Is it Friday yet?  -  Dooley

Top News Stories
SharePoint 2010 Composites: Do-It-Yourself Business Solutions (CMSWire)
This is the final article in this series “What is this SharePoint Thing All About Anyway?” and in this article we are going to be looking at the concept of SharePoint Composites. Composites are a type of solution that allows you to pull together items from multiple applications to build a complete solution. In this article we are going to highlight some of the various types of things you can build using composites as well as provide an overview of the tools you will utilize.

Is Traditional Records Management Dead? (AIIM)
In my never-ending search for good blog topics, I came across a quote this week from John Mancini in an interview in Fierce Content Management: “FCM: What happens to traditional records management and governance in this new reality?

Microsoft to Bring New Azure Cloud Services to Windows Server (ZDNet)
Microsoft is bringing some of its newly-announced Windows Azure services — like virtual machine hosting and Web site hosting — to Windows Server. Microsoft announced immediate availability of Community Technology Preview (CTP) test builds of these services during the Day 2 keynote at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto. The new services coming to Windows Server are aimed at service providers and hosting partners. (At some point Microsoft might expand the target audience to other customers, but for now, that’s the core audience, officials said.)

Windows 7 vs. Windows 8: What’s the Difference? (PCWorld)
We now know that Windows 8 will launch in October, in both its X86 and ARM Windows RT flavours. And we expect Windows Phone 8 and the Microsoft Surface tablet to launch at around the same time. If you are looking to upgrade your smartphone or tablet, then, Windows 8 will offer a very different alternative to Android, iOS and the rest. But what about the majority of the world’s one billion Windows users, who are running X86 Windows PCs and laptops? Here then, is a rough guide to what’s new in Windows 8, and how it differs from Windows 7. See also: Windows 8 uncovered: a deep dive into Windows 8.

Steve Ballmer Says Microsoft will Not be Out Innovated by Apple (NetworkWorld)
Let’s be honest. If you were to compile a list of words that encapsulate the last 10 years for Microsoft, the word ‘innovative’ probably wouldn’t make an appearance. Sure, they’ve had great overall success with the Xbox and, more recently, with Xbox Kinect, but the bulk of their revenue is still derived from unexciting software like Microsoft Office and various iterations of Windows. Granted, they’re still making money hand over first, but Microsoft hasn’t really been on the vanguard of technological innovation for quite some time.

Why Microsoft Should Screw Its Hardware Partners (Wired)
This week, an audacious Steve Ballmer predicted Microsoft will sell millions of its new keyboard-equipped tablets, the Surface, in the coming year. He also talked a good deal of trash about Apple, promising to compete with it everywhere. But that’s short-sighted, as Apple isn’t the real competition. Microsoft needs to beat, or at least beat up on, its longtime allies: PC manufacturers.

Why Does Microsoft Keep Partnering with Underdogs? (RedmondMag)
There’s a largely accurate adage about Microsoft that states ‘Softies are at their best when they are — or at least believe themselves to be — underdogs. Examples: It took market share erosion after years of owning of the Windows Web-browsing world to get the Internet Explorer team to finally step up its standards implementation and delivery cadence.

 

Around the Blogosphere
SharePoint Never Say “It Won’t Take Long” (SharePoint (and Project Server) Shenanigans)
SharePoint – why is nothing ever quick? Recently I had to help out a client who was trying to restore a single piece of content  from a backup. We had a backup copy of the content-db and the client also had a recovery farm we could use, so this shouldn’t have taken long.

Microsoft’s Social Secret Sauce from WPC12 (SharePoint Joel’s SharePoint Land)
I’ve been anxiously following the news of WPC in Toronto this week. The keynote didn’t hold too much… then we had an explosion of Yammer and SharePoint 15 news… Jared Spataro Director of Product Management for Microsoft presented at the world wide partner conference providing great insights into the Yammer acquisition and made a number of revelations in relation to SharePoint 15 social. We follow the twitter streams of Christian Buckley @buckleyplanet (SharePoint MVP) from Axceler and Naomi Moneypenny @nmoneypenny a SharePoint partner with adaptive SharePoint learning tool Synxi. Christian recently posted about the SPYam social experiment.

