Watch Out Yammer And Jive, Google Is About To Enter The Social Enterprise Space

The biggest benefit I've seen out of Yammer is in the fact that it increased employee interaction, not just document sharing. After my company rolled it out, I was shocked at how many of us took to it. Everyone knows the reason: it looks and feels like Facebook. When we encounter that look and feel, our minds go into "sharing" mode. We get comfortable because it feels like a comfort zone. We share documents, but we also joke around more. Our interpersonal relationships got better, and I'm sure that had a positive impact on our work.

I don't think Google+ will have an equivalent effect because few people visit it habitually, and when they do, most posts are fairly formal/professional instead of playful/casual. Despite Google+'s intentions, it doesn't encourage a relaxed mindset.