After many months of thinking about the future of SharePoint Simple CMS we have decided to release once more the new version for free for non commercial purposes.

Our contribution to the SharePoint Community tries to reach the following goals:

1. Communicate the following message: SharePoint branding does not have to be painful.
2. SharePoint works great for public facing Web sites. It has advantages in comparison with more used platforms as WP.
3. Give Web developers the possibility of playing with SharePoint Simple CMS’s code in order to create unique new web apps.

We expect to publish some SP solutions for commercial use after the summer.
the free download will be available at www.sharepointcms.com the 20th of July 2011

Are you using SharePoint for your web site?

I would love to know your answer and arguments. Please feel free to send them to @joseamorales

There is a growing sound that says: The Web is evolving in to The Cloud. And that is a fundamental change in the whole concept of the Internet. It means that The Cloud is a huge repository of information instead of a collection of Web sites.

The difference is important:

• Collection of web sites = information + Web sites
• Repository of information = information

If we live in a Cloud based environment then the Web browser is no longer required. What is needed is one or multiple client applications that can read, format, display and present to users to consume and interact. Indeed I’m talking about Apps.

If that is the case I would have to change the name of my blog… and call it Sharepoint for Apps!

This is an extract of my article soon to be published at NothingBuSharePoint.com

“Imagine there’s no Browser
It’s easy if you try
No customization bellow us
Above us only Apps
Imagine all the users
Sharing for today…
… You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the Cloud will be as one…

-- in memoriam. Adapted from Lenon’s Imagine.”

My team is working on a new SharePoint based application that runs on a PC Web browser or iPhone.

When testing we got a first problem. SP will automatically redirect the iPhone’s Safari to a mobile view. I tried to see where to disable the mobile view but I found nothing.

After searching from reliable sources I found an article from Randy Drisgill explaining the solution.

You will find a file named compat.browser, that configures SP behavior with multiple browsers, find the iPhone section and follow Randy’s advice:

“To turn OFF the automatic mobile version of the site for this phone, we just need to change isMobileDevice from True to False and save the file.”

Of course I’m talking about SharePoint and Web sites.

For a few nights I find sleeping a challenge. Might be the change of season or the realization of a new trend. Anyway I need to write what I found so far.

If you are reading this suffering from insomnia, I advise you to check this article from Wired. It will help to fully understand what I will write next.

Why would I use SharePoint for public facing sites if there is such a wonderful diversity of choices?

For me SharePoint (SP) is the choice because it is solid and powerful for content creation.

How to differentiate from the competition?

Assuming that the competition uses other alternatives to SharePoint for building Web sites.

If you know to customize SharePoint and work with SharePoint templates you can be faster than the competition.

Selling Web sites is basically about design, it is not about technology. SharePoint can feed any standard HTML and CSS based Web design. The result very good looking sites with powerful content creation capabilities.

With SharePoint Simple CMS you can start your work with templates and design integration. And soon SharePoint Simple CMS will be available under a Creative Commons license.

Is SharePoint too late for the Web?

If you think on the Web as what a Web Browser can see, I think the answer is yes. Anyway SharePoint is not the only thing you need for a good Web site and the other things are long time in the market: Adobe Creative Suite, CSS, JavaScript, etc.

If you think on the Web as a global hard disk I think SharePoint is a very good tool to feed any kind of specialized application that gets information from the Web. I would love to use SP to feed iPhone Apps!

The problem comes when you wish to offer something that already exists and it is well established.

The solution is closer to what Seth Godin describes as “making art”. SharePoint is the toolset for you to create art. And don’t be confused when Seth says “free”. He means that the art is that free thing that comes in something made specially designed for enjoyment; Apple charges you for the iPad not for the joy you will have when using it.

If your business idea already exists: An online bookstore for example, be sure Amazon will win. But if you make an online bookstore with specific target like old Slavic poetry books you could get Amazon as a customer.

That said, SharePoint doesn’t have nothing to do with success of your ideas. SharePoint can help you a lot to make your good ideas realizable.

I would say that building Web sites is not about SharePoint, it is about getting success trough innovation and art. I think SharePoint is one of the right tools. 

datavis:

How to develop mobile applications

Are you the same than 10 years ago? I’m sure some one would say that you really changed… and in many cases that would sounds as bad. We all have that strange reaction towards change. 

But something I’m finding out is that our beloved World Wide Web is not the same than in the past.

• Before WWW was a way to publish information inexpensively. Personal, commercial or any kind.
• Web sites were designed basically as a channel of communication.
• The Web was seen as a store capable of being available 24 hours per day.

Of course that is still true but there are a few things worth to mention about the changes.

• The WWW is now a place where we store our collective intelligence, knowledge, feelings, dreams and even fears.
• Web sites are designed for achieving results: marketing campaigns, communication campaigns and also humanitarian causes. (there is a better structured focus on results).
• We find on the web informed opinions about products and services. That will help us to define where, when and why to buy something.

The trend is that the individual is the one that got the power. The Corporation is not a protagonist here. What mazes me is that each individual didn’t get power but the sum of them is what is shaping the Web.

• The WWW is a place where we add or help others to add information with meaning to our collective intelligence, knowledge, feelings, dreams and even fears. With the intention of building systems for receiving back crowd based conclusions.
• Web sites are designed to help individuals identify communities and provide meaningful information in exchange for recognition, social awareness, philanthropy, etc. Web sites get a role: connect people.
• The Web is not a only market, is a mirror that merges the multiple aspects of humanity.

10 Miss the old WWW

20 Celebrate the new WWW

30 GOTO 10

Image source and license.

There are just few simple steps:

1. Create a List
2. Open SharePoint Designer 2007 and open a blank .aspx page.
3. Delete all the code generated in .aspx page
4. In the Task pane open the Data Source Library and click Show Data
5. Select the Title field and than click Insert Selected Fields as … Multiple…

Thanks to Dux (meetdux.com) for sharing this important peace of work: The FaceBook Kit for SharePoint.

The Kit includes:

1. Facebook Login Web part
2. Facebook Sharing Web part
3. Facebook status Web part
4. Facebook comments Web part

As you know I work with SharePoint for public facing Web sites. In that case FaceBook is a great platform to think about when designing your Web project. The power of Social media is inevitable and can provide immense value.

The Facebook Kit is work made by Phil Wicklund. Congratulations!

Dux is also sharing a great source for authentication using Open ID. That makes sense because FB is also compatible with Open ID.

This is the second part of the video related to SharePoint and Internet Sites. I made it late at night so my English is worse than normal :)