SharePoint: Event-Driven Crawl Schedule (SharePointDevWiki)
Recently I was working for a customer where I found some interesting requirements. The customer had several content sources and wanted to crawl them one by one after each other. Scheduling the incrementals for a fixed time was not a good solution as their content incrementals were very hectic: an incremental crawl for the same content source took 5 min one time, and then 1.5 hours the next time. And of course, they didn’t want idle time.

Making a Metro UI for SharePoint 2010 (SharePointlessness)
A while ago my friend Eric Harlan approached me asking if I could strip down a master page to its bare bones and make a Metro UI for SharePoint 2010. He had a project he wanted to put in place that would make the landing page of SharePoint look very much Metro. As we started working on this project, we decided to share it with the community so that others could create their very own Metro UI landing pages.

How to Replicate Data from a Network File Directory in a SharePoint Document Library with List Bulk Import 2.5 (The Bamboo Team Blog)
List Bulk Import allows users to easily migrate documents, pictures, and list data into SharePoint from: legacy databases; spreadsheets; SharePoint to SharePoint Server; Office 365; Claims-based and Forms-based Authentication environments; and/or any SharePoint document management application with large volumes of data and/or documents that need to be widely accessed. List Bulk Import allows you to retain valuable index information when importing to SharePoint, while eliminating the need for data re-entry. The import program has the option of running in the background, allowing users to continue to work while the application uploads documents and other data to SharePoint. In this post, I will demonstrate how to replicate an existing network file directory as a SharePoint Document Library.

The Pregnancy Conundrum, or How Many Variables Can Be Fixed in a Project? (The Bottom-Line PM)
In last week’s post, I elaborated on the fixed duration, fixed unit, and fixed work variables for project tasks. I don’t mean to belabor the point, but man, am I having a hard time internalizing this knowledge. Also, while I was talking to Tim Cermak about it, I realized I had a question. (Well, actually, I realized I had about 17 questions, but there’s one in particular that I want to discuss today.) In talking about fixed duration tasks, Tim said that a really good example of a fixed duration task is pregnancy. He said, “No matter how many doctors or women you add to the duration, ain’t no way that baby is coming out any faster, regardless of effort.”

PM Central R3.5 and Time Tracking Management R1.5 – Better Together as a Solution (The Bamboo Team Blog)
If you’re making a meatloaf, do you know what ingredients you need to buy at the store, how much they cost, and how long it will take you to make? Project management works the same way. A team member can give you their best guess as to how long it will take them to complete XYZ. He/she can also give you a guesstimate of the percentage complete, and you can draw a rough estimation from that. But if you could get accurate information, based on the time your team member reports against the task, wouldn’t it be better? You would know that it takes exactly 40 hours for your team member to complete XYZ. Not only that, you can use this information to build a better schedule for the next project, and budget the hours and costs more precisely with a lower percentage of error due to the increased accuracy of the data set.

 

SharePoint Job Listings*
Senior SharePoint Developer – Columbia, Maryland
The SharePoint Developer will support software development activities in web-enabled software applications, workflow automations and business process support. They will design, configure, implement and deploy web-enabled software and services to include SharePoint custom solutions that support business process using SharePoint “out-of-the-box” capabilities and SharePoint Designer. The SharePoint developer will be responsible for design, development custom content types and calculations to enhance and facilitate business processes and related data.

Software Developer (SharePoint) – Aberdeen, Maryland
Under close supervision, designs, develops, implements, and maintains software applications and systems using .NET framework within MS SharePoint. Develops software programs from project specifications. Understands MS SharePoint, such as administrative console and user interface. Works with users to define existing or new system requirements and objectives within the MS SharePoint application. Performs modifications to and maintenance of operational programs and procedures within SharePoint. Assists users in the operation of the SharePoint application.

 

Microsoft Updates
Vehicle Manufacturer Propels Customer Engagement with Digital Marketing Solutions (Microsoft)
Polaris Industries, a maker of recreational vehicles, wanted to better engage with customers to generate higher sales and revenues. The company implemented a solution that takes advantage of the Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 digital marketing platform along with technologies from Webtrends and GNet Group. Now, Polaris marketers use web-based dashboards to gauge the effectiveness of their marketing strategies. The solution integrates data from numerous channels to provide insights about the performance of each Polaris brand’s effectiveness in reaching consumers—much faster than before. For instance, Polaris produces real-time reports to measure engagement on its website and in other channels to improve engagement and optimize its marketing investments. Since implementing the solution, Polaris has achieved a double-digit reduction in “bounce rate” and cost-per-visit for its online ads.

