Nearly every association, charity, and nonprofit that I’ve ever worked with uses videos in some capacity.  Videos for member certification training, videos for volunteer training, videos for free, videos for sale, Learning Management System(LMS) integration, Webinars, Conferences, grass roots mobilization, advertising, member created videos, news and much more.  Videos have been in use longer than websites for organizations.  Oddly enough, video distribution on the internet can still be complicated.   Guess what?  It doesn’t have to be. 

YouTube made it easy to understand for everyone.  Upload a video from a camera and share it with the world for free.  Simple enough, but with the association industry there are usually more strings attached.  Who can upload videos?  Which videos are branded?  Which videos require membership for access?  Which videos can be purchased independently or in addition to membership?

In today’s associations, video upload and distribution is largely a business discussion – not a technology discussion.  The technology is available.  I can watch any NetFlix movie on my iPad anytime I want.  It is easy.  The business objectives of who, how, when, where, and why members, volunteers, and the public get to upload or view videos is often decision by committee.  That’s the complicated part.

As far as the technology goes, SharePoint 2010 has video streaming using Silverlight right out of the box.  Out of the box means that it requires no further configuration of any kind to get it to work!  If you are running SharePoint 2010, you can add a Media Web Part and then choose a video or upload a new video.

So who can upload videos?  Anyone that you want to grant access to upload videos.  Who can watch videos?  Anyone that you want to grant rights to the videos.  A custom authentication provider can even provide roles based upon commerce purchases, committees, groups, board members, and so on.  This means that a transaction can associate a user with the appropriate rights to watch a video.  This role can be associated with the user immediately upon purchase and could last an hour, a day, a week, or forever. 

SharePoint 2010 video streaming is very, very good.  It is easy to upload a video.  It is easy to drop the video web part on any page and embed video directly on the page.  However, some organizations provide a tremendous amount of video distribution and want it all private, controlled, and want detailed analytics on it – specifically how to MONETIZE the video services.  Microsoft has you covered as well with IIS Media Services.   IIS Media Services (in its third generation) gives you unprecedented control over your media serving capabilities.  The good news is that these services can be used with your SharePoint environment.  With all of this video, all you have to worry about now is that you have the bandwidth to support your extremely popular site!

Here are some details about the capabilities available with IIS Media Services.

 Bit Rate Throttling – The Bit Rate Throttling module has compelling features for media and data delivery. For many scenarios, this feature will reduce bandwidth costs while increasing per-server capacity for concurrent download connections.

 Live Smooth Streaming – Live Smooth Streaming enables adaptive streaming of live events to Silverlight clients. Using HTTP to deliver live events takes advantage of the scale of existing HTTP networks and keeps content close to the end user and makes true HD (720p+) a reality for live Web broadcasts as well as drastically increasing live event availability.

 Smooth Streaming – Smooth Streaming enables adaptive streaming of media to Silverlight clients over HTTP. Smooth Streaming provides a high-quality viewing experience that scales massively on content distribution networks making true HD media experiences (720p+) a reality.

 Smooth Streaming Client – The IIS Smooth Streaming Client Development Kit allows you to build rich Silverlight user experiences that take full advantage of IIS live and on-demand Smooth Streaming capabilities.

 Web Playlists – Web Playlists is an IIS 7.0 Extension that provides developers and hosters unprecedented control of how media content is delivered to users. Personalize content, prevent ad skipping, and monetize your assets.

As with any consulting engagement, it is extremely important to understand what is considered “in scope”.  What is even more important to the paying client is being clear on what is “out of scope”.  Microsoft does a good job of clarifying this question when working with Advisory Services related designing and implementing workflows in SharePoint Designer 2007 or SharePoint Designer 2010.

