Euan Semple lays into Sharepoint

Euan Semple is former knowledge management guy at the BBC, but we don't hold that against him. He helped nurture a community covering all the BBC's work without over-managing things.

Sharepoint is the Microsoft solution for helping people set up social communities using webparts which anyone can pick and choose - yeah, man, real freedom ;-) Sharepoint is also a major part of the backbone of Glow.

Euan doesn't like Sharepoint. It's poor at creating the kind of exciting communities you (by virtue of dipping into this blog) and I (by reading your blog) can take part in with some free tools and curiosity. It fits some organisations today, he says, but it won't fit the organisations of tomorrow. Yikes.

I'll be taking a look at Sharepoint's offerings as soon as, well, I'm given something to look at. In the meantime, blog on...

Update: Ouch! John seems to think I've got it in for Sharepoint, for Glow for the world in general, which I really don't - but I've explained why chez lui.

Comments

[Bob Hill]

Having worked with standard Sharepoint in the past, I would agree with Euan Semple. For instance, I have just scrolled up the page to check on Euan's surname. I cannot do that in Sharepoint or Glow.

However Glow is a lot more than just Sharepoint and so we may learn to forgive it. Pupils in two pilot schools I visited today are happy with using it.

[AB]

Whilst there is a lot that sharepoint can't do at the moment, there are a great deal of things that it can. Forgive me though Bob - I'm all in favour of kids being happy, but I'd equally like them to be inspired, innovative, connected and creative too?

[chris]

Reading this as a language specialist as opposed to a geek ;-) I'd say it is a fairly straightforward reporting of what someone else thinks, with a few humorous additions. Maybe it's the humour that caused the misinterpretation?

[Bob Hill]

Ok Chris... we need an interpreter as well!!!