Learning Conversations

#yam

Yammer is a "real-time communication platform for companies, groups and organizations."

It's a bit like having Twitter, but only for your company. But only a bit. In fact it's far better than Twitter in a lot of ways. Here are some of the key features that I think are important:

• Messages can be any length
• Messages can have files attached
• Conversations are threaded!
• You can create groups within your organisation's Yammer space
• You can choose how you want to be notified of new things - whether by email, text (SMS) or not at all
• You can auto-post from Twitter using the #yam hashtag
• You can link posts using #tags
• You can reply via email

The difference between a forum tool and a social communications tool is that forums are centred on the conversation, whereas social tools are centred on the individual. To keep in touch with what's going on on a forum you need to subscribe to the whole forum, or a sub-section of it. That's fine when conversations neatly split up into topics. The Manager-Tools forum is an excellent example.

Where a social communications tool, like Yammer, wins out, is when you want to stay in touch with the all the conversations that your particular colleagues are having. Yes, some of them will be irrelevant, but that's just like being in the office. For a distributed team, social tools can be invaluable for keeping your finger on the pulse.

But what about email? In my view, email should only be used when one or more of the following conditions are met:

1. The message should only go to a tightly defined set of people
2. You want to be sure the recipient will receive the message
3. You are not worried about keeping a centralised audit trail

So, enough about email. Are there any downsides to using Yammer?

When Yammer doesn't work

It's not Yammer's fault when it doesn't work. And most of the time it's not even a technical problem (although Yammer does rely on everyone in the organisation having the same email domain).

The main reason Yammer doesn't live up to expectations is cultural.

• We're not used to sharing our thoughts online, as we think them
• Some of the team don't work remotely, so there's no immediate benefit to sharing their ideas online
• There are concerns about privacy or security

What are the best ways then of making sure that Yammer lives up to its promises.

Making the most of Yammer

When used well, Yammer should make your teams more connected and productive. But how can we encourage its use:

1. Use it yourself. Gradually start to push out notices and ideas via Yammer instead of through email alone. Get people used to seeing the Yammer name. At first it will feel like you're talking into a vacuum. Over time, with encouragement, others will join.
2. Auto-publish from your blog or Facebook via the #yam Twitter hashtag.
3. If you're worried about privacy, create a Private Group. If you're worried about Yammer and privacy in general, look at their Privacy Policy. It should allay your fears.
4. Spread the word. Invite people. Add your Yammer profile URL to your email signature.

Being the first in Yammer is a bit like being the first person in your town with a telephone. But get others involved and it'll be a lot more useful.

The one thing to remember is that (like Twitter or a blog), you can never guarantee whether people have received your message. It's a pull medium, like television or radio. Your followers can always choose to unfollow. So, keep your posts to the point and useful to your colleagues.