While the in-scope/out-of-scope topic has had books written on the subject, something I find that will deserve more and more attention as implementation tools and frameworks grow (like SharePoint) is the concept of configuration vs development.  For example, Microsoft details very clearly that they will ‘assist in developing workflows’, yet creating workflows in Visual Studio is out of scope.  I think that what they are trying to clarify is that they will help configure workflows in SharePoint designer.  If you ask a Developer if using SharePoint Designer is considered development – most will laugh.  It can be used to help develop a solution, but they will explain that this is not developing workflows – this is configuration.  Wikipedia (the only place to get the straight dope) explains that “The term software development is often used to refer to the activity of computer programming, which is the process of writing and maintaining the source code, whereas the broader sense of the term includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software.”

Using SharePoint Designer is clearly not writing and maintaining source code, so I suppose that Advisory Services is choosing to use the broader sense of the term…

Included with scope

• Assist in planning business logic for workflows.
• Assist planning list structure, content types, and site columns.
• Assist in developing workflows.
• Assist with debugging existing workflow logic.
• Assist in helping customer understand workflow capabilities in SharePoint Designer 2007  or in SharePoint Designer 2010.
• Assist planning migration options.Assist choosing the best workflow technology for a scenario.

Out of scope

• Create workflows in Visual Studio.
• Manually migrate list workflows in SharePoint Designer 2007 or in SharePoint Designer 2010.
• Create customer actions.
• Implement custom actions.
• Debug custom actions.

Microsoft Advisory Services is an hourly fee-based, consultative support option that provides proactive support beyond your break-fix product maintenance needs. This is a remote, phone-based support option that includes working with the same technician for assistance with issues like product migration, code review, or new program development. This service is typically used for shorter engagements, and is designed for developers and IT professionals who do not require the traditional onsite consulting or sustained account management services that are available from other Microsoft support options. This article also provides some self-help resources for this scenario.

Snippets quoted from KB2283286

For additional information on Microsoft Advisory Services, including on how to engage, refer to this Microsoft web page:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=AdvisoryService

SharePoint has extremely robust content storage capabilities.  Being such a robust framework, there are no “wrong ways” to use SharePoint.  Sure, I’ve seen SharePoint poorly implemented, but that actually speaks to the capabilities of the platform.  Due to the feature rich toolset, there are literally hundreds of ways to configure and use SharePoint.  Some are great, some not so good.  That is a primary reason behind the concept of best practices.  Unfortunately, best practices are generally taken as the only way to do something in a technology platform, but in reality these best practices are usually just prescriptive guidance based upon experience, usability, functionality, and performance.

So what is the best practice related to document libraries with regards to folders?  Do you use folders or not?  Here is my prescriptive guidance…

Using folders is such a great concept that the idea largely hasn’t changed since the advent of paper.  In fact, even Multics utilized the concept of folders in the early 1960s.  The idea of using folders is simple – store related content items close together to make them easier to find when you need them.  In fact, I use folders all the time at home.  I have a an entire file folder cabinet that I use to store papers in their relevant folders.  I have folders for bills, folders for tax info, folders for warranty information, etc.  I use these folders out of necessity because the content that I store in them is physical – not digital.

Folders have persevered through nearly all versions of computing devices from websites to mobile devices.   Does it make sense to keep doing something just because that’s the way we’ve always done it?  Folders may be easy to understand and explain, but is it really the best use of technology?

I don’t think so.  I think folders are an antiquated way of storing and retrieving content, and I’m not alone in this.  Google agrees with me.  Yes, the multi-billion dollar organization has a singular hive mind – and this massive mind agrees with me.  Don’t believe me?  Gmail doesn’t have folders.  Gmail has labels.

Labels, tags, keywords or metadata are terms that people use interchangeably.  Labels can be applied to any piece of content to help describe the content item.  Most things you purchase have labels: food, clothing, autos, computers, and even mobile devices.  they all come with attached labels.  Labels can also be attached to content.  For example, if I upload a video to share of my child swimming and title it, “John’s kids at the beach”, you have no idea from the title alone that it is a video about a 7 year old child learning to swim to a floating dock.    This is where adding labels to help describe the video can help.  I will likely add labels with my child’s name, and then some very specific labels, such as Learning, Dock, Ocean City, MD, Swimming, etc.  This enables me to go back and find videos at a later date based on a variety of sorting.  I could easily find all videos with that particular child.  I could easily find all videos marked as Ocean City.  I could easily find all videos that were specifically about Summer 2010.  These labels will also help other people locate the information that they are seeking.

