I finally had a chance to watch the Yammer demo at TC50, the official winner of the 1st place $50,000 prize. Terrible name, powerful product. Twitter adapted to enterprise functionality is a great idea, especially for collaborative projects that are separated by distance. This is something that we should look into as we develop some ideas and being working more closely on them. They have already created integrated use with Instant Messaging clients, cell phone text message and are currently working on an iPhone App.
Yammer is a tool for making companies and organizations more productive through the exchange of short frequent answers to one simple question: “What are you working on?”
As employees answer that question, a feed is created in one central location enabling co-workers to discuss ideas, post news, ask questions, and share links and other information. Yammer also serves as a company directory in which every employee has a profile and as a knowledge base where past conversations can be easily accessed and referenced.
Anyone in a company can start their Yammer network and begin inviting colleagues. The privacy of each network is ensured by limiting access to those with a valid company email address. The basic Yammer service is free. Companies can pay to claim and administer their networks.
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Sources:
http://www.yammer.com
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/10/yammer-takes-techcrunch50s-top-prize/
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/yammer
IdeaFLITE 