The WebBorg blog described a really cool trick for adding multiple Content Editor Web Parts to a page. As I said in a comment on his blog, it made me smile… that’s a compliment.

Mark

Chris Quick has come on board to help with the delivery of live, online workshops and as technical consultant for administrative questions. You can check out his background using the menu link above.

I first met Chris online through the SharePointU forums. His answers were clear, easy to understand and contained no GeekSpeak. That alone was of interest to me. Chris brings a solid technology background to the mix and I look forward to his participation and additions to the EndUserSharePoint.com blog and workshops.

Welcome, Chris.

EndUserSharePoint.com provides workshops for various stages of End Users, from novice beginners through Team Site and Site Collection Administration. The workshops page has been updated with downloadable outlines in .pdf format. Please contact me if you have questions, comments or suggestions.

Regards,
Mark

Today’s question comes from Linda and Yongwei in Shanghai:

"Is there a way we can have people vote on SharePoint to accomplish the following? We will provide a list of 10 candidates. The user is supposed to vote for no more than 3 of them by checking the box. We need a tally by each candidate at the end. The problem with our first implementation, using a survey, is it counts by the combination of the three votes. For example, if one person votes for 1,2,3, and the other votes for 2,3,4. The final tally says one vote for 1+2+3, one vote for 2+3+4, what we want is 2 votes each for 2,3 and 1 vote each for 1 and 4.

Paul has created a very useful article on Security Pitfalls, including information on  Security Fundamentals. Having crashed and burned on a couple of the pitfalls, I’d say this one is definitely worth a read and bookmark.

Here’s a quote:
"SharePoint security is easy to configure and manage.  However, it has proven to be difficult for some first-time administrators to really wrap their hands around it.  Not only that, I have seen some administrators come to a perfect understanding on Monday only to have lost it by Friday because they didn’t have to do any configuration in the intervening time.  (I admit to having this problem myself).  This blog entry hopefully provides a useful SharePoint security primer and points towards some security configuration best practices." Read more on Paul’s blog …

This question came in an email from Shanghai this morning: "What is the difference between sharepoint server and sharepoint services?" Chris responded with the following:

The main difference between the two are the capabilities and features. There are actually several different versions of SharePoint with varying levels of functionality. These versions are Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 , Office SharePoint Server 2007 Standard, Office SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise. Here is a short list of added features as you move up to the next level:

I was doing some spring cleaning today (Yes, it’s the middle of November. Don’t ask…). My wife set me up with a bucket of ammonia water and another bucket of clear water. The task for me: get done as fast as possible putting in just enough effort to pass the initial inspection. The task as she saw it: get the windows clean, period. Did I mention I’m in a fifth floor walk up and one of the two windows does not have a balcony or fire escape? Oh, now the picture starts to become clearer you say.

At the end of every SharePoint workshop I get the same question: "Is there a book you can recommend for the level where we are now?" I always answer the same: Yes, there are now dozens of books and resources available, but the one I consistently refer people to is the SharePoint 2007 User’s Guide by Seth Bates and Tony Smith.

Chris Quick has mentioned MindManager to me several times as a possible tool for managing thoughts and coordinating ideas for SharePoint site creation. I subscribe to the Assistive Technology blog and today they had a post pointing to a video describing the use of MindManager. Worth a quick look…

What are you using to document your SharePoint ideas and meetings? I’ve been using SharePoint itself with the blog, wiki and tracking functionalities, but I am really interested in other alternatives. What are you using?

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in the United States, so I didn’t expect much traffic on the site. Much to my surprise and delight, it turned into quite an international access day and one of the highest viewer counts since I started posting. Below is a screenshot of the major places visiting the site yesterday. Thanks for coming!