Using+yammer+by+staff

Yammer use @ ILRI

** What is Yammer **
toc 1. Yammer is a private communication space for CGIAR people. It allows members to post updates on what they do (something like twitter), to ‘follow’ colleagues, to post questions and solutions, to post interesting links, to follow newsfeeds, and to message each other. In the ILRI ‘communications’ communities we use it a lot to post updates on people’s whereabouts, on new or finishing tasks, or anything else that colleagues might find useful.

2. The 2 main principles of Yammer are: 1) each person posts updates about her or himself; 2) each participant ‘follows’ other people – which means you can see their updates. It is a fine line between keeping others informed and overloading them!

3. On yammer, you can post general messages and updates – to all your ‘followers.’ You can also post messages to specific groups or communities – only the members will see them. You can also send a direct message to another person. These are private or public – a private message has a padlock icon. You can post through the website, by sending an email, through your phone, or from a desktop application that you download

** Using Yammer **

 * Register with your cgiar.org** address at www.yammer.com

Follow the guidelines from the master set of guidelines:

Once you are registered, you can also check the Yammer essentials.
 * Once registered, click the ‘Edit Profile’ button and fill out the basic profile fields
 * Make sure your title contains ‘ILRI’ (eg: ‘ILRI Scientist’ or ‘Team Leader at ILRI’; if it does not, click ‘Edit’ to change your title to include the word “ILRI”). This helps us find other ILRI people.
 * Enter your location city
 * Upload a picture
 * OPTIONAL: Under ‘applications’ ([] ), download the desktop application
 * OPTIONAL: Bookmark Yammer.

Under ‘ ** Account ** ’ – top right side of the screen, you can change your personal settings. For example, under ‘set notifications’ you can have yammer messages posted to your email, or not. This allows you to manage how you interface with Yammer.

Under ‘**Groups**’, join any groups that interest you. Some are private; others are open public – an private group has a padlock icon. Applications to join a private group are granted by the moderators of that group. Some are ILRI-specific, some are CGIAR-wide ([]). You can join the ILRI IRS Council group; there is also a group for ILRI staff in Asia


 * When you are inside a group (this may require approval first), scroll down the left side to see ‘Notifications’: Uncheck all the options’ to reduce your email or other traffic

What could you share in your update? Share something about:
 * A project you started or finished, can be small
 * Your plans for the day, any absence, visitors you met
 * Something you need help with
 * An event you will attend
 * Something (work) on your mind
 * Something interesting you noticed and want to share

Watch what others are saying:
 * Offer help or feedback if needed, by replying directly or publicly

** External Networks **
If you work with people who do not have a CGIAR email address, you need to set up an external network.

An external network is a separate network that can include members from multiple organizations. An external network's data is completely separate from other networks and is visible only to its members. From inside an external network, you can collaborate with partners, clients and suppliers. External networks resemble networks in their structure, but membership is not restricted by email domain.


 * Admin resources:**

This guide gives a general overview of Yammer and details step-by-step instructions for users who are signing up for an external network. It should be sent ahead of the invitation sent out by Yammer. It was drawn up for the ILVAC netowrk and the cover slide should be adapted.
 * Yammer User Guideline for External Networks**
 * User Guidelines for external networks (PPT 14 MB)
 * User Guidelines for external networks (PDF 2 MB)

This note is intended as a very short introduction for new users. It complements the more detailed guide above. It should be posted as a note in the external network and features in the 'Quick Access' box in relevant groups. It differs in content from the note 'Yammer Essentials' above, because it is mainly aimed at people external to the CGIAR people.
 * Note: Getting the most out of Yammer**
 * Getting the most out of Yammer