Some of the most important things we have learnt about using Yammer in over 3 years of collaborating and setting up client collaboration networks. But remember that Yammer is very versatile and can be set up in many different structures. If you are a large organization you should definitely seek expert help in getting it up and running in the beginning if you want to ensure its success and get the most out of it.

1. Ultimate Guide to Using Yammer
February 2012 // Richard von Kaufmann // Zipipop Ltd.

2. Google*
Managing projects via email attachment is not efficient.
Luckily there is now an easier more effective option.
*Google Apps can be combined with Yammer to create a complete collaboration environment

3. Enterprise Micro-blogging
Enterprise micro-blogging uses conventions developed from
consumer social media: most notably Facebook and Twitter.
The main difference is that enterprise micro-blogging services
are only for the organization (and invited guests).

4. Why Yammer? If implemented correctly micro-blogging
can provide some of the best gains for least
cost and effort.
“Yammer was the simplest to use and had a
stable of applications and even some 3rd
party apps. They seem to have the most
momentum and the largest user base.”
thenextweb.com (Oct, 2009)
“90,000 companies and organizations,
including over 80% of the Fortune 500 use
Yammer.” yammer.com (Dec, 2010)
Includes easily
customizable tools for
There are many other enterprise managing business
micro-blogging services, e.g.: processes

5. Facebook pioneered the development of the live
“News Feed” stream. This interaction format is
now widespread in many services and it is fast
becoming a standard part of business software.

6. News Feed
components:
• Real-time
• Status Messages
• Links
• Likes
• Comments

7. Micro-blogging
Business software has
now adapted the News Benefits:
Feed and micro-blogging
practices to improve • Improving awareness
collaboration within and
between organizations. • Requesting help
• Finding people
• Sharing tips, links, files
• Coordinating
• Reduces overall email
traffic
• Makes important email
standout

8. Working with browsers
• Use tabs
• Keep windows open all day
• If experiencing a problem try refreshing the browser
• The more up-to-date your browser version is the better
• Try Yammer Desktop app later (as can be blocked by firewalls)
•

9. Gaining momentum
Wait until your project/organization has enough momentum before starting to
use Yammer — as if the new users see an empty space they will not understand
the benefits.
If you are experience the following it would probably be a good time to start
Yammering:
• More than 4 people discussing in an email chain
• More than 10 emails have been sent on the same topic
• The project is actively being planned or is going on
• The project will go for many weeks
IMPORTANT: First co-ordinate with a few colleagues to pre-fill the space
with some relevant content before inviting the wider group / community

10. New Yammer users
• New Yammer users should go to: https://www.yammer.com/
• And “Sign Up” using their @owncompany.com emails

11. Existing users must “Log In”
• Make sure you choose the
“Log In” option
• Do not use “Sign Up”
otherwise it will create a
new account.
• Log in using the “same”
email you originally used to
create your Yammer
account

12. Signing Up process
• Don’t worry about selecting
people to follow — you can do
that later.
• Don’t worry about downloading
the desktop app — as working in
the browser provides more
features and sometimes firewalls
can block the app
• Do add a profile photo as soon as
you can as it really helps build a
Download later — get used to
sense of community using browser access first

13. Followers
• You can choose people to Follow
• Means you can later filter the
most important posts to follow
• You can go to Members and change
your Following settings at
anytime.
• You need to select “Followed
Conversations”
If you have previously Followed
someone and then un-follow them
their pervious messages will not
disappear

14. Yammer Networks Notifications
Always use the same email with your
Yammer accounts to keep them tied
together in one space

15. Email notifications
• Select the network
• Select what type of notifications
you want
• We recommend you learn to keep
Yammer open all day in your web
browser — by doing that you will
then need less and less email
notifications

16. Usage guidelines

17. Social Media Toolbox
It is more about guidelines
and coaching than
implementing technology.
Campfire
Basecamp

18. Yammer Usage:
Home network
NEED: Generate better awareness and share
information within the community
BASIC RULES: Posts should mostly be of
interest to the majority of the community and
should be kept shortish.

19. Avoid that spammy
feeling
Don’t have private
conversations inside a
large open community!

20. Yammer Usage:
Groups
EXAMPLE: Project coordinating network
NEED: Detailed knowledge sharing and
generation through more in-depth
discussion.
BASIC RULES: Initial discussion topic or
question is posted and comments are given
in reply. All comments should be given as
replies to keep them attached to the
original topic.

