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One of the nice features is the ability to tag information as a way of filing important data. Keith at Yammer provided an example to me from the Yammer Team's own network. As the team was sending updates and information about the TechCrunch50 event, they were able to hash-tag everything (#TechCrunch50) so they have a historic and central repository of all the conversations and information related to that event. This is in contrast to the post once and lose it as soon as it leaves the immediate feed approach.

Just as you might "follow" individuals you can "follow" certain tags related to projects you are working on so you receive immediate and relevant updates from Yammer.

Companies and individuals that are extremely comfortable with social networking could find new benefit to working in this way. However, I could also see how an organization or even a team could be radically divided in the use of this tool. Take a typical corporate project team -- usually it includes a number of tech savvy folks, very young individuals, and then a number of veterans who are much less likely to adopt a Twitter-like tool. I am not sure how you bridge that gap when relying on such a tool for organic and instant communication without alienating the unwilling, non-technical members.

Like Twitter, there are various ways to post and receive updates at your desk or on the go including: web, iPhone Application, Blackberry Application, Desktop Application, SMS, IM, or Email. You can read more about these update-anywhere features on their site.

Security

Yammer is a hosted software as a service (SaaS) solution. Yammer ensures your company's privacy through the use of servers secured by advanced firewalls, encryption, and the use of SSH/SSL technology. All traffic to and from Yammer is protected by the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) by default.

Your company's privacy is protected through the use of your company's domain as its network. Only individuals with a valid email address at that domain can join. Network administrators within your organization can set access and use policies once the network is claimed. Yammer technical support does not have access to your company's data except to troubleshoot specific issues or as required by law. Any and all access by Yammer is logged.

About Yammer

Founded in 2008 by David Sacks (former COO of PayPal, CEO of Geni), 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?"

You can view an online demo here.

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