 

SharePoint Events*

• July 11, Online – SharePoint as a Platform in a Highly Regulated Environment
• July 11, Online – The Missing Link In SharePoint Projects (Or How to Get Business Users to Embark on the SharePoint Journey)
• July 12, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Workflow Conductor Webinar
• July 12, Online – My Sites for Everyone
• July 12, Online – Critical Path Training No Cost Webinar Series: “On SharePoint Development – JavaScript” with Dave Mann
• July 17, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• July 17, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Community Central Webinar
• July 17, Online – Hypermiling With SharePoint Backup
• July 18, Online – SharePoint as a Platform in a Highly Regulated Environment
• July 18, Online – Instant ROI with SharePoint Search Webinar
• July 19, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• July 19, Online – Webinar: NewsGator Gives Benco Dental Social Bite
• July 19, Online – Integrating Office 365 With the Rest of Your Enterprise – Best Practices & Common Pitfalls
• July 24, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• July 25, Online – Making the Connection Between SharePoint and your Information Security Program
• July 26, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Time Tracking & Management Webinar
• July 26, Online – Business Intelligence & Reporting
• July 26, Online – Webinar: Business Intelligence for SharePoint
• July 28, New York, New York – SharePoint Saturday
• July 28, Louisville, Kentucky – SharePoint Saturday
• August 7, Online – Building Choices: Using Managed Metadata to Create Managed Choice Columns
• August 22-24, Washington, DC – SharePoint Saturday: The Conference
• August 28, Online – SharePoint Training Best Practices
• September 8, Branson, Missouri – SharePoint Saturday
• September 22, Manchester, New Hampshire – SharePoint Saturday
• September 25-27, Chicago, Illinois – SharePoint Fest
• September 29, Troy, Michigan – SharePoint Saturday

 

SharePoint Training*

• July 13, Online – Bamboo Select – Bamboo Solutions
• July 16-20, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint 2010 Advanced Developer – Mindsharp
• July 16-20, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint 2010 Designer – Mindsharp
• July 17-18, Chicago, Illinois – Introduction to SharePoint Foundation 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• July 17-20, Chicago, Illinois – Introduction to SharePoint Server 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• July 18, Online – Project Management Central (3.0) Application Administrative Training – Bamboo Solutions
• July, Online – Project Management Central (3.0) Application Administrative Training – Session 2 – Bamboo Solutions
• July 19, Online – SharePoint Re-Design And User Adoption Seminar – Mindsharp
• July 23-27, Online – SharePoint 2010 Core Technologies – Mindsharp
• July 24, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• July 24-26, Dallas, Texas – Introduction to SharePoint 2010 for Server Administrators – SharePoint Solutions
• July 30-August 2, Atlanta, Georgia – The Great SharePoint Adventure 2010 – Critical Path Training
• July 30-Aug 3, Online – SharePoint 2010 Power End User – Mindsharp
• July 30-Aug 3, Online – SharePoint 2010 Foundation Developer – Mindsharp
• July 30-Aug 3, Atlanta, Georgia – The Great SharePoint Adventure 2010 – Critical Path Training
• August 1-3, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint Information Architecture – How to Optimize Findability in SharePoint- Earley & Associates
• August 6-10, Dulles, Virginia – Power User 2010 Train the Trainer – SusQtech
• August 7, Online – Workflow Conductor Designer Training – Bamboo Solutions
• August 7-10, Washington, DC – InfoPath 2010/SharePoint 2010 Workflow Deep Dive  – SharePoint Solutions
• August 13-16, Dulles, Virginia – SharePoint 2010 Styling & Branding – SusQtech
• August 14-17, Dallas, Texas – Introduction to SharePoint Server 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• August 21-23, Nashville, Tennessee – Introduction to SharePoint 2010 for Server Administrators – SharePoint Solutions
• August 22, Online – Project Management Central (3.0) Application Administrative Training – Bamboo Solutions
• August 24, Online – Bamboo Select – Bamboo Solutions
• August 28, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• August 28-30, Toronto, ON – SharePoint Information Architecture – How to Optimize Findability in SharePoint – Earley & Associates
• August 28-31, Chicago, Illinois – InfoPath 2010/SharePoint 2010 Workflow Deep Dive – SharePoint Solutions

* Please contact Chris Dooley (chris.dooley@bamboosolutions.com) to be included in SharePoint Daily™.

 

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