User Voice

I've long been a fan of "voice of the customer" technology. I've blogged several time about Dell's IdeaStorm project, where customers get to suggest improvements to Dell's products and services and the customer community gets to "vote up or vote down" ideas submitted by the community.

I'm really excited by a brand new web service called User Voice. This web service easily allows any company to start up their own customer conversation. The service comes in several different "flavors". The feedback tab you now see on the left hand side of my blog, is an example of the free version.

I'll leave this tab here for several weeks and encourage any readers to post blog topic ideas of their own and vote on those ideas submitted by others.

The application is very easy to set and use.

The toughest part of the entire process will be for User Voice customers to summon up the courage to actually begin an honest conversation with their customers!

Ubuntu, IdeaStorm and my friend Dave....

Here's an interesting (about 9 minute long) video I found on Dell's website. It features Mark Shuttleworth (Ubuntu project founder) talking about how Linux found it's way into Dell's product mix, via IdeaStorm.

Enjoy.






I promised an update on the Ubuntu experiment that we undertook with my friend, Dave. If you recall from a previous post, my son installed Ubuntu on an old (about to be discarded) desktop. With nothing left to lose, he wanted to experiment with Linux.

After playing for a couple of weeks, we have a satisfied customer. Dave's PC did not have a network card in it. After booting Ubuntu and playing for a short while, he was very eager to see how everything worked once he was connected to the Internet. The idea was that this new PC was to be basically a PC for his kids - to allow them email access, web browsing and access to Internet based gaming.

After a quick trip to purchase a network card, he managed to (without help from us) get it up and running. Not quite as seamless as a "true" plug'n'play experience, but mission accomplished, nonetheless. His family is now "connected". All that remains to be seen is how his kids respond to the new environment. Stay tuned.

IdeaStorm Strikes Again!

It has recently been reported that Dell will continue to provide Windows XP to all those Vista non-believers. They are doing this in response to a well supported suggestion on their IdeaStorm forum.

This announcement falls on the heels of Dell's March announcement to investigate offering Linux as an O/S option for home PCs.

Microsoft Vista marketing folks are putting on a brave face, but it seems like the consumers are finally getting their say! As I recently blogged, my house now has a Dell laptop running Linux. So far, my house is a "Vista free zone" and I intend to keep it that way.

Anyone in Redmond getting scared?