Thursday, November 13, 2008
Present.ly - Another Business Version of Twitter
A reader posted a comment to our recent Yammer post about another option Present.ly. I loved the question feature and the ability to attach files to messages. Present.ly looks like a good alternative to Yammer for businesses and other groups. Like Yammer, Present.ly has a good over view video on their site.
I did not include this possibly controversial point in my yammer post. I debated about including it, but I am going to go for it. You could run into problems in getting users for these services dependent upon the age of your coworkers. I discovered that older workers are generally not interested in these types of communications platforms. You may hear the same comments that I heard such as, "Why don't I just walk over and talk to these people or call a meeting?" I hope that your mileage will vary in your company. I think that this type of platform could assist coworkers in sharing information and resources which could help a company grow and compete more effectively.
I did not include this possibly controversial point in my yammer post. I debated about including it, but I am going to go for it. You could run into problems in getting users for these services dependent upon the age of your coworkers. I discovered that older workers are generally not interested in these types of communications platforms. You may hear the same comments that I heard such as, "Why don't I just walk over and talk to these people or call a meeting?" I hope that your mileage will vary in your company. I think that this type of platform could assist coworkers in sharing information and resources which could help a company grow and compete more effectively.
Labels: micro-blogging, present.ly, social networking, twitter, yammer
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Yammer - The Business Version of Twitter
You may or may not be familiar with Twitter. Twitter is what is called a micro-blogging site. It allows you to post short messages that answer the questions - what are you doing? You can access twitter via the Twitter web site, your mobile phone, or a number of desktop applications. The messages called tweets are received by your followers and you receive messages from those that you have chosen to follow.
Twitter does have some shortfalls. It is by no means private which rules it out for business. Anyone can choose to follow your twitter activity. Twitter also does not have function to create groups.
Yammer answers these problems. You sign up for Yammer using your corporate email account. The only people allowed to follow you are those with the same email domain extension such as yourcompany.com. You can also create groups and easily follow threads. Yammer is accessible via their web site, applications for various smartphones, and standard cell phones. They also offer a desktop application.
The Yammer web site has a great introductory video that demonstrates how to use the site in real world applications. The application is free unless you want more advanced features.
Twitter does have some shortfalls. It is by no means private which rules it out for business. Anyone can choose to follow your twitter activity. Twitter also does not have function to create groups.
Yammer answers these problems. You sign up for Yammer using your corporate email account. The only people allowed to follow you are those with the same email domain extension such as yourcompany.com. You can also create groups and easily follow threads. Yammer is accessible via their web site, applications for various smartphones, and standard cell phones. They also offer a desktop application.
The Yammer web site has a great introductory video that demonstrates how to use the site in real world applications. The application is free unless you want more advanced features.
Labels: micro-blogging, social networking, twitter, yammer
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