Yammer closed micro-blogging vs open micro-blogging (i.e. Twitter)
I have just had a play with http://yammer.com, marketed as the twitter for corporate organisations. What this means is anybody who has the @det.nsw.edu.au email (i.e. Everyone at TAFE) can easily log in and be a part of a DET microblogging network, no wrestling with set up .
What I liked about Yammer :
- Enables easy access to a http://yammer.com using existing DET email
- Provides networked communication between many as apposed to 1 to 1 communication (i.e Office Communicator)
- Not blocked (Touch wood) via DET network
- Enable file attachments
- Enables threaded discussions around posts which can be hidden or expanded.
- Enables creation of groups (i.e I created a DET group for the MUG Moodle User Group).
- Yammer provides a desktop client for real time updates on DET network posts and targeted publishing to Yammer groups (built with Adobe Air), it’s really user friendly.
- Yammer provides an Outlook integration app for updates and publishing to network (Not as user friendly as Desktop app).
Yammer - Desktop Client Software - Very useful
What I dislike about Yammer:
- It’s a ‘Free’ CLOSED Environment, if you don’t have a @det.nsw.edu.au email you can’t join the network.
- To manage the DET account more granually i.e to add guest accounts for users without DET email, change administration settings etc. it costs….$3 dollars per person per month! (They have to make their money I guess).
- Posting directly to groups does not seem to be possible without downloading the Yammer Desktop Client.
Conclusion “Have your cake and eat it” – Publish to open and closed networks
Yammer as a closed Environment is both good and bad. Yammer is good for DET employees who want to talk shop on DET stuff in a closed environment and bad for those who recognise the benefits of being visible in open networks such as http://twitter.com but like everything it’s your individual choice what you want to do. Fortunately there are many tools which make publishing to your favorite open, closed space (Including Yammer) a sinch.
I like http://www.shareaholic.com/ with the plugin you can post to the network of your choice (Open or closed) via your browser of choice (IE or Firefox), you choose.
Shareaholic - Publish to your Network of Choice
Have your cake and eat it
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