*Noah Sparks

Many have looked to me for leadership inside this online social space. One individual goes so far as to pin the moniker of Chief Yammer Officer on me. The formal responsibility for ownership and exploration has fallen on the IT team. My opinion regarding complaints about Yammer has been sought out numerous times. In a most recent request I gathered together in one document the responses of those I have identified as early adopters.

Many of the affordances available in this tool are shifting thinking in radical and rapid ways. Yet, these new opportunities are perceived as threatening established norms and is counter to culture in so many ways. When a complaint about the value add of this tool I shared the opportunity to give feedback with the early adopters I had identified. Some quickly jumped in and augmented the business case for this tool. I long for these early adopters to understand more fully the opportunity before us.

It appears that some functionality has been restricted such as daily digests sent via email and desktop app updates. I assume these features were requested to be limited and that Yammer honored those requests. I plan on having more details today about the exact situation.

I have noticed that the participation of some fluctuates based on whether it will be personally advantageous to them. These inconsistencies from perceived leaders may cause others to wonder about the status of the tool.

In conversation i have noticed many questions about what is expected. I find this a disturbing evaluation. One specific request to know expected response times for interactions in the tool struck me as particularly interesting. My reply was simply that there is no expectation whatsoever. If the folks this individual collaborated with were not utilizing the tool there was no need to fret. If they enjoyed participating in the social space Yammer creates I encourage them to join the conversation.