SharePoint Public Facing Internet Websites 

Workshop

SharePointHQ can provide a detailed workshop where we teach, train, mentor and implement the base essentials for an Internet facing site. At the end of the workshop your staff will have the basics of your Internet site implemented and your staff will be trained with how to complete the implementation. A brief Workshop Agenda includes:

 Find out more on how to work with us, or contact us for details.

Mentoring

SharePointHQ can provide mentoring and advice from our Senior Consultants, Architects or Trainers on any aspect of planning, designing or implementing an Internet site on SharePoint. Find out more on how to work with us, or contact us for details.

Turnkey Implementations

SharepointHQ can implement an Internet site from start to finish including design, implementation, training and copywriting that is professionally managed. Find out more on how to work with us, or contact us for details.

A Public Facing Internet is an extension of an organization and becomes the ‘online’ face of the company. It is important that the brand reflects the organization accurately and properly engages the users. A proper brand strategy is more than graphics and colors but will communicate accurately the desired messages, engage the users to explore further, and enrich the experience so that the users come back continually.

A brand must:

• Capture the essence of the company’s image (or the image the company wishes to convey)
• Look professional with appropriate graphics, usability and navigation
• Communicate effectively with the end-user by using appropriate writing, fonts and text formatting
• Engage the user to explore further with rich media, Web 2.0 and other means
• Be up-to-date with the latest technologies.

An important reason for implementing a Content Management System (CMS) and SharePoint is to allow faster, easier and more efficient creation of web site content. Content Authors need the autonomy of editing the site content, without typing in HTML, while still maintaining compliance to standards (i.e. SEO and WCAG). An organized and streamlined approach is required when multiple Content Authors and Approvers exist.

SharePoint allows the easy creation and editing of web site pages by utilizing page layout templates. These page layout templates allow the Content Author to choose a main theme layout for the page and to then type in the content using the rich field editing controls. A Content Author can create a page without having to enter HTML.

The rich field editing controls make it easy for a Content Author to add/edit their content. The editing controls use a toolbar that is similar to Microsoft Office and allow insertion of hyperlinks, pictures, HTML source editing, creating and adding of reusable content snippets, tables, pre-selected format styles and more. The editing toolbar has configurable formatting constraints so that branding standards can be enforced.

SharePoint provides a configurable approval workflow process for all web site content and digital assets. This content Approval Workflow ensures proper Governance of content across a multitude of Authors and Approvers.

Content Authors are required to check content out and check content back in while creating and editing content. This ensures content consistency and provides a version history of all changes made. Once the content is ready for publishing, a Content Author will submit the content for approval. The workflow will then send an email and assign a task to all Approvers to approve before the content can be published.

The Usability of an Internet site involves getting user engagement through proper branding, implementing rich media and implementing other best practices in the industry.

The current trend and best practice is to engage the end-user in a more participatory way. The term ‘Web 2.0’ refers to “an Architecture of participation that encourages users to add value to the application as they use it”, and “allows users to do more than just retrieve information. They can build on the interactive facilities of Web 1.0 to provide a Network as a platform computer, allowing users to run software-applications entirely through a browser. Users can own the data on a Web 2.0 site and exercise control over that data”. From our perspective Web 2.0 is all about finding ways to connect with the end-user to enrich their experience with the site and organization.

Web site taxonomy is the practice of and science of classification of web site content. This is an important and necessary step in the Web Design process as Navigation depends on it and impacts end-user usability. A proper site taxonomy balances the classification levels versus the ease of finding the content and often employs advanced nagivation controls such as: the ‘Mega Dropdown’, Accordian controls, site maps and fly-out menus.

Some ways that SharePoint can provide a more usable experience for end-users are:

• RSS feeds available for consumption by end-users for content created
• Advanced search of web site content using keyword terms
• Interactive Calendars for events and meetings
• Mega Dropdown site menus
• Surveys and questionnaires including rating polls
• Blogs to subscribe to and post comments
• Discussion boards to post and reply to
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to interact with
• Ability to login to the site to get personalized and/or targeted content
• Members page to track profile and subscription information.

“Content is King” is an old web site saying that is still true today. The written word is the main tool to communicate with an end-user, but today newer and richer means to communicate exist. Today’s user is looking for a rich interactive experience to absorb information and the ability to collaborate with the community.

SharePointHQ considers it important to give the necessary tools to the Content Authors so that they can communicate with the end-users and provide the ability for the end-users to collaborate/network with themselves. A Content Author can add this rich dynamic content by choosing a SharePoint Web Part from a gallery of Web Parts supplied by SharePointHQ.

The following table describes just some of the more popular web content and/or controls (i.e. Web Parts) that can be utilized in a SharePoint web site.

• SilverLight / Flash animation that uses static content or more advanced where the animation is dynamic by utilizing data from a SharePoint list. Some examples of this are SharePointHQ’s SilverLight Carousel, SilverLight Slideshow, SilverLight 3DSpace animation or Chalkboard Web Part.
• AJAX display of content that provides the end user with a rich fast experience similar to that of a client-based application. Some popular AJAX features are removing the ‘flash’ of a page refresh, an accordion display, collapsible panels and more. Please see SharePointHQ’s AJAX Content display for examples.
• Videos and Podcasts that engage the user, especially when integrated with Social Media sites such as YouTube. Videos engage a user on another level and impart a higher level of knowledge transfer.