Can you do this with folders?  What folders would you create?  If I create a folder for each child, then there is no way to group by activities.  If I create a folder for each type of activity, then there is no way to group by child.  A major difference between folders and labels is that each piece of content can only exist in a single folder but can be marked with many labels.

SharePoint supports both folders and labels (though in SharePoint labels are called metadata and columns).  So which should you use?  I think the answer is clear: use metadata.  Though they are definitely not mutually exclusive, here are some other good reasons to use metadata INSTEAD of folders.

1. Metadata can be used to create views.  Sure, views can be created within a folder as well.  But views cannot span 2 folders.
2. Metadata can be a required property.  In SharePoint, you cannot dictate which folder items get stored in.  You can dictate that uploaded content will be classified by as many properties as you see fit.
3. Folders do not give you ‘counts’ of how many items they contain until you open them.  With metadata, you can easily see counts in grouping, views, etc.
4. Any single content item can have as many pieces of metadata as you wish, thus being shown in as many views.  However, content cannot exist in multiple folders.
5. In SharePoint, folders make unnecessarily long and complicated URLs (and don’t forget the URL length is still limited).
6. Updating a single column to change the metadata of an item is easy.  Moving content from one folder to another requires more thought.
7. Navigating through a folder hierarchy can only be efficient to the people that know the entire folder hierarchy.  After about 2 weeks, this is no one.
8. SharePoint 2010 allows you to modify the navigation to leverage metadata and content types.  You do not have to utilize the giant collapsible tree of folders that is inherent within Windows Explorer.

Of course, you will still run into folders in SharePoint.  In fact, SharePoint 2010 has many new enhancements around using folders.  Plus, folders are comfortable.  Some people will mention view limits in SharePoint as a reason for folders.  SharePoint 2010 throttling makes this argument go away.  Some people will still stand by organization.  Other people will say that security is a reason to use folders.  While it’s true that you can put security on a Folder (and thus the items within the folder), managing security at the subfolder level is both time consuming and a management headache.  It is much easier to manage security at the library/list/site level, as typical best practices would prescribe.  I mean, you have item level security too, but who wants to manage security at the item level?  This is an exception and not the rule.

Am I saying that I avoid folders where possible?  Yes.  Am I saying that there is no place for folders?  No.  Folders can still be an effective tool if used correctly.  Are folders and metadata mutually exclusive?  Of course not!  Even if you elect to use folders, you should still use an effective metadata structure.

Please wield this powerful folder weapon wisely…

I will be presenting a SharePoint 2010 session on Tuesday morning, July 13, at the Hotel Allegro in Chicago, IL.  SharePoint 2010 is poised to completely revolutionize how organizations connect people, processes, and information.  SharePoint 2010 has arrived and there are three big questions on everyone’s mind:

1. What are the key functional improvements in SharePoint 2010?
2. What are the immediate and practical benefits of upgrading to 2010?
3. What are the strategies, costs, and risks of upgrading?

Join me for a FREE workshop to find out everything you need to know about SharePoint 2010.  This is not a SharePoint marketing presentation – I don’t work for Microsoft.  This is a SharePoint overview with a detailed demo of SharePoint 2010′s new features.  I’ll also be providing critical insights learned since we have already been implementing and launched solutions on SharePoint 2010.  Breakfast will be served (did I mention that this is FREE?), questions will be answered, and I will help you find out exactly what you need to know to make an informed decision about whether SharePoint 2010 is right for you.

Please note that space is limited and registrations will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

SharePoint Foundation 2010 is an incredible product.  Not only does it provide robust collaboration capabilities, web site management tools, security management tools, and data integration tools, but SharePoint Foundation 2010 is free.  Foundation 2010 is available to download from Microsoft today and can be used for any type of site, internal or external.  I’ll be covering quite a bit about SharePoint Foundation 2010, so it makes sense to start with some simple install notes and screens that will guide absolutely anyone through a basic install.

