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We now have over 400 staff on our TAFE SA Yammer network //(Dec, 2009)//. Yammer is not officially sanctioned TAFE software. It is a social networking tool (like [|Twitter]) that allows different kinds of communication.


 * HOW DO YOU USE YAMMER?**


 * (For a technical guide on how to use Yammer please see the excellent Yammer help at [|https://www.yammer.com/guide/network])

This document is more about the advantages of using Yammer, and how it might fit in to your working life.**

Firstly, to get value from Yammer you need to HAVE IT OPEN – either via a browser such as Internet Explorer, or by using the [|desktop application] that just sits in the background when you are working, but displays any new messages that come in.

You are not going to be interested in all the messages that come in from everyone so you can ignore a lot of messages. //(see following people below)// But if you see a message that is asking for some information, and you know the answer or can help with the enquiry then it’s good to respond.

Or if you need a quick answer to some query – shoot it out to Yammer and you may get the answer really quickly. Obviously this use of Yammer is going to be more effective the more people have it open.


 * WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘FOLLOW’ PEOPLE?**

When you log in to Yammer your settings are automatically set so that you see all messages from everybody. Under ‘following settings’ Yammer suggests you choose only those colleagues that you want to ‘follow.’ That is, the people whose messages you wish to see. To do this click on Members at the top of the page. You will then see a list of everyone in this network. Select follow or unfollow as desired.

Note: if you choose to follow someone that person gets an email telling them that you are following them. And yes it is possible for you to follow someone who is not following you. There is no obligation to start following someone just because they’re following you!

//See more on [|following people]//


 * TOO BUSY?**

Sure. There are periods of hours, sometimes days at a time, when you may become very focused on a task and simply do not have the time to give something like Yammer a glimpse. This is quite understandable and often very necessary.

A suggestion though, is to pause every 30 minutes or so to check whether anything new or interesting has come in. It can be healthy habit to take a 1 minute break from a focussed task anyway.

Yammer provides a number of ways that you can see messages posted in Yammer - which many find a lot more convenient than having to log into the Yammer site.
 * EASIER WAYS TO CHECK YAMMER**

These include:
 * 1) Desktop notifier - a popup window shows you messages as they are posted, then disappears - staying out of the way. Windows only
 * 2) Outlook Notifier - built into the Outlook email client
 * 3) Mobile Phone Apps - messages can be pushed to your mobile, so you can keep in touch while on the go! Available for iPhone, Blackberry & Android


 * TOPICS? BEING SOCIAL**

You can use Yammer to communicate about anything. It certainly does not have to be anything to do with elearning. It can be on any topic of value to the wider TAFE community.

And yes you can use it to be social – this is one of the nicest and most natural things you can do with a tool like Yammer. Don’t see it as wasting time. People chatting about the weekend or what their kids are up to while sitting at their desks, standing at the photocopier, or walking down the corridor is an integral part of building relationships in a workplace, and Yammer can fulfill that same function.


 * YAMMER V EMAIL?**

I’m sure many of you can identify with those kinds of email exchanges that go over 30 minutes or so, involving 3 or more people, and each message contains only a few words. For example, “Monday at 3 fine with me.”. Using email in these circumstances can often be likened to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut....effective, but overkill. Yammer, especially if everyone is connected via a private network, is much better suited to this kind of quick exchange.

Yammer also allows you to easily share documents with colleagues as it will allow attachments. In addition, using Yammer saves using all-too-precious e-mail storage space!

Yammer allows you privacy as well. While most messages in Yammer are viewable by everyone, you can also send private messages to individuals. To do this, click on their name and you'll be taken to their profile page. Under their profile picture there is a button 'Send Private Message'. Click on this and type away. Only you and the person that you've sent it to will see it.


 * YAMMER AS A SEARCH TOOL**

Every time a message is posted to our Yammer network it becomes part of an ever-expanding searchable bank of knowledge that we all have access to. Again, the more it is used the more valuable this feature will become. This is true knowledge management in action.

So Yammer is not just a tool for communication. You can also use it to post information, and links, that you and others can retrieve later with a keyword or link search.

//More on [|Yammer as a search tool]//


 * Searching with Tags**

If people use the tag feature searching Yammer will become more efficient. For example, if you posted something about employability skills, and typed a hash (#) sign like this before the words.....//#EmployabilitySkills are just as important as technical skills......//then Employability Skills becomes a searchable tag in itself. //Note: Tags of two or more words must be joined with no spaces eg #[|employabilityskills]// //[|More on using tags]//


 * CREATING YOUR OWN GROUPS**

Anyone on a Yammer network can create their own private sub-network or group. Create a Group by clicking the “Groups” tab, which displays all the existing Groups, then click ‘create new group’ in the upper right hand corner.. Simply name your group, invite colleagues to join it, and you’re up and running. //Note: all messages in a private network are seen by all members of that network. The administrator of the Yammer network also sees all messages of all networks.//

//[|More on Creating Your Own Groups]//