We’ve been using Yammer as a micro-blogging tool at my institution and have found that it’s become a useful tool for sharing, helping and connecting. Yammer provides the possibility for people within a domain (eg. yourcompany.org.au) to interact with others in their organisation, a little like Twitter. You are able to post messages longer than 140 characters though, and there is an ability to create groups and even private groups.
You might like to check out the Yammer Blog website or take the ‘screenshot tour’ and watch the Video Tour in the ‘Highlights’ box on the Products page.
There are also a number of desktop and mobile applications available to make access easier as well as plugins for browsers. You can also set up Twitter so that when you add the #yam hashtag, your tweets get posted to your yammer network.
After about nine months of use and without any real corporate sponsorship, we’ve got nearly two hundred people involved, with 15 groups being created and over two thousand posts. One application has been to set up a private group to support students who are participating in a study tour to India. They are able to ask questions and raise concerns with the academic leading the tour and the messages have built up a useful FAQ set to inform the organisation for the next tour. I’ve noticed that people are sharing information freely, engaging in discussions on topics/issues people raise, and can get help very quickly when questions are posted in the forum. All good things to help develop a sense of community & collaboration.
I came across a bog post that’s entitled: ‘Yammer Pros and Cons‘ and tells of one user’s experience and reflection of the use of yammer at her work place.
So, if you think this tool might work for you – give it a try…