On Dell, and “I overheard two ladies”: a blogger’s astro-turf mechanism

I have never bought anything from Dell and I have no immediate plans to.

I am however, interested in the dynamics of blogosphere as it relates to the corporate mainstream, which is why I want to do my bit to keep the Dell support problem meme spreading, by putting some link energy in. I have also identified an interesting dynamic, with respect to blogger desire to influence “real people”. Or as some geeks put it, the “meatsphere“.

It seems like Dell’s support is not what it should be, says Jeff Jarvis.

Now comes a post that claims Jeff’s complaints are being repeated in the real world. Rick Segal heard a conversation in his bank. I have no reason whatsoever to doubt Rick but i think even if he made up the anecdote it would still be an effective way to give the “Dell support problem buzz” a secondary kicker. 

Narratives are often more powerful than complaints, especially when they involve “authentic third parties” or in this case “civilians” influenced by blogs.

Could this emerge be a new blogger astro-turf mechanism? The “I heard two ladies talking” tactic.

Nothing excites bloggers more than the idea of influence.

A question on language. “Ladies”-that word isn’t used so much anymore, is it? It carries interesting connotations.

“Ladies” are therefore useful elements in narrative framing. I mean look how the meme sucked in Hugh.

Hmmm… on second thoughts it seems I may not be “down the kids”. It seems like “ladies” is undergoing a revival, under the tag “lady bloggers“. “Lady” is apparently common currency in the Bloghersphere, though i prefer the language of “hot chicks” and “jeunes-filles“. Seriously- i am showing my early 1990s PC roots I guess: I thought the accepted useage was still “women”.

My point hopefully still stands. Do bloggers matter? No more than anyone else, perhaps. But attention matters. And by linking we can draw attention. So here are some more links. It will be interesting to see what difference any of this makes to Dell. I am with the method man, who sees the story as a lesson in feedback loops. Matt Galloway is taking a measurement approach.

It’s an experiment, see. So let’s keep watching. My call to action? Join the link action and let’s see what affect it has.

And don’t be surprised if you see more blogger stories that begin: “I heard two ladies”…