Comments on: My Compromise with SharePoint — What Works and What Doesn’t http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/ Technical Communication Blog / Technical Writing Blog Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:32:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tom http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-142569 Tom Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:17:04 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-142569 When I think of designing a SharePoint site, I'd rather hit myself in the face with a brick. When I think of designing a SharePoint site, I’d rather hit myself in the face with a brick.

]]> By: Your r an idiot http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-142494 Your r an idiot Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:15:45 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-142494 you r an idiot from your article I could see that you must be exposed to sharepoint for a month or two. First, learn things before you can apply it. you r an idiot from your article I could see that you must be exposed to sharepoint for a month or two. First, learn things before you can apply it.

]]> By: Sravan Kasyap http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-139154 Sravan Kasyap Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:17:42 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-139154 A nice article which makes things clearer. But i was wondering how would Flare store the topics and other details in the database. Also was wondering how easy it is for a developer to perform the context sensitive help. What i mean is If i have a webpart in the shareppoint and i have to tie the context sensitive help to that field in the webpart, is it possible? For example, if i have username and password fields in the webpart, if i select username field and press F1, i expect to show a certain page in help which reflects the username topic. Is it possible with Flare? How great are the API's with in the Flare. Can i do a search on a key word and automatically populate all the available topics pertaining to that search? Finally how do we publish the help topics to Sharepoint? I am asking these questions to you as you have already used the product. Well i have sent a mail to the MadCap Flare company for more technical support for which i did not get response yet. So, I will really appreciate if you could take out your couple of minutes to answer my questions. Thanks in advance. Please mail all your communicaiton to sravankasyapk@gmail.com A nice article which makes things clearer. But i was wondering how would Flare store the topics and other details in the database. Also was wondering how easy it is for a developer to perform the context sensitive help. What i mean is If i have a webpart in the shareppoint and i have to tie the context sensitive help to that field in the webpart, is it possible? For example, if i have username and password fields in the webpart, if i select username field and press F1, i expect to show a certain page in help which reflects the username topic. Is it possible with Flare? How great are the API’s with in the Flare. Can i do a search on a key word and automatically populate all the available topics pertaining to that search? Finally how do we publish the help topics to Sharepoint?

I am asking these questions to you as you have already used the product. Well i have sent a mail to the MadCap Flare company for more technical support for which i did not get response yet.

So, I will really appreciate if you could take out your couple of minutes to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance. Please mail all your communicaiton to sravankasyapk@gmail.com

]]> By: Tom http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-134186 Tom Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:57:58 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-134186 If you want developers to contribute, use the wiki. But be warned that getting people to contribute substantially to a wiki's help documentation is next to impossible. If you want developers to contribute, use the wiki. But be warned that getting people to contribute substantially to a wiki’s help documentation is next to impossible.

]]> By: Gina Fevrier http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-134185 Gina Fevrier Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:55:56 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-134185 I just need a blog or WIKI on SharePoint for help topics regarding our internal SharePoint site. I use RoboHelp 7 for our customer help docs. I don't want to use RoboHelp because I want our own development team to contribute to the SharePoint help topics without having to use RoboHelp (since I'm the only one who uses it). Thanks for the advice --- this is really a good site. I just need a blog or WIKI on SharePoint for help topics regarding our internal SharePoint site. I use RoboHelp 7 for our customer help docs. I don’t want to use RoboHelp because I want our own development team to contribute to the SharePoint help topics without having to use RoboHelp (since I’m the only one who uses it). Thanks for the advice — this is really a good site.

]]> By: Tom http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-134184 Tom Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:52:07 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-134184 There's not too much difference between SharePoint's blog and wiki formats -- it all depends on how you edit the permissions. Blog posts allow comments below them; wikis don't. Wikis show all the metadata columns; blogs don't. In the end, both formats are problematic because you can't single source or export the content into another format -- they're trapped in SharePoint. That was a big enough deal for me to abandon the platform (except as a landing page). If you don't have access to admin functions or to SharePoint Designer, you won't be able to do much at all. You might download a "trial" perhaps if you have a virtual server and know how to set that up. The best trial is to experiment on a test site already set up on your company's server. Rather than a blog or wiki, you might want a different site altogether. There's one called a knowledge base or something -- I think that might work best. There’s not too much difference between SharePoint’s blog and wiki formats — it all depends on how you edit the permissions. Blog posts allow comments below them; wikis don’t. Wikis show all the metadata columns; blogs don’t.

