TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
My advice is to get it right the first time! Although I'm a SharePoint
administrator, I had to learn it on the fly (actually, from Lynda.com)
after our previous admin left the company.
And once I learned it and took over, I couldn't change anything that
was already there because folks already knew where to find and put
their stuff. I just added new sub-sites, but the bulk of the site is
really chaotic, because an immutable, informal structure already
existed.
New employees are lost in the dust, but it can't be helped. At this
point, it's like indelible ink - it can't be fixed.
So planning is crucial - even if it takes an investment in time, do
it. It will pay off in the long run.
Bee
On Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 6:58 PM, Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
> You need to work out a folder tree before you actually create anything in Sharepoint. Talk to the people who will be using the documents, and organize a structure that helps support the work. You may organize things along technical topic lines, or along project-related lines, or along work division lines like the difference between network support and database design. Try to organize the tree structure in a way that matches the work processes at your company.
>
> Possibly the most important thing you can do is post some kind of TOC or index document that provides links. No matter how hard you try, there will be people who can't understand the way you've organized things. Other people will understand it but they won't use Sharepoint very often so they'll forget where things are located. I put up a spreadsheet at the root level that gives links to each individual document, and links to the different folder levels. Plus, it has various criteria columns that are filtered, so that someone who doesn't know the document title or the folder it's in can sort the spreadsheet entries and zero in on it that way. If you do something like this, you will have to keep this document constantly updated. Set up alarms in Sharepoint so you will know if anyone else adds or renames or moves anything, so you can keep your indexing up to date.
>
> Get it nailed down solidly with your superiors, well in advance, that you are the person who owns the Sharepoint structure and keeping documents in their proper places is not anybody else's business. That may mean you wind up doing a lot of librarian work putting documents into the folders, but you can't afford to have too many people involved. The degree of organization is always inversely proportional to the number of people who are allowed to change things.
>
> There will be some upset no matter what you do. If you move things around, some people will get upset because their bookmarks won't work anymore, or just because they're set in their ways. There will be complaints and grumbles about how you could have done it "better" - which almost always translate as "the way I would have done it."
>
> Sharepoint has a workflow feature that is useful in carrying out reviews of documents. You can use it to send content to various groups for their input, and Sharepoint will track for you who has done the reviews and who hasn't.
>
>
> --- On Tue, 6/14/11, Nina Rogers <Nina -dot- Rogers -at- DrakeSoftware -dot- com> wrote:
>
> From: Nina Rogers <Nina -dot- Rogers -at- DrakeSoftware -dot- com>
> Subject: Organizing Sharepoint site?
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2011, 3:29 PM
>
> I have been tasked with organizing our department's Sharepoint site
> (since it will mostly be used for document storage and management, and,
> as tech writer, I'm all about documents). I'm new to Sharepoint and was
> wondering if any of you have experience in the early stages of
> organizing such a site-developing libraries, deciding what will go on
> the main page and what won't, etc.
>
>
>
> I think I have a handle (or at least a hint on one) on how to do the
> basic tasks in Sharepoint; I'm floundering, however, on how to start
> organizing the site.
>
>
>
> I don't have any specific questions to post here because I'm not sure
> what to ask yet. I guess I'd just like to hear from others who have been
> in this position, and to find out anything you learned the hard way (or
> otherwise) that might help me go about this task.
>
>
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
> Nina Rogers, Technical Writer
>
> Federal Tax Development, Drake Software
>
> (828) 524-8020 x4204
>
> nina -dot- rogers -at- drakesoftware -dot- com <mailto:nina -dot- rogers -at- drakesoftware -dot- com>
>
>
>
> This e-mail (including any attachments) contains PRIVILEGED AND
> CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION protected by federal and/or state law and is
> intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity(ies) designated
> as recipient(s). The information contained within this e-mail should not
> be construed as tax advice. If you are not an intended recipient of the
> e-mail, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying,
> distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of this e-mail
> is strictly prohibited. Disclosure to anyone other than the intended
> recipient does not constitute a waiver of any applicable privilege. If
> you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify us by
> phone at (828) 524-2922 or by e-mail at Security -at- Dnet -dot- net
> <mailto:Security -at- Dnet -dot- net> and then permanently delete the original and
> any copy of this e-mail (including any attachments) and destroy any
> printout thereof.
>
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
> Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
> Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
>http://www.doctohelp.com
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/klhra%40yahoo.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
> Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
>http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
> Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
> Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
>http://www.doctohelp.com
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as beelia -at- pacbell -dot- net -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/beelia%40pacbell.net
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
> Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
>http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat
>
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days. http://www.doctohelp.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
