Company Updates

Beyond Opening Day on Dell Island

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When Lionel recently asked me to join the team of Direct2Dell bloggers to keep you all updated on our activities in Second Life, I have to admit I had some hesitation. Not because I have a problem blogging about what we’re doing in SL, I’m quite passionate about that and can talk for days on the topic (Lionel might have to cut me off when I run too long) but, probably because in my career I’ve more often been the person behind more visible people in organizations and Direct2Dell puts you out there on the world stage.

In light of our Online Communication Policy, it didn’t seem appropriate to post as Pyrrha Dell (my avatar name) either, although that’s how you will find me during my too-few opportunities to be in-world. Tateru Nino over at the Second Life Insider recently commented on how important it can be to think before choosing your SL name. I chose Pyrrha because she was the first avatar with the last name Dell in Second Life. (you can guess which well-known Dell was second) While we’re still working through all the details surrounding staffing of Dell Island, expect to meet many more of the Dell SL family in-world in the future. Offering support for our customers there is just one of the many things we want to do in Second Life.

Yes, we’ve officially launched and are open to the public, but we’re far from finished. I’ll post periodic updates here when we’ve added new elements to Dell Island or when we host special events there. Also, don’t forget that during his remarks on November 14, Ro Parra said the first Real Life (RL) system purchased through Second Life would be free—that prize has not been claimed yet! To start shopping for your next RL Dell in SL, simply go to the United States home page of Dell.com and select Second Life from the “Choose A Country/Region” drop-down menu. (RL purchase only available for U.S. residents at this time)

I appreciate the helpful suggestions we received after Lionel’s first post about Dell Island and look forward to more discussion. I think Lawrence might like the look of the new page to take you from Dell.com to Dell Island which will soon also include Linden’s Registration API. And Shukran, a member of our fantastic build team, has already commented on other creative suggestions. Michael W., Dell-branded backpacks are now available in the souvenir stand in Dell City and the t-shirts are on their way!

More to come soon.

About the Author: Laura Pevehouse

Laura Pevehouse was profiled as one of five “social media mavens” in the March 2009 issue of Austin Woman Magazine and named an AdWeek’s TweetFreak Five to Follow. She has been part of the Dell organization for more than 15 years in various corporate communications, employee communications, public relations, community affairs, marketing, branding, social media and online communication roles. From 2014-2018, Laura was Chief Blogger/Editor-in-Chief for Direct2DellEMC and Direct2Dell, Dell’s official corporate blog that she help launch in 2007. She is now a member of the Dell Technologies Chairman Communications team. Earlier in her Dell career she focused on Global Commercial Channels and US Small and Medium Business public relations as part of the Global Communications team. Prior to that, she was responsible for global strategy in social media and community management, as well as marcom landing pages, as a member of Dell’s Global SMB Marketing, Brand and Creative team. When she was part of Dell’s Global Online group, Laura provided internal consulting that integrated online and social media opportunities with a focus on Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. She managed the home page of Dell.com, one of the top 500 global web sites in Alexa traffic rank, and first brought web feeds and podcasts to the ecommerce site. In her spare time she led Dell into the metaverse with the creation of Dell Island in the virtual world Second Life. Laura has earned the designation of Accredited Business Communicator from the International Association of Business Communicators, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Louisiana State University. Before joining Dell Financial Services in 2000, she worked at the Texas Workforce Commission and PepsiCo Food Systems Worldwide.