So this is a tiny post. I’ve got another Yammer YamJam coming up with customers on June 14. I’m also writing my bio for inclusion at Microsoft Ignite in September, where I may be a speaker, or at the very least on a panel!
YamJam
My First YamJam: SUCCESS!
I’m still excited about it.
But this was me (and Yammy) BEFORE. I still had hours left to go before the YamJam started.
I am sure it will ALL BE FINE
And this was me after!
YAY!
Yes, in addition to changing into a loud-mouthed frog, our first official YamJam was an unqualified success.
I know people use that phrase a lot, but I used it here because:
- We had a highly specialized topic for our first Jam,
- We knew going in that not everybody would be able to join. Our customers are often busy doing the things we talk about them doing, and this was no exception, and
- After I posted the first question and waited those few breathless moments, when the first response appeared, I knew they “got” it–both this new format and what we were trying to achieve, which ultimately is to help our customers learn from each other.
And they were still chatting a half hour or more even after I’d officially ended the chat!
So. That’s why I’m still excited, because we proved to ourselves that this works for our customers, and we’re so going to do this again.
Today I’m Running My First YamJam
What’s a YamJam, you ask? (Even if you aren’t asking, keep reading.)
Think of a presentation you attend in real life. There’s usually a single topic, one or two speakers, and an audience.
This audience can be poker-faced listeners, avid questioners, good-advicers, or I-need-to-hear-myself-speak talkers. Or some combination of the above, plus more.
Now take all that and throw it online in Yammer. That’s a YamJam!
If you’ve done Reddit’s AMAs (Ask Me Anything) or a Twitter chat, this concept will seem more familiar.
I’ve only done Twitter chats before, and what I prefer about using Yammer is every question is kept in its own conversation thread. You still have to refresh your screen to make sure you’re seeing the most current responses, but you’re guided to each question along the way so you know where to click.
And at the end, every conversation thread for each question, even the ones you ask yourself, are gathered up in an interactive document for posterity. Pretty brilliant.
So I can’t wait to run my own YamJam myself for our customers to share their expertise…which will happen in just a few hours today!
THIS is a YamJam.
Author Becky Benishek 