I did a count the other day and was staggered to realize that I’ve accrued seven – yes seven!! – different locations on which I regularly communicate with the world ….. and ….. I’m trying ….. my very, very best ….. to keep track of them all!
- home email – the family account
- email – my personal account which nowadays is a blend of both social and professional
- work email – ah the joys of a never ending ‘inbox’
- Twitter – short and sweet – I just love it!
- Facebook – still not sure about
- Google+ – juries still out on this one too!
- LinkedIn – exchanging thoughts and ideas with this network is great!
This list doesn’t of course include the two professional Nings I joined within the last couple of months, nor the two other professional Nings I joined up to in a burst of deep seated interest about a year ago. Nor does it include the interaction I so thoroughly enjoy on this and my other blog, let alone the inevitable chats and exchanges that occur on a range of other tools and programs such as:
- VodPod – thanks to all you guys who have decided to ‘follow’ me; forgive me for not reciprocating …..
- Diigo – hang in there Tania – I will get to exploring the ‘follow’ aspect of this one too!!
- GoodReads – still on my list to explore Mif ’cause this does seem really cool!
So when I signed up to Yammer a couple of days ago, I really started to wonder how I was going to cope with yet another ‘communication’ outlet. Sometimes I feel like my head is spinning with no down time. When my fingers attach themselves to my laptop’s keyboard, I find I’m flicking from one social networking site to another and in between all this trying to keep up with my blogging, reading and thinking. It’s a hard call. A challenge. But one that certainly keeps me rooted to the experimenting, discovering and lifelong learning that I made the mantra of this blog some time ago.
Yammer is interesting. While, I’m still to explore it more fully, on the face of it, it seems very similar to Facebook. The big difference though is that it is a ‘closed’ group. Unlike a Ning, to which anyone can request membership, Yammer is only open to those who work in the one organization or enterprise. A ‘network’ of users is only valid to those with the same Internet domain thus allowing only those with appropriate email addresses to join the network. Quoting from Mashable, Yammer, launched in late 2008, offers a different service to other Social Networking tools:
Unlike Twitter, which is used for broadcasting messages to the public, Yammer is used for private communication within organizations or between organizational members and pre-designated groups, making it an example of enterprise social software.
Quoting TechCrunch, the Mashable write up goes on to say that by September 2010, Yammer was being used by more than three million users and 80,000 companies worldwide, including 80% of the Fortune 500. TechCrunch goes on to explain:
Employees using Yammer can discuss ideas, post news, ask questions, and share links and other information. Yammer also serves as a company directory in which every employee has a profile and as a knowledge base where past conversations can be easily accessed and referenced.
My workplace has just started to play with Yammer and it could prove to be a great way for us to share with each other on a professional level anytime, anywhere. Along with my colleagues, I look forward to seeing how Yammer can enhance our move toward inculcating Social Networking into our daily routines with each other. Over coming weeks I intend checking out more of Yammer’s features as referred to in this short video:
