Note from Mark Miller, Founder and Editor of EndUserSharePoint.com
Back in November, I asked the SharePoint End User community if they would be interested in participating in a live, online SharePoint study group. The response was very positive.

Around that time, Michael Sampson and I hooked up over his new book, Seamless Teamwork. When I suggested he lead the charge on the first study group, he jumped all over it.

This is Michael’s description of how he will manage the first, live online, SharePoint Study Group. Attendance at the first meeting is free so you can get a feel for his style and the topics that will be covered. After that, we’ll do something minimal, like $10.00 a session, just to cover expenses and keep the lights on.

This should be fun. Please give him some feedback and register for the first session, Wednesday, February 4th.

From Michael Sampson, author of Seamless Teamwork

Late last year, a long-term dream came true for me with the publication of my first book, “Seamless Teamwork: Using Microsoft SharePoint Technologies to Collaborate, Innovate, and Drive Business in New Ways”. It’s a Microsoft Press book, and is quite a different book for Microsoft Press to publish.

Most Microsoft Press books start with the capabilities of the software under exploration; mine (and a couple of others) start with a business situation, need or opportunity and address how to intelligently apply Microsoft software to that context. The focus of my book was how to effectively use SharePoint for team collaboration.

In a few more words, here’s how I describe the book, viewable at SeamlessTeamwork.com:

Seamless Teamwork helps people in collaborative teams envision how to accomplish their work using Microsoft SharePoint. The purpose of the book is to demonstrate how SharePoint can be used to support team collaboration, innovation and the carrying out of daily business activities.

The book is organized around the idea of someone getting a new project to lead at their place of work, and then examines how SharePoint supports the execution of that project. While the book focuses specifically on this fictional project, the main ideas and issues faced by the users will be experienced generally by all SharePoint users. Thus you can take the main ideas and apply them to your projects.

Seamless Teamwork is aimed at people in business teams who are using SharePoint. It is not a complex IT book, although IT people will benefit from its insight into how people can use SharePoint.”

So with the book done, (see review), Mark asked if I’d like to contribute to the EndUserSharePoint dream. After discussing a couple of ideas, Mark suggested a Live Study Group on Seamless Teamwork — which I thought was great.

Live, Online Study Group

Here’s the deal. For the next 13 weeks, I’ll host a weekly online study group on Seamless Teamwork. We’ll take it chapter-by-chapter, with one chapter a week. For the first 30 minutes or so, I’ll talk through the main ideas in the appropriate chapter, and then we’ll focus in for a 30 minute discussion. You can ask questions, you can offer your ideas, you can suggest alternative ways of going about doing the same thing … and so on.

You’ll need a copy of the book. Amazon is selling it, so you can get it within a couple of days. Flash your credit card at them, and they’ll be pleased to assist.

We start on Wednesday February 4 at 3:00pm EST.  That should give enough time for APAC to be awake, plus give the Americas something to do in the afternoon.

Author: Michael Sampson

Michael is an Industry Analyst and Independent Consultant focused on improving the capability of teams that can’t be together, to work together. He is the author of Seamless Teamwork: Using Microsoft SharePoint Technologies to Collaborate, Innovate, and Drive Business in New Ways, published by Microsoft Press (2009).

Michael lives in New Zealand with his glorious wife and eight children.