1. YAMMER
Master guidelines

2. Overview Understanding What is Yammer? Getting set up on Yammer
Understanding the basics: how it works / the system
Working out the basics: how to make it work for you / your practice
Working it out further: how to make it work for us all / our Yammer etiquette
Working it up and out: for advanced users …
At events – Yammer workshop etiquette
Some examples: Yammer use cases
Additional info: troubleshooting, guidelines & help

3. 1. What is Yammer?

4. 1. What is Yammer Yammer is a corporate social network
It was originally set up to help organizations:
Share information among staff and partners (updates, current work, important outputs etc.)
Discuss different issues outside
Plan events
Network / build a team (through conversations, likes and praises)

5. 2. Getting set up

6. 2. Getting set up Create an account (on invitation)
Update your profile
Include your center name 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…

7. (based on an invitation)
Create an account
(based on an invitation)
Accept the invitation

8. Create an account Fill out all the details
Choose a strong password which you can remember
Indicate your centre / organization in the job title field
Then press ‘next’

9. Create an account
Join groups which you think will be useful to you / where you would like to engage with others
Don’t start a group straight away, see if existing ones cater for your need
Then press ‘next’

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

11. Create an account
You may (you don’t have to) decide to download and use Yammer via the desktop application

12. Create an account
Check the welcome message you receive upon entering Yammer

13. Create an account
You are now set and ready to use Yammer!

14. Update your profile (mention your CG center and position)
2. Edit profile
1. Click my profile

15. Include your center name in the job title field in your profile

16. Add a picture of yourself
2. Choose a picture file on your computer
1. Click Basics (while editing your profile)
Add a picture of yourself

17. Set your notifications
New notifications are displayed in this icon
1. Click Notifications (while editing your profile)
Set your notifications
(per network)
2. Select digests’ frequency (summary of Yammer network messages by )
3. Select what changes you want to be notified about

18. What direct messages do I want to receive?
1. Click ‘subscribe to feeds’ to open this menu
In a community or network:
get mentions
get messages (unless huge numbers)
2. Select what messages to receive by or else

19. Select your applications (phone etc.) and other preferences

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

21. Where you can check all networks you belong to
Where you read important notifications and private messages
Where you share updates (simple updates, polls, praises, questions and events)
Where you find & can edit your profile
Where it all happens: the news stream
(updates from the people you follow)

22. 3. Basics: How it works (the system)
Work across closed groups (CGIAR only) and 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 , on a smartphone…

23. Work across open networks and closed groups (CGIAR only)

24. Follow others to see their updates (select who you follow!)
BE SELECTIVE WHO TO FOLLOW

25. BE SELECTIVE WHO TO FOLLOW
Select who you follow
BE SELECTIVE WHO TO FOLLOW

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

27. 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

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

29. Create pages (to keep important information)
2. Create a page
1. Select ‘pages’ in your apps menu

30. Through various ‘applications’ (under your profile)
Follow the flow of messages on various media: on the web, via , on a smartphone…
Through various ‘applications’
(under your profile)

31. 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 Just typing name suffices (Yammer turns them into links)
Find all content collections links, topics, files etc. in one place
And 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

32. 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)

33. Notify people when it concerns them

34. Find all content collections
in one place

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

36. 4. 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 s when they post (change your notification settings?)
Follow specific people rather than everyone?
Join networks (open) and groups (only for CGIAR staff) 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…

37. 4. 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!

38. 5. Working it out further: how to make it work for us all /
Our Yammer etiquette

39. 5. How to make it work for us all (Our Yammer etiquette)
Lurking (active listening) is normal
But for Yammer to work we must all engage
It requires trust (in oneself and others)
Get trained or coached?
We need to understand the value to invest in Yammer
But the value comes from practice and feedback

40. 5. How to make it work for us all (Our Yammer etiquette)
Do’s
Update on activities, resources, events
Comment others’ work
Ask questions
Be constructive, not condescending
Don’ts
Post irrelevant status updates – I am eating now, I just had a fabulous…
‘Like’ resources without reading them first and providing comments why you like them
Accuse or blame people publicly

41. 5. How to make it work for us all (Our Yammer etiquette)
Do’s
Post short, crisp, focused updates
Follow Yammer updates at least (digest!)
Provide feedback to improve Yammer
Post regularly
Invite others to post and help them
Don’ts
Monopolize the space
Be impatient: it takes time to master Yammer (alone and collectively)
Condemn Yammer without giving it a try

