Dell (DELL) has launched Direct2Dell Chinese, becoming one of the first computer systems company to open a corporate blog in Chinese.

At Direct2Dell Chinese, bloggers from Dell management, engineering, customer care and sales will blog about products and services, discuss IT trends, share work and life experiences, and listen to customers' feedback. Readers are encouraged to suggest topics and leave comments to interact with Dell bloggers. Direct2Dell Chinese is an extension of Dell's existing English-language corporate blog which started in July 2006. The company says it has been using Web 2.0 tools to develop deeper relationships with customers and this trend will continue.

"By listening directly to Chinese customers through digital-community tools and networks, Dell can deliver better, more customized products and a superior experience," said Michael Dell, the company's CEO. "About one-fifth of the world's population speaks Chinese as their first language. As the number of Dell customers expands globally and the online population doubles from one to two billion people over the next few years, we will continue to have conversations in the language of choice for our customers."

China, where Dell last year ranked third in computer shipments, is one of the company's fastest-growing markets. Dell's position in China after eight full years of operation is significantly ahead of what the company had achieved in the United States after a similar period of time.

Last month, Dell launched IdeaStorm in the United States, an online community where customers can post ideas on technology and Dell products, services and operations.