After a Brutal Year, Dell Makes Nice To Investors Again

Dell spent much of the past year in radio-silence mode with its shareholders, while myriad investigations into its accounting and financial reporting dug into a series of errors and acts of misconduct.

Dell, Round Rock, Texas, was delinquent in filing reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It postponed meetings with analysts and investors. It posted bare-bones press releases each quarter with an outline of its financial results, but then its top executives didn't make themselves available to explain anything.

Nasdaq threatened repeatedly that it would de-list Dell unless it came back into compliance with regulations that require quarterly financial reports signed by top company officials.

While the SEC and federal prosecutors at Foley Square continue their investigations, the Audit Committee of Dell's Board of Directors ended its investigation into a few years' worth of accounting. Earlier this week, the company filed its delinquent reports, and yesterday Dell said Nasdaq told the company is back in good graces:

Last night, Dell celebrated the way many celebrate these days: It launched a blog.

Dell Shares is a web log aimed at communicating with investors, according to the company's director of Investor Relations, Lynn Tyson:

In the meantime, investigations continue and Dell remains under assault by competitors in a hyper-competitive industry. It reports earnings on Nov. 29, and executives will answer questions in a follow-up conference call. Radio silence is over. Whether it's a clear signal or static is up to Dell.