Q: I just heard that Microsoft purchased Yammer. What impact will this have on my social media campaign(s)?

A: Indeed, Microsoft announced on June 25 that it purchased Yammer for $1.2 billion in cash! Yammer is still a fairly young company, at only four years old.

It does, however, have almost 5 million registered users already, where only about 20 percent pay for premium services. With that being said, this is not a social media platform for the public.

They specifically target enterprises (cloud platform) and offer services to allow employees to join secure, private social networks. This is still a largely free service, but as Microsoft strategically plans its next move and future of Yammer, I'm certain their intention is to make more money out of their end-users.

As far as an impact on your company's social media campaigns, I don't believe Microsoft/Yammer are looking to venture into smaller markets. If we consider the history of Facebook, however, where it was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, I can certainly imagine large industries, such as financial institutions, leveraging this solution to create social networks limited to only their clientele.

Q:I just bought a Dell laptop to replace an HP laptop that was starting to cause performance issues. I still have two power supplies from the HP that I use for travel. Can I use them on the Dell?

A:There are several deciding factors that will determine if you can use these power adaptors. First, look closely to see if the plug that goes into the laptop is of the same configuration between the Dell and the HP. Gently insert it and make sure it's a snug fit, but is not forced.

Second, look on the back of the power adaptor for the input and output voltages and amperages. The adapters will read an input of 100-240V (1.5A) and an output of 19.5V (4.62A). Make sure you are well within the specs for each power adaptor, then give it a try. If you notice the power icon on the taskbar shows charging, and the power adaptor is not overly hot, then you should be fine.
