YAMMER

Guidelines for CCAFSSocial Learning Group*

*Based on CGIAR Master Guidelines

Overview

1. Understanding What is Yammer?2. Getting set up on Yammer3. Understanding the basics: how it works / the system4. Using Yammer by email / the message workaround5. Working out the basics: how to make it work for

you / your practice6. Additional info: troubleshooting, guidelines & help

1. What is Yammer?

1. What is Yammer

• Yammer is a by invitation social network designed to help:– Share information among staff and partners

(updates, current work, important outputs etc.)– Discuss different issues outside email– Plan events– Network / build a team (through conversations,

likes and praises)

2. Getting set up

2. Getting set up

• Create an account (on invitation)• Update your profile– Include your affiliation in the job title field in your profile– Add a picture of yourself

• Set your notifications and direct messages to get for each network you are part of

• Set your applications and preferences• In details…

Create an account (based on an invitation)

Accept the invitation

Create an account

Fill out all the details

Indicate your affiliation in the job title field

Choose a strong password which you can remember

Then press ‘next’

Create an account

Join groups which you think will be useful to you / where you would like to engage with others

Then press ‘next’

Don’t start a group straight away, see if existing ones cater for your need

Create an account

Add a photo (from your files) to give yourself a face for others. It makes Yammer more ‘human’.

Create an account

You may (you don’t have to) decide to download and use Yammer via the desktop application

Create an account

Check the welcome message you receive upon entering Yammer

Create an account

You are now set and ready to use Yammer!

Update your profile (mention your affiliation and position)

1. Click my profile

2. Edit profile

Include your affiliation in the job title field in your profile

Add a picture of yourself

1. Click Basics (while editing your profile)

2. Choose a picture file on your computer

1. Click Notifications (while editing your profile)

Set your notifications(per network)

3. Select what changes you want to be notified about

2. Select digests’ frequency (summary of Yammer network messages by email)

New notifications are displayed in this icon

What direct messages do I want to receive?

1. Click ‘subscribe to feeds’ to open this menu

2. Select what messages to receive by email or else

Select your applications (phone etc.)and other preferences

3. Understanding the basics: how it works / the system

Where it all happens: the news stream

(updates from the people you follow)

Where you share updates (simple updates, polls,

praises, questions and events)Where you find & can

edit your profile

Where you read important

notifications and private messages

Where you can check all networks you belong to

3. Basics: How it works(the system)

• Work across open networks• Follow others to see their updates• Share updates about interesting work, links, questions,

events, documents etc. • Send each other direct messages for private

conversations• Upload files, pictures, videos, add links, and create

pages (to keep important information)• Follow the flow of messages on various media: on the

web, via email, on a smartphone…

Follow others to see their updates (select who you follow!)

BE SELECTIVE WHO TO FOLLOW

Select who you follow BE SELECTIVE WHO TO FOLLOW

Share updates about interesting work, polls, links, questions, events etc

Send each other direct messages for private conversations

1. Select who you want to write to (multiple recipients possible)

2. Type your message in the main box

Upload files, pictures, videos and create pages (to keep important information)

Create pages (to keep important information)

1. Select ‘pages’ in your apps menu

2. Create a page

Follow the flow of messages on various media: on the web, via email, on a smartphone…

Through various ‘applications’ (under your profile)

3. Basics: How it works(the system)

• Use Topics (with # e.g. #innovation) to find all content and conversations related to specific topics

• Notify People can be notified when they’re mentioned with @ (e.g. @eleborgne). Just typing name suffices (Yammer turns them into links)

• Find all content collections links, topics, files etc. in one placeAnd again:• Having an updated profile matters to know who is who –

update your profile!• Notifications help manage traffic: adjust your account’s

notifications for each of your networks

Find common topics

Use Topics (keywords) They help find all content related to specific topics. Add a topic to a message with # (e.g. #Yammer)

Notify people when it concerns them

Find all content collections in one place

4. Using Yammer by email / The message workaround

4. Yammer by email

1. Select your email preferences (notifications) for each Yammer network

2. Decide if you want to receive daily/weekly digests (or not) or instant email notifications

3. Select the type of changes you want to be notified about

4. For instant email notifications, select which groups (in the network) you want to receive instant emails from

5. Answer by email to individual emails or to email digests (the latter help)

1. Click Notifications (while editing your profile)

4. Yammer by email: Set your general email notifications

4. Select what changes you want to be notified about

3. You can receive digests – select the frequency (summary of Yammer network messages by email)

New notifications are displayed in this icon

2. Select the network for which you want to set notifications

4. Yammer by email: instant emails (feeds in real time)

1. Click ‘subscribe to feeds’ to open this menu

2. Select what messages to receive by email or else

4. Yammer by email: instant emails (feeds in real time)

1. Click ‘subscribe to feeds’ to open this menu (in the case presented here: ALL types of messages specified above will be sent by email instantly)

2. Validate your choices

4. Yammer by email: answering individual emails1. You receive email notifications like this one

2. Reply directly to the email you receive

4. Yammer by email: answering to email digests

1. You receive email digests like this one

3. You can reply directly to any message or comment (but you can’t ‘like’ a post by email…)

2. You can change the frequency on the spot

5. Working out the basics: how to make it work for you / your practice

5. Basics: How to make it work (your practice)

• Active listening: Follow and learn– Follow people that matter, that you know or like• If you follow people you will receive emails when they

post (change your notification settings?)• Follow specific people rather than everyone?

– Join groups that are relevant for you– Follow the flow of updates– Ask yourself what you like and don’t like about it:

Reflect, learn new stuff and learn how to learn more…

5. Basics: How to make it work (your practice)

• Active engagement: Engage and converse– Post (relevant) updates on new documents,

events, ideas– Share summaries of important events you’re

attending– Ask questions, seek feedback and ideas– React to what others post: reply, like, (very)

occasionally praise people you admire– Make Yammer a conversation space!

6. More information?Troubleshooting,

guidance and help

Troubleshooting• Lost your password?

– Go to www.yammer.com and click ‘Forgot password?’ and write your password somewhere safe for next time

• Can’t open a Yammer page?– Your connection might not be good enough. Try later or with a better Internet

connection

• Overwhelmed with Yammer messages?– Set your notifications better

• Mind not to delete your account (you can not recover it!)

More guidance information?

• Yammer network usage policy • Yammer essentials page• Tinkering with tools: What’s up with Yammer?

A reflexive blog post about the CGIAR's use of Yammer and links to further resources.

More human help?

• Power Yammer users:– Pete Cranston– Carl Jackson– Ewen Le Borgne (ILRI) Knowledge sharing and

communication specialist– Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) Head of Knowledge

Management & Information Services