Everything I Know About Career Planning…

Another post in the series.  SharePoint professionals take heed…

In Memoriam: SharePoint Workspace

I heard a nasty online rumor that in the upcoming world of Office 2013, SharePoint Workspace (SPW) will be no more. Whether that’s true or not, it reminded me that I have yet to write a post about SPW – what it is [was?], and what some of its neat features are [were?].

I’ve met enough SharePoint users who don’t know anything about SPW to guess that many of you reading this may also be new to the concept. Even less have probably heard of its cousin Groove Workspace. If you’ve never seen SPW, but you have Office 2010 Premium installed on your computer, go to Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office hit the Windows key and type “workspace” to receive your prize.

If you’ve got it, fire it up and follow along as I talk about a few of the kool things it can do:

Fake It ‘Til You Make It–Alternatives to Custom Application Pages for Non-Developers

SharePoint is a versatile tool meant to empower end-users. So, for me it seems such a shame when end-users feel powerless when it comes to their ability to ‘create’ in SharePoint. Sometimes for a non-developer, it can seem like the only way to make something interesting in SharePoint (besides a fancy list or some Wiki pages) is to get help from a Developer or Web Designer. But I submit that, with a little creativity (and maybe some smoke-n-mirrors), non-developers can make an ‘application’ that looks and feels like a Developer’s custom application page.

The Rules of SharePoint [Fight Club]

I was talking recently with a fellow SharePoint developer who specializes in custom SharePoint development. In other words, this means he probably spends more time with the SharePoint Object Model than SharePoint Designer, for instance. I was remarking on the fact that even though I too am a SharePoint developer who is well-versed in the nuances of Visual Studio and the object model, many of my client’s needs tend to be solved by leveraging no-code solutions. I went on to talk about the value of no-code solutions from the perspective of farm stability, risk, and deployment issues.

What surprised me was that, as he agreed with what I was saying, I could sense what appeared to be a ‘light bulb’ moment going on his head. Why would this be a novel idea to a true SharePoint person? I mean, isn’t this exactly what the 2nd rule of SharePoint is all about?:

SharePoint at AgileDotNet Conference

Today I’ll be talking about SharePoint with other Agilists at the AgileDotNet Conference, a 1-day event put together by Improving Enterprises and Microsoft that tries to ‘bring together the world of .NET development with the world of Agile methods’.

SharePoint can be a great tool for teams trying to incorporate Agile principles into their team development. I’m looking forward to talking with attendees about their experiences and use of SharePoint, and hearing about how it has contributed to their team’s success.

SharePoint Saturday Speaker Gear Taken to the Next Level

My talk at Louisville’s first-ever SharePoint Saturday yesterday went well – it was a very interactive group, and we had a pretty lively discussion about the opportunities and implications of Azure for SharePoint and our industry overall. (you can find the slide deck here). As a speaker in the first track of sessions, I helped kick off a full day of great speakers and topics that I’m sure added some much-appreciated SharePoint learning to the Kentucky community.

Speaking at SPS Louisville

I know how upset you were when you realized you had missed my talk at SPS Atlanta last month on SharePoint & Windows Azure integration. Oh, the tear-soaked pillows and so many boxes of Kleenex. : ) But fear not! You have another chance to hear my talk, as I’ll be speaking this month at SharePoint Saturday Louisville on July 28th.

And it gets even better! As you may have heard, some new & exciting features have been announced for Azure in the past few weeks. I will most certainly be adding some incorporation of these new features into my talk.

But wait – there’s more! In addition to my talk, you also get to check out all the other great speakers that will also be in attendance at #SPSLouisville. We’re talking about a full-day of great SharePoint content – all for free!

I hope to see you in Kentucky on July 28th. Otherwise, who knows when you might ever be able to hear the Cowbell speak on SharePoint again??? (hint – August 1st; stay tuned for more self-promoting info to come) Let the countdown begin!

BTW - The SPS Louisville committee made these kool ‘badges’ for the speakers, so we can add to them to our email sigs and what-not – so I’m going to add mine right here. : )