"Social Marketing to the Business Customer - Free Sample Chapter"
Friends know Scott Hanson as an affable native Texan with a penchant
for computers, cars, and poker. But to thousands of technology
professionals around the world, Hanson is a celebrity. By day, he
and three other technologists at Dell manage the Dell TechCenter, an
online community that helps enterprise information technology (IT)
professionals unravel the thorniest problems that occur when trying
to integrate technology from multiple vendors.
Dell conceived of the community in 2007 as a way to enhance
loyalty among its largest customers. Members share advice and ask
questions of Hanson and the other engineers, who dispense it for
free. The community is open and fully searchable, although only registered
members can submit articles and comments. In 2008, about
100 people visited the site every day. By early 2010, that number was
over 5,000.