Wow, four years ago today I sat down to write my first SharePoint Daily.  -  Dooley

Top News Stories
Open Source Tools Level SharePoint 2010 Collaboration Playing Field (SearchContentManagement)
As the market leader in enterprise collaboration technology, SharePoint gets lots of attention. That speaks not only to the place it holds in the enterprise, but also to the size of the independent software vendor (ISV) community that designs, sells and supports an overwhelming number of add-ons for SharePoint. But while there are many available tools that can expand SharePoint’s collaboration capabilities and fill the gaps in its out-of-the-box functionality, some organizations simply can’t afford them because of budget constraints. As a result, many often find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.

Is the New Office More Important to Microsoft than Windows 8? (CNET)
Microsoft is expected to take the wraps off of its latest Office today and the product launch may be more strategically critical than Windows 8. Of course, you’d never know the role of Office 15 judging by the headlines. The numbers, however, tell a different tale. As Mary Jo Foley noted, Office, which is likely to be known as Office 2013, has a few question marks. It’s unclear how folks will get it. Functionality is an unknown — at least for those of us without a copy of the beta — and integration with Windows 8 will be interesting.

Office 2013: Editions at a Glance and FAQ (ZDNet)
You have questions about Office 2013. I have answers. What is Office 2013? Office 2013 is the latest release of Microsoft Office. It is currently available in a customer preview edition (a public beta) intended for use with Windows 7 and Windows 8 on desktop PCs, notebooks, and tablets. The Office 2013 family includes a large number of desktop apps as well as server products (most notably Exchange and SharePoint).

Hands-On: Microsoft Office Finally Gets Serious About the Cloud (Wired)
However unlikely it may seem, Microsoft just announced two new versions of Office, and the new builds aren’t pieces of inscrutable, soul-killing bloatware per the company’s productivity suite tradition. Believe it or not, Microsoft has finally made Office borderline cool. Facing competition from Google Drive and Apple’s iWork/iCloud integration, Microsoft is stepping up its game, making real strides in an Office suite that everyone uses, but no one really enjoys. On Monday, Microsoft officially unveiled Office 2013 and Office 365. With the cloud at center stage and a refreshed design borrowed from the Windows 8 Metro interface, the new Microsoft Office is actually relevant — and enjoyable to use.

Enterprise Social: Beyond The Newsfeed (Enterprise Irregulars)
In a continuation (of sorts) to the previous session on SharePoint here at Microsoft WPC, Jared Spataro discussed more about where Microsoft – specifically SharePoint – is headed with enterprise social. He did repeat some of the information from the last session, since it’s not all the same audience, specifically the discussion around key industry trends (social, consumerization, devices/mobile, cloud, and cross-organization support). The title of the talk is (I think) based on the idea that Microsoft’s previous vision of social was including newsfeeds directly in the Outlook/Exchange client: more of a customized consumption rather than truly social.

Is Microsoft Small Business Server Really Gone? (ChannelBuzz)
After a 10 year run, Microsoft appears to have closed the curtain on the popular Small Business Server product.  Reaction throughout the IT community is mixed on why Microsoft decided to pull the rug out from under a popular yet very niche product line to favour of the continued effort to move small-business customers to the company’s Office 365 solution.

EU Opens Microsoft Antitrust Probe Over Browser Choice (CNET)
Microsoft is back under the European Union antitrust spotlight after it was accused of failing to give its European customers a choice of Web browsers, following the terms of a 2009 settlement. The European Commission said it had received complaints that Microsoft misled EU authorities over its “browser ballot” screen, which was first rolled out to Windows users in February 2010. The software giant may not have provided all customers with a screen where a choice of browser could be selected, the EU’s antitrust chief said today.

 

Around the Blogosphere
SharePoint’s NDA Policy: What Does the SPYam Community Think of the Secrecy? (Furuknap’s SharePoint Corner)
A few months ago, I posted a longer rant about Microsoft’s secrecy policy is hurting the SharePoint community. Since then, I’ve received numerous Twitter and email comments (as well as a few comments on the article), but there never was a real debate about the issues. With the new and absolutely brilliant SPYam community, we suddenly have a great platform on which to have these conversations, and it didn’t take long before the NDA policy came up as a topic of debate.

How to Send an Email when a SharePoint Site or Web is Deleted (SharePointDevWiki)
For various governance reasons you may want to email the site owner when a SharePoint site is deleted. A list of the possible reasons could be: The site was deleted in error and the earlier you notify the owners – the better. (it can be restored if you have a back-up); Maybe you have an automated governance job that deletes unused sites after so many days. Once these sites are deleted it’d be good to know (for reason 1); Maybe there is an auditing requirement to track deletions?

Hypermiling with SharePoint Data Protection Video (SharePointEduTech)
Last week I had the pleasure of hosting a webinar with Sean McDonough on the subject of SharePoint backup and how to get best value from the out of the box backup. Below you can find the recording of the session and also the links the Sean shared during the presentation.

Get Free SharePoint Tips from Bill English with Mindsharp’s Video Clip Summer Sampler & You May Just Win a Free Class (The Bamboo Team Blog)
Mindsharp has just this week launched a “Video Clip Summer Sampler” promotion, and it’s hosted by none other than SharePoint MVP Bill English, who avid readers may also recognize as an occasional guest blogger right here at Bamboo Nation. For those who may not know, however, Bill is The Man when it comes to organization and findability in SharePoint, and in this video promotion, he’ll be sharing a tip a day each Monday through Thursday throughout the month of July, all at the low, low price of “free.”

User’s Guide to Time Tracking and Management for SharePoint 2010, Part 2: Configuring Cost Tracking & Entering Time in the Timesheet (The Bamboo Team Blog)
Following on from part one of our User’s Guide to Time Tracking and Management for SharePoint 2010, we’re going to pick up right where we left off, moving on to… 4. Configuring Cost Tracking

 

SharePoint Job Listings*
SharePoint Developer – Washington, DC
The candidate will support the development and enhancements of projects using Microsoft technologies. This position works within an integrated team environment to analyze, design, develop, test, and debug cutting edge web-based solutions for agency customers. Each project will involve technical skills ranging from SharePoint deployment and configuration, extending SharePoint APIs, and the development of custom web parts.

SharePoint Developer – Boston/Watertown, MA
The SharePoint Developer is responsible for creating and maintaining a proactive, sustainable intranet environment. This individual will improve business processes and support critical business initiatives by developing solutions that leverage the Bright Horizons SharePoint intranet.

 

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 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 18, Online – SharePoint as a Platform in a Highly Regulated Environment
• 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 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 19, 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™.

 

Have SharePoint Daily™ delivered to your email inbox every morning.