42. 5. How to make it work for us all (Our Yammer etiquette)
Yammer is only one of many engagement tools
It’s good for conversations, questions, reactions
It’s not so powerful for filing documents, workflows, coordinated work (use wikis instead!)
It works more powerfully in combination with other tools (blogs, wikis, CG Space, Twitter, FlickR, YouTube) and link from Yammer to the other tools

43. 6. Working it up and out: for advanced users

44. 6. For advanced users Help yourself: help others creatively
Provide important information on specific pages?
Develop simple and useful tutorials for your team?
Buddy someone else on Yammer?
Coach your colleagues?
Organize Yam-Jams?
Consider creating groups?
Assess the use and usefulness of Yammer?
Invite others to use Yammer (if CG staff, invite them to the main CGIAR network before any other network!)

45. 7. At events Yammer workshop etiquette

46. How to use yammer for workshops
Yammer is a good tool for synthesizing information from workshops and sharing with those who are not there.
However, many scientists are concerned that there words will be taken out of context or repeated.
Therefore, the focus of using yammer should be on synthesizing workshops on Daily/half daily basis

47. Do’s and Don’ts Do’s Don’ts
Provide a half-daily or daily synthesis of 1 to 2 posts
1 post 1 thought
Summarize and synthesize into crisp summaries
Refer to notes on another page, wiki or document
Posts should not be long. 4-5 sentences maximum
If you want to post more use the comment tool or make another post
Do not transcribe verbatim what people say
Don’t quote people
Do not make Yammer the ‘notes’ for the meeting.

48. Short synthesis posts are good
Don’t make too long
Do not quote people or provide notes of meetings

49. 8. Some examples? Yammer case studies

50. Yammer use case: network
Nile Basin Development Challenge (CPWF): Working together as one program
5 projects under the banner with different aims
All communicating via Yammer and sharing important issues for all
Connecting with the program wiki and blog to keep everyone up to date
Summaries of events on the wiki
Mapping important partners and events

51. Yammer use case: network
Comms4Uptake network (CPWF): a peer-support network to find concrete solutions
Monthly peer assists around practical problems faced by one person across 5 basins
Full documentation and planning on Yammer
Finding solutions that help everyone
Sharing challenges and ideas around ‘engaging research comms process for engaging science’
Organizing a series of online meetings to plan documentation of the phase 2

52. Yammer use case: group
ILRI engineering: Sharing information and building a team
Little exchange before
New members trained on Yammer
All keeping each other posted about their activities
Fastening the learning pace for newcomers
New team dynamics with vibrant exchanges
Giving new ideas to work as a team face-to-face as well

53. Yammer use case: individuals
Olive Thiong’o posts about farmer-to-farmer learning experiences in Tanzania
4 people share questions and answers and references about this and find out about wider CCAFS work that is ongoing
Ewen Le Borgne looks for references on impact assessment across CGIAR
References from 12 CG centres come in 1.5 days
Bernhard Hack talks about the ICARDA KM retreat and ‘putting focus back on Drupal’
21 messages from 14 participants in 3 days
Tezira Lore encounters a problem on Wordpress and is asking for troubleshooting help
6 people in a conversation leading to an IT solution
(e.g.) Maren Radeny has joined Yammer
6 people welcome her! Great to catch up with someone you’ve known for a while!

54. 9. More information? Troubleshooting, guidance and help

55. Troubleshooting Lost your password? Can’t open a Yammer page?
Go to 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 cannot recover it!)

56. More guidance information?
Yammer network usage policy
Yammer essentials page
3 short and useful Yammer video tutorials: 
posting options)
(notification settings)
Tinkering with tools: What’s up with Yammer? A reflexive blog post about the CGIAR's use of Yammer and links to further resources. 

57. More human help? Power Yammer users:
Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) head of Knowledge Management & Information Services
Michael Victor (CPWF/CRP 5) Comms coordinator
Simone Staiger-Rivas (CIAT) Leader of capacity strengthening and knowledge management
Susan MacMillan (ILRI) Head of Public Awareness
Jeremy Cherfas (Bioversity) Senior science writer
Tsehay Gashaw (ILRI) Web communications officer
Ewen Le Borgne (ILRI) Knowledge sharing and communication specialist

58. Purpose of network x Yammer
The overall goal is to provide a platform where easy to inform and discuss different issues outside
Specific objectives
Allow partners to easily contact one another
Provide regular updates on new CRP5 events
Enable discussions on different aspects of the program
Mobilize partners