Michael Dell was on the Web 2.0 Summit this stage this morning, sharing his thoughts about everything from offsite servers, product innovation, their continued strength in the healthcare and enterprise sectors, and Apple.
I’ll talk about the more personal side of what he shared with an audience of more than 600 people in San Francisco’s Palace Hotel ballroom.
When he was 14, he bought an Apple 2, and he set up a bulletin board system. Way back when, he saw the power of Internet sharing and embraced it.
How do you have a company with big ears, learning all the time & listening? “It’s something we ask ourselves all the time,” he says.
He looks at social media as a fabulous way to learn with greater speed with greater scale, which is not unlike what he did at 14, only that he has significant tools to accelerate that sharing today. While he’s an active user of Twitter and a big believer in getting “social” with his customers and fans, they also help other companies implement their own social media command centers.
Dell talked about meeting Steve Jobs for the first time when he was 16 years old. Steve came to Houston Texas to address an Apple user group meeting and he was there with his trusty Apple 2. He adds with a pause as he reflects. “Steve will be missed.”
Yes he will Michael. He most definitely will.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