21. Groups Project
• Groups are only accessible by Group
members of the main network —
they are internal
future
• Groups can be open or invite only Marketing
Group company
internal
group
• Groups can be shown in the shared home
“parent”
directory or hidden network
future
internal
Finance group
group

22. External Networks
Yammer External Networks are a
great way to collaborate with future
Partner external
external partners — as you can invite External Network network
people using their normal work
email.
company
Admins can choose to restrict home
members from creating External “parent”
Networks, and you can only create network
future
Groups inside External Networks if Project externa
you upgrade to Premium accounts. External Network network
future
external
network

23. Creating a new collaboration space
• You can create either an Internal
Group or an External Network by
clicking on Groups – create group

24. Internal Group settings
• Enter name & details
• Choose Public or Private

25. External Network settings
• Enter name & details
• Choose who can invite new members
• After creating the network you can
go to the Admin settings and choose
if it is displayed in the directories for
others to see.

26. Creating content
• Delete a post by clicking on More
and selecting Delete
• You can remove graphical links
that take up lots of space in the
news feed.

27. Labeling content
• When you use the # sign in front of
a word it automatically becomes a
Topic label.
• You can find all the Topic labels
from the side menu.
• This makes it possible to
categories content quickly –
making it easier to search in the
future.

28. Using @
• Use @name to show that the
message is particularly aimed a
certain person or people
• Using the @ will cause an email
notification to be sent
• Members names will appear
automatically after you add the @

29. Without an audience,
we are not motivated… http://www.besser20.de/english

30. Yammer makes giving feedback
easy : )

31. Search options
• You can search all content and
conversations.
• You can also use the categories in
the side menu to filter by: Files,
Links, Images, etc.

32. Pages
• Yammer Pages can be used to
collaboratively generate text.
• They are still very new and
sometimes unstable, but are
definitely worth trying.

33. Events
• You can create and invite
colleagues to events
• You can even share with to your
other calendar systems

34. Polls
• You can create quick polls to make
collaborative decisions, e.g. when
to have a meeting

35. Other apps
• Give praise
• Ask questions
• etc.
Just experiment with them and find
what works for you

36. Admin tips

37. Admin Power
• Network settings
• Invite users
• Remove users

38. Procedure for inviting outsiders to
External Networks
• First send a normal email informing
the new member that they will be
receiving a Yammer invitation.
• Emphasis in the email that they must
follow the link provided in the
invitation email – as it is a direct link
to the right External Network
• Tell them that during the Sign Up
process they do not need to worry
about selecting Followers and
downloading the Desktop app — that
can and should be done later.

39. Design Customization
If people are following multiple networks it is a good idea to modify the designs
to help people be aware of which network they are looking at.

40. Community Support
Multiple people can provide usage support.
Initially expert advisers should be hired to get things
up and running smoothly, however, the goal is be
enable the community members to support each
other.
In a survey conducted for the OSKE project the
majority of users said that they would always ask a
colleague first to solve an IT problem – micro-
blogging facilitates this natural instinct.

41. Changing email
• Select you name (top right)
• Select “Edit Account”
• Select “change”

42. Benefits:
• Find out about each other.
• Form teams, communities or informal groups.
• Work together on the same work objects.
• Discuss and comment on their work.
• Identify relevant work.
• Discover other people with common interests.
Gartner, October 2009

43. Benefits:
• Learn from others' expertise.
• Facilitating social interaction by helping people to establish and
strengthen personal relationships, develop trust and, in the end,
reduce friction and accelerate the business processes that people
are engaged in.
• Accessing relevant knowledge and expertise that can be used to
formulate a plan of action when decisions need to be made.
Gartner, October 2009

44. Online culture promotes:
collaboration, meritocracy, transparency

45. How could you use Yammer?
• Improve general awareness: news updates, announcements, decisions,
• Share useful information and links: studies, research,
• External project networks: planning, budgets, cvs.
• Sharing tendering information
• Share marketing material
• etc.

46. Thanks!
Richard von Kaufmann
Concepting Director, co-founder
Tel. +358 45 11 222 73
Email: richardvonkaufmann@zipipop.com
www.zipipop.com