Microsoft has confirmed it has bought the office social network site Yammer for $1.2bn
 

Microsoft has confirmed it has bought the office social network site Yammer for $1.2bn.

The business, which is four years old and has five million users, operates like Facebook for communication within companies.

There had been reports the two were talking about a deal but Microsoft only confirmed the plan on Monday.

Yammer is used by firms including the motor giant Ford and the business services firm Deloitte.

Microsoft hopes the acquisition will make its range of software products more appealing.

Last year it bought the communications business Skype and is integrating it into its products, including its Office software which contributed 60% of its profits last year.

Yammer plans to continue to offer its service in the way it does currently.

Yammer's chief executive David Sacks said: "When we started Yammer four years ago, we set out to do something big.

"We had a vision for how social networking could change the way we work. Joining Microsoft will accelerate that vision and give us access to the technologies, expertise and resources we'll need to scale and innovate."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18587600

wtf is Yammer ?

I only first heard about yammer 2 days ago.

Never heard it it but it looks pretty cool

Never heard of it.

hope it's not spammy as linkedin...

getting various emails from linkedin everyday...
hate it...

I used it with my remote reps - I would do team meetings with them through there, brainstorm ideas, etc. It was kinda clunky though.

Used extensively in the big business environment ...
Its is to adult what ICQ is ...

No wonder MS wanted it .

x 2

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It allows you to collaborate with others inside your company.

I have a close friend who works there. Good stuff. :thumbsup

Say what you want about Microsoft,

they are very clever about how they execute their business. They might not have the creativity of others, but they definitely have the infrastructure.

your right

that microsoft mp3 player sure was a hit.

the problem microsoft has is that a lot of people now use a mobile or pad rather than a pc. thus the 'windows' softwear is not needed as much. also there are free office softwear programes.

if they did not have the xbox, would you realy rate them today?

they are advertising chrome laptops (on uk tv) and i presume that users chrome rather than windows.

microsoft no longer have a monolply on things, and others seem to be producing much cheaper and more robust alternatives.

in ten years time, microsoft may just be a memory. as long as it can keep selling xbox then thats one thing, but once those things no longer sell, thats it for microsoft.

Another service for which nobody ever heard like instagram.

It seems expensive.

However it has a lot of users, and they seem to be 'adults'.

Yammer could easily become the next facebook if its more robust than facebook.

the fact that it has some big businesses as users makes it rather interesting.

i think if i was facebook i would be slightly worried right now.

Facebook was probably waiting for the guy in creepy clown makeup and a wedding dress to weigh in. I expect an announcement from them before the end of the week.
:2 cents:

never heard of it never going to use

lot for a company no one has really heard of

MS will make it suck like everything else they have. Even skype is starting to suck more now that they bought it.

It cannot become next "facebook"simply because they are not orientated to same group of people.

So what?

Facebook successfully shifted from the college student demographic to the annoying teenage girl and slutty single mother demographic without issue.

jesus fucking christ :1orglaugh

I'm confused.

I thought everyone got their investment advice from him...?

I made my first million developing intrAnet sites like that for businesses.

Sucks to hear a site like that exists.

That site is junk :2 cents:

Its a social network for "professionals" so think of it as the linkedin of facebook.

The old company I did some work for pretty much demanded that I use it but I said no, there is no point.

I got a call from one of their account reps trying to push for me and the team of monkeys I was working with to use it, saying how companies are going to ban facebook and this is a great social network for professionals. Unless they have a way to plug into FB, Twitter or LinkedIn, there is a ZERO percent chance anyone will really use this unless they are forced

your right microsoft will only do well because they have the xbox....

someone should smack you in the face for being an idiot.
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First time to hear of it. Looks interesting.

Normal people do this by walking over and speaking, but if you are really lazy there's email or a phone

From their About Us page

Social Expertise

Built social from the ground up with ?Facebook DNA?: Facebook?s Founding President, Sean Parker serves on Yammer?s Board of Directors

Yammer and Facebook share the same first investor, Peter Thiel; backed by Social+Capital Partnership ? a fund established by former Facebook Vice President, Chamath Palihapitiya

Our Customers

More than 80 percent of the Fortune 500® are using Yammer
Leading organizations including Deloitte, Ford, Nationwide, 7-Eleven, Orbitz Worldwide, Rakuten, and Telefonica O2 have adopted Yammer