whole “why can’t I get a tattoo” question in a slightly different perspective, no?)

Anand Parthasarathy, The Hindu: Where are consumer products being designed?

Today, the physical industrial design center is mostly here in Austin – but we also have design teams in Taiwan and in China. We are in an evolutionary cycle and in the future you will see products that are designed by local teams that include different features specific to countries and regions. Understanding the needs of each region or country is really the starting point. We are working to streamline development cycles that will help our capacity grow. This is why you will see us expanding our offerings, designing products to meet price bands. For example, today we offer four different 15-inch laptops – value, mainstream, premium and gaming.

The level of interest in Dell’s consumer business is high, and I’m glad because I know what’s coming – and all I’ll say is folks – it only gets better and better!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Green with Envy of the Eco-Chic Diva

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

On this World Environment Day 2008, I’m truly proud to work at a company that has an industry-leading recycling program, has commited to be carbon neutral by the end of the year, already saving 19,200 tons of CO2 emissions, and is the first in the world to partner with its customers to offset their carbon impact with the “Plant a Tree for Me” and “Plant a Forest for Me” programs. The latter already accounts for about 100,000 new trees, which will offset 225 million pounds of CO2.

This is just a snapshot into the many things Dell is doing to show serious commitment to the environment. Great post by Todd Dwyer, Dell’s Environment Community Liaison, on Direct2Dell, highlighting some of these initiatives: “Going ‘Green’ In the Connected Era.”

Exciting? Yes. Inspiring? Most definitely. But let’s get to the point of this post … GREEN FASHION!!!  From competitions, like the Earth Day 2008: Student Fashion Competition (check out the 3rd place winner’s design! WOW!) to the many designers who have shown Green Passion in their lines, it’s clear that the use of organic fabrics and recycled or repurposed materials are trendy and a sign of fashion to come.

There is a plethora of clothes, accessories and products that are creative and clever expressions of Green. Here are this week’s top 5 must-have’s:

(1) Tees for A Change - Made of 100% Organic Cotton and Bamboo  (2) Terra Plana Aguila Sandal - Made of Recycled Materials; (3) Carol Young Collection –Organic Cotton Wing Cowl Dress; (4) Ecoist Clutch – Made from repurposed Movie Billboard; (5) BTC Elements Sailor Swing Jacket – Made of 100% Organic Cotton

These are sure to make your friends green with envy and show just five more reasons why you should go Green-Chic on this World Environment Day. Looking forward to your thoughts and comments.

Posted in Cyber Sisterhood, Environment, Fashion, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Top 10 Most Common Passwords … Duh!

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

My mother used to counsel that if you couldn’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.  Moms are almost always right, but after reading a blurb over at PC Magazine on the most commonly used computer passwords, I’ve got to go on record that people whose passwords are on this list are either lazy, foolish or way too trusting for their own good.

Here’s the list:

  1. password
  2. 123456
  3. qwerty
  4. abc123
  5. letmein
  6. monkey
  7. myspace 1
  8. password 1
  9. blink182
  10. (your first name)

I know it’s a pain, but in today’s world you can’t afford to use obvious passwords, or even the same password – especially when it involves banking, e-mail and social media accounts. If possible, you’d be wise to use a combination of letters (upper and lower case), numbers and/or symbols, like “B$martr7.” By all means change them from time to time, and NEVER write them down or create a password file on your system.

For some interesting techniques on how to select strong passwords, check out this site from Vassar College. Also feel free to lay in a comment about your favorite password tip(s).

Posted in Desktops, Laptops, Security, Tips, Uncategorized | 11 Comments »


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