The New SharePoint Services v3 – Todays favorite features: The Mobile Workplace

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As I’m preparing for the next set of SharePoint Services workshops in March, I thought I would share with you tidbits of information that may peak your interest in learning about and working with the new version of SharePoint.

Article information is from a Microsoft Whitepaper: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0D05DF2E-52FD-4DA5-B9CC-B84D2ED573F5&displaylang=en

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Collaboration on the Go: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and the Mobile Workplace

Now, your mobile workforce can remain productive, informed, and on-task away from the office—without access to a computer and even while working offline.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 workspaces are Web-based team sites that are accessible through a browser on a desktop or portable computer, and now, with support for mobile devices, from Web-enabled mobile phones, smart phones, or Pocket PCs.

1) Mobile Access to Your Work:

With Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, team workspaces can be accessed through the browser on your smart phone, Pocket PC, or Web-enabled mobile phone so that you can stay productive anywhere, anytime. Using a special URL (the URL of the team site with an “m” added to the end: http://server/myteamsite/site/m) gives you access to a simplified, text-only version of your workspace.
 
Once connected to the team workspace from your mobile device, you can view and update shared content including tasks, calendar entries, and contacts. You can also download, view, and edit Microsoft Office files, such as Microsoft Office PowerPoint® presentations, Microsoft Office Word documents, and Microsoft Office Excel® spreadsheets on your mobile device.

From the mobile view, sending e-mail messages from your mobile device to contacts stored in the workspace is easy: E-mail addresses show up as clickable hyperlinks. All you have to do is click the link on your mobile device to generate an e-mail message. Similarly, phone numbers of contacts found in the workspace also show up as hyperlinks, and when clicked the phone number will automatically dial.

2) Blog to SharePoint Sites from Your Mobile Device:

With Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, you can post to workspace blogs from your mobile device. You can also take digital photos using phones with built-in cameras and send a photo embedded in the body of an e-mail message from the phone to the workspace blog. The photo will appear on the blog site as a new entry and will also appear on the mobile view of the workspace as a hyperlink to the actual photo file. Photo-blogging is of course fun and dynamic, and it can also be very useful in a business setting. For example, a team member may be at an industry trade show and want to show colleagues an image of a new product design. The photo-blogging feature enables users to add visuals to their day-to-day mobile communications.

3) Post to Community Forums Using E-Mail:

For more flexibility in contributing to blogs and other Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 community forums, such as discussion boards, calendars, or document libraries, you can post content by sending a simple e-mail message from your portable computer or mobile device to the e-mail address associated with that SharePoint list. You don’t even need to connect to your team site—just compose the message using a preconfigured template and the message or content will be available to others who have access to the workspace.

4) Alerts on the Go:

For mobile workers who aren’t able to connect to the team site regularly, alerts are an efficient way to stay informed of changes made to the workspace. You can receive alerts on your Web-enabled or e-mail-capable mobile phone, smart phone, or Pocket PC. Through customizable e-mail alerts, notifications, and RSS feeds, team members are automatically informed of changes to workspace content or to new or changed task assignments.

5) Office Outlook Mobile and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0:

Just as information stored on SharePoint sites can be accessed through Office Outlook 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 enables Pocket PC users who have Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile installed to access SharePoint items—calendars, tasks, contacts, discussions, and documents—through Office Outlook Mobile.

6) A Workspace for Every Need:

For example, the new GroupBoard Workspace 2007 application template allows users to create a meeting schedule, book meeting rooms, send out memos via phone or e-mail, locate another team member, and more. Mobile users can access GroupBoard Workspace 2007 information from the browser of their mobile device, helping them keep in touch with the team and up-to-date on team happenings even on the road.
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So as you can see, you have a lot to look forward to when you begin using SharePoint Services v3. Think of your mobile clients and determine if these features would be beneficial to them.

Andrea Kalli
Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant, LLC

Your #1 resource for Outlook training and SharePoint training
www.virtualassist.net

SharePoint Services v3 workshops available via the University of Virtual Assistants, www.uofvas.com.