Yammer™ is the answer to the question that many companies have asked “Is there something like Twitter that we could use for internal communication only?” Yammer is a “private Twitter” where only those with the same e-mail domain (ie, @yourcompany.com) can join and post updates.
Yammer is a simple way for employees to connect and share by posting messages. As employee participation grows, Yammer becomes a corporate social network, discussion board, and knowledge base all rolled into one easy-to-use interface. As most have experienced with Twitter on a personal side, the capabilities and benefits of this type of “micro-blogging” environment only become evident the more it is used by an increasing number of people.
Here are some of the key capabilities you can use Yammer for:
- Company Social Network– each employee has a Yammer profile displaying their photo, title, expertise and background. Only employees with a valid company email address can participate in your private company network
- Knowledge Base– search for any topic to see who’s talking about it and what’s been said. Great for getting new employees up to speed.
- Company Microblogging-by providing short status updates, employees are constantly aware of what their colleagues are working on.
- Discussion Board-use Yammer to share news, questions, links, opinions and information within your private company network.
- Groups-can be formed within your company network to enable collaboration with people in your departments, teams or projects.
- Backup Messaging-capable of providing a backup communication plan utilizing PC as well as mobile clients. Wouldn’t it be great to get the word out during the next snowstorm?
Remember, Yammer is only accessible by employees with a valid company email address. Companies cad add security restrictions by claiming their network, providing complete control over the use of their domain and all user access.
As of this post, these are the ways that you can connect to your Yammer network:
- Desktop Application
- Blackberry Application
- IPhone Application
- Windows Moblie Application
- Outlook Plugin
- Firefox Extension
- BookMarklet-to quickly share links with your network
- Google Reader Integration
- Twitter Integration
- Third-Party applications including Android, Ping.fm and Gabble(Mac)
Yammer has several unique features that are available for your users. Browse through these Screenshots of key pages to understand how Yammer will enhance the way you and your team communicate.
Organization Chart:
Company Directory:
Group Directory:
Groups:
File Directory:
Image Attachments:
There are several other features that your company would be able to utilize. From experience, once you install Yammer within the organization, it will grow organically and rapidly. What has been learned from the Twitter experience is that if you provide an easy, fast and efficient way for people to share information, they will use it in ways that you hadn’t even expected.
As with most of the Webtools we share, there is a free Basic version that provides an excellent experience for you to experiment with. Once you realize the value Yammer can provide, you can add additional capabilities with either the Silver or Gold options. If you have over 1,000 employees contact Yammer for discounted pricing.
The largest companies already have many of these capabilities in place. Yammer offers similar functionality for the rest of us. Communication is the lifeblood of every successful organization. Wouldn’t this make sense to try out in yours? Get it working in your company and let us know what happens.
