‘Dell Hell’ as Marketing Metric

Image courtesy of

We have avoided posting about the "Dell Hell" marketing analysis all day, for many reasons, only one of which involves alcohol. Another is that Jeff Jarvis mentions us in the same post, and we were afraid that our whirring circle jerk might send parts careening off the internet. But you know, we can only be sent a link so many times before we capitulate. (Keep that in mind when next you have a product to hawk via email).

We have avoided posting about the “Dell Hell” marketing analysis all day, for many reasons, only one of which involves alcohol. Another is that Jeff Jarvis mentions us in the same post, and we were afraid that our whirring circle jerk might send parts careening off the internet. But you know, we can only be sent a link so many times before we capitulate. (Keep that in mind when next you have a product to hawk via email).

Basically, we agree with Jarvis. Surprise! Also, we just came.

I don
t think I influenced a thing. … I was merely a leading indicator of the problems that had built up in Dell
s customer base with its unreliable products and unsatisfying service. I could have put my story out there and no one could have responded. Instead, hundreds responded. When you saw that, folks, you should have sold your Dell stock. Fast.

It’s flattering to think we could take down an awful company all by our lonesome, but more often than not we’re just fruitlessly grinding our pelvis against the tip of icebergs you probably would have run into anyway. But if we can save just one shopper by sodomizing an iceberg (or metaphor)…

Read the ‘study’ yourself, if you like. We could make head nor tails of it. It seems that blogs do things.

Onalytica: Measuring Blogger Influence [Onalytica (PDF)]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.