Back in 2007, Network Solutions stepped into a public relations quagmire. A leading provider of domain registrations, the company was accused of “front running,” a practice that lets speculators buy up domain names, then resell them at inflated prices.

The incident kicked up a social media storm, quickly and seriously damaging the company’s reputation. But Network Solutions didn’t know this was going on; its customer satisfaction surveys showed everything was going along just fine. Because the company didn’t participate in any form of social media at the time, it could not hear the rising online chorus of angry voices.

“There were conversations going on about us all over the Internet," says Shashi Bellamkonda, who has been instrumental in giving a social media voice and face to the company. "We weren’t listening to them so we could not join them."

A former hotel chef, Bellamkonda switched to the tech industry about 10 years ago. He worked his way up the ranks at Network Solutions, starting in support where he took customer calls, then product management, and, eventually, marketing.

Though his employer was not active in social media when the front-running incident erupted, Bellamkonda was. He was blogging and active in social networks.  He had built a credible personal reputation.

If his employer was going to remain deaf and mute, he decided he would use his own blog to show that Network Solutions employees cared and wanted to improve company policies. He began posting regularly, acknowledging that the company needed to adjust policy. He weathered some insults, but soon people stopped shouting and starting becoming more polite.

As time went on Bellamkonda’s personal brand started to favorably impact his employer’s brand. Network Solutions slowly reversed itself, and Bellamkonda was assigned to start a company blog where he would be the principal writer.

This is now an old story in social media circles.  It has become a case study for how social media can turn ranters into ravers. It has been written up in at least five books and is discussed in MBA classrooms.

When I interviewed Bellamkonda in 2007, I had the impression he was struggling to keep his job. People inside the company seemed to me to be concerned that company laundry was being aired in public.  But steadily, Network Solutions came to understand that the business advantages of social media go well beyond crisis management.

Bellamkonda's role as company blogger eventually evolved into becoming Network Solutions’ director of social media. He manages a small team. He likes to call himself “social media swami,” a title he has come to own. He has also become part of the Network Solutions’ senior team, which means that social media has a seat at the strategic table internally. And externally, the swami has become the face of Network Solutions.

“Social media has played a steadily increasing role in how Network Solutions understands and communicates with it’s customers,” he says.

Simultaneously, the company has evolved and shifted its focus. While at its core, the company still sells domain registrations, it has changed focus from the large enterprise to small business. Very few companies have ventured such a move. Fewer have succeeded.

“Small businesses represent the most under-served segment of the market," Bellamkonda tells me. "They have the greatest need for high quality Web services and appreciate -- will pay for -- great customer service."