Bob Pearson, Former VP of Communications and Communities, has been named president of the Blog Council — a consortium of social media folk who see it as a discipline rather than a marketing or advertising tool.

The council consists of companies who want to be up on the latest disclosure and transparency techniques, legal and policy issues and best ROI practices. The member list includes the usual suspects; Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Dell, GM, GE, J&J, Progressive, UPS, Wells Fargo and others.

Andy Sernovitz, CEO of the council, writes, "The trend is clear: Social media is no longer experimental. It is essential for every company. Bob's practical experience will help our members implement effective social media programs."

Asked why he joined the council, Pearson said in an interview on GasPedal.com, "I want to join because I believe very passionately that what we're all doing collectively — all the members of the Blog Council — is essential in creating this new discipline and how we use social media. When you're creating a new discipline, it's critical to share insights and learning on everything from online policies to how to deal with hurdles within a company."

The twittersphere is echoing with tweets of congratulations to Pearson from friends and colleagues, many of whom have handles like "DennisAtDell" and other apparent Dell employees. The company has been very active in social media from their blog outreach efforts to the @DellOutlet twitter feed which doles out coupons and the occasional news blip. Then there's @DellYourBlog for their blog headlines, @DellChannel, @Alienware — the list goes on.

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