In the end, both formats are problematic because you can’t single source or export the content into another format — they’re trapped in SharePoint. That was a big enough deal for me to abandon the platform (except as a landing page).

If you don’t have access to admin functions or to SharePoint Designer, you won’t be able to do much at all. You might download a “trial” perhaps if you have a virtual server and know how to set that up. The best trial is to experiment on a test site already set up on your company’s server.

Rather than a blog or wiki, you might want a different site altogether. There’s one called a knowledge base or something — I think that might work best.

]]> By: Gina Fevrier http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-134183 Gina Fevrier Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:36:14 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-134183 I'm a tech writer at a software company and have just been tasked with reorganizing our SharePoint (WSS 3.0) site. What's the best way to create help topics and post them on SharePoint? I've seen Microsoft's articles on customizing the online help, but there's a lot of programming and I'm not a developer, and ours don't have time to help. Currently one of the developers posted some help topics as a List of tasks (?). Really weird to me. I've read in your posts that a SharePoint blog is better than a WIKI. I'm really going about this blindly because I don't have access to the administrative functions of our SharePoint. Thinking about downloading a trial and using it locally. Any ideas? By the way, I am so glad I found your blog today -- it has a ton of relevant information. I’m a tech writer at a software company and have just been tasked with reorganizing our SharePoint (WSS 3.0) site. What’s the best way to create help topics and post them on SharePoint? I’ve seen Microsoft’s articles on customizing the online help, but there’s a lot of programming and I’m not a developer, and ours don’t have time to help. Currently one of the developers posted some help topics as a List of tasks (?). Really weird to me. I’ve read in your posts that a SharePoint blog is better than a WIKI. I’m really going about this blindly because I don’t have access to the administrative functions of our SharePoint. Thinking about downloading a trial and using it locally. Any ideas?

By the way, I am so glad I found your blog today — it has a ton of relevant information.

]]> By: footers in word http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-133032 footers in word Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:10:52 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-133032 [...] SharePoint not only has blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds, but also integrates with Active Directory,http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/Footers Property?Word 2007 Developer ReferenceReturns a HeadersFooters collection that represents [...] [...] SharePoint not only has blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds, but also integrates with Active Directory,http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/Footers Property?Word 2007 Developer ReferenceReturns a HeadersFooters collection that represents [...]

]]> By: Get the Latest SharePoint News - SharePoint News http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-132336 Get the Latest SharePoint News - SharePoint News Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:54:52 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-132336 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] much written for exporting to either access or excel 2003. Please help this poor traumatised ... My Compromise with SharePoint — What Works and Doesn’t In a previous post, I mentioned my desire to use SharePoint as a help authoring platform because [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] much written for exporting to either access or excel 2003. Please help this poor traumatised … My Compromise with SharePoint — What Works and Doesn’t In a previous post, I mentioned my desire to use SharePoint as a help authoring platform because [...]

]]> By: 06/24/2008 Writing Jobs and Links : PoeWar.com Writer’s Resource Center http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/06/23/my-compromise-with-sharepoint-what-works-and-doesnt/comment-page-1/#comment-132310 06/24/2008 Writing Jobs and Links : PoeWar.com Writer’s Resource Center Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:16:04 +0000 http://www.idratherbewriting.com/?p=1637#comment-132310 [...] My Compromise with SharePoint — What Works and What Doesn’t: Like most Microsoft products, Sharepoint almost does what you want, but it drives you crazy getting there. [...] [...] My Compromise with SharePoint — What Works and What Doesn’t: Like most Microsoft products, Sharepoint almost does what you want, but it drives you crazy getting there. [...]

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