Microsoft owns SharePoint. Everyone else, it seems, wants to own a little corner of the expanding SharePoint universe (ourselves included). Vendors want to convince you that their solution is the best one for solving your SharePoint problem. Consultants will tell you that their staffs are the most proficient with SharePoint technology, and can give you the biggest bang for your buck. Bloggers and blog aggregators want you think they are must-reads to stay on top of all that’s happening in SharePoint. Newsletters (such as this one) try to tell you that if you read this, you’ll need nothing else.
And you know what? It’s still not enough. SharePoint users—newbies and veterans alike—still struggle with finding answers to their specific problems. “Enough blogs on the Client Object Model and PowerShell,” they say. “Solve MY problem!” Of course, there are problems (“I can’t configure my metadata fields”) and then there are PROBLEMS (“My company’s launching a SharePoint implementation, and I don’t know why—and I’m the point person!” It’ll take more than 140 characters to get past THAT one!)
But, they say, “If someone would just put all the SharePoint information into ONE PLACE, it’d make my life so much easier!”
So, what can be done about this? In reality, not much. Can all these little SharePoint “owners” be brought together under one umbrella? No. In fact, part of what makes the SharePoint community so rich and vibrant is that there ARE all these little corners of SharePoint, where nuggets of goodness can be found. This should be celebrated, not hated.
Leave it to technologists to think there’s a technology solution for everything. Wait… come to think of it, there is. It’s called Google (irony not intended—biiing!!). And Twitter. And Facebook. And MSDN. And so many more sites, blogs, webinars, conferences, SharePoint Saturdays and user group meetings where excellent information can be had.
It’s like the difference between living in a town where you can walk down Main Street and stop in the bakery, the clothing boutique and the card store, or living in a place that only has a Price Club (or Sam’s Club, or BJ’s Wholesale Club, depending upon your geography!). Sometimes, the joy is in the walk. You never know what you might find.
Happy information shopping!
—David
