What About Resources for End Users?
I really don't like the term end user. Sounds like it's over. It's the end. Client or Cutomer is nicer, but client sounds like an application and customer sounds like a business. Information worker sounds like they must be smart (that's not so bad), and knowledge workers sound like they are all about filling out taxonomies and love workflows. Not sure if gurus, power users, and champions work, but that's even different. Those people know this stuff.
It's true I don't say much about end users, because my focus is IT Pro. I came across a post titled "I will never be Joel Oleson" that included my picture on a day I hadn't shaved for a couple of days. The person was talking about the SharePoint greats at the SharePoint Conference. Personally SPC2008 last week was a pinacle for me, so thanks for the praise and "wanting to be like Joel" is pretty flattering, thanks Mark. AC is amazing and blows my mind and he should get credit. Todd Baginsky makes development and integration seem like cake, so I can understand that. SPC2008 was the first conference I've ever had the #1 session, so that feels good, especially with over 100 SharePoint sessions and the top SharePoint speakers from around the globe. The comments in Mark's post really do support that we do need people that care about users that do care about what really make the SharePoint world go round. It's that 100 million users (ok, sure that's licenses and all that isn't yet deployed) that really decide if the platform is doing what it was designed for. A super well tunned, well managed deployment can still be junk, if the users don't know how to use it or how to adopt it. Enough of the rambling... A good deployment has resources and training for it's end users... So here's my list of top references for SharePoint Users. (Oh, and by the way there is plenty of room for experts and bloggers in the IW and end user space. Welcome!)
- SharePoint Training Kit for yourself (stand alone desktop edition) or to integrate into your SharePoint Deployment (requires SLK) (all at no cost)
- End User SharePoint Blog and Resources by Mark Miller
- NEW! Book: The SharePoint Shepherd's Guide for End Users now this is a great step by step book with colorful and helpful screenshots and easy to follow for common end user tasks
- Gear Up - Adoption and key deployment resources (MS)
- Get the Point blog - End User resources thoughts (MS)
- SharePoint Tips and Tricks Office Online - webcasts, videos, podcasts, and references
- Office.Microsoft.com SharePoint Server Resource Center for information workers
- 17 SharePoint 30 minute basic end user training courses including document libraries, calendaring, collect signatures workflow, sharing files (with ratings!)
- SharePoint Screen Casts - great collection of short videos like creating sites, copying, moving, backing up lists (beginner to advanced) Thanks Asif and Wendy! (SharePoint Solutions)
- SharePoint Designer 2007 Solution Center (MS)
- Information Worker and End User Training - SharePoint Solutions
- Business Users Guide to SharePoint - Webcast or Training - by Nicola Young
- SharePoint Branding Bootcamp - Train your Designers with SharePoint Experts (Heather Solomon)
- Customize sites without code, Designer, Power End users - Mindsharp multi day training
- Book: Microsoft SharePoint 2007 for Dummies by Vanessa Williams | NEW! The entire SharePoint for Dummies reference is online.
- MSF Readiness Article on Adoption based on MS Framework
- For the User - Great end user focused blog by John Ferringer
One question I get most often around end user support is around cross browser supportability. If you have Non IE contributors I recommend looking at the Telerik web parts for 2007 designed to work with SharePoint to enhance the cross browser experience. Beyond browser it's an Office question. Did you know an XP vs. 2003, vs 2007 client document comparison was done? The Office Client comparison of Good, Better, Best Whitepaper was put together to describe the integration experience with the different releases of Office.