When you first launch the SharePoint Foundation 2010 installer, you are presented with a dialog to help you with a little guidance and links to the install guide, upgrade guide, and the hardware and software requirements.  Assuming that everything is ready to go, you can install the software prerequisites.

Once the prerequisites are installed, then you can click Install SharePoint Foundation.

It is important to note the type of installation that you are performing.

Stand-alone will install all components on this single computer.  Stand-alone will also automatically install and configure an instance of SQL Server Express 2008.  This is a very simple installation process, but has some limitations.

A Stand-alone installation configures a single computer with all the necessary files and settings to create a fully functioning SharePoint implementation, including Web server, application server, and database.   SQL Server Express 2008 is installed and configured to provide data storage capability.   SQL Server Express is based on the Microsoft SQL Server architecture, but it has the following limitations:

• Lack of enterprise features support.
• Limited to one CPU.
• One gigabyte (GB) memory limit for the buffer pool.
• Databases have a 4 GB maximum size.
• SQL Server Express will not support a server farm configuration or a multi-processor computer.

In addition to the SQL Server Express limitations, the inherit SharePoint Foundation Stand-alone configuration limitation is that you cannot add servers to create a SharePoint farm.  If you need to add another WFE later – you won’t be able to.  If you anticipate the need to scale up to a larger or more robust installation, choose the Complete option.

You can perform a stand-alone installation either by selecting Stand-alone on this screen or by clicking Standalone on the previous screen. The difference is that by clicking Stand-alone on this screen, you can choose the installation path. After this screen, both options follow the same steps and result in the same outcome.

If you choose the Complete install, SharePoint Foundation 2010 will install all components. You can add additional servers to form a SharePoint farm, including load balanced WFE servers.  The Complete option installs a Web server and configures the computer to provide application server functionality.   The SharePoint Foundation 2010 Complete install option does not provide database functionality.   You must provide connectivity and credentials settings to connect to an existing SQL Server instance.   It is important to note that you can download and use SQL Server Express 2008 for free.  You can even install it on the same computer.  Although SQL Server can be installed on this same computer, it is recommended that you install SQL Server on a separate computer.

There are other install options.  You can also install SharePoint Foundation 2010 for a front-end Web server rather than Complete, but you must use the command line to do so.

If you receive an error message or encounter a problem, visit The Microsoft Office 2010 Setup Resource Center for troubleshooting information and how to contact Microsoft Product Support.

If you do not change the default installation directory, the default installation directory is located at:  C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\Data

I typically recommend leaving the installation directory in the default location.  While some IT shops have standard operating procedures that all installations must be on non-OS drives (D Drive), I’ve found it easier to troubleshoot new environments if I don’t have to hunt around for files.  The next SharePoint consultant that you bring in will immediately first look in the Hive (typically the default install directory) for SharePoint related info.

After you select the path, the installation wizard will begin a progress bar as it installs the environment.

After the successful installation, you will be prompted to run the SharePoint Configuration Wizard.  Typically, you can leave the check box selected and immediately run the configuration wizard.  There are instances where you may want to delay running the configuration wizard.  If you are planning to run the Office Web Apps (which will run on SharePoint Foundation 2010), it is easier to install the necessary files at this point (after SharePoint install but prior to running the configuration wizard).  If you first run the SharePoint Configuration Wizard, then you will be configuration the Office Web Applications via PowerShell scripts.

If you opted for a SharePoint Foundation 2010 Stand-alone Server install, then the SharePoint 2010 Products Configuration Wizard will immediately begin the ten step configuration process.

If you opted for an option other than a stand-alone server install, then you will be prompted to either Connect to an existing Server Farm or Create a new Server Farm.  You will then be prompted to supply database connection credentials with appropriate permissions on the SQL instance that you will be using.

That’s it!  After you’ve let the wizard run through, you should automatically be directed to a default SharePoint Foundation 2010 site that looks a lot like the screen below.