The SharePoint Shepherd's Guide for End Users [Paperback]

Robert Bogue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0615194494 | ISBN-13: 978-0615194493 | Edition: First Edition

If you've ever struggled to find something with SharePoint you'll appreciate the highly visual step-by-step nature that the SharePoint Shepherd's Guide uses. You will be able to find and use all of the common features that every user needs. With over 116 tasks you'll find what you need. Find out more about the book and see samples at http://www.sharepointshepherd.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: AvailTek LLC; First Edition edition (March 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615194494
• ISBN-13: 978-0615194493
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great End User Manual for SharePoint, April 16, 2008

By 

John L. Ferringer "information junkie" (Indianapolis, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The SharePoint Shepherd's Guide for End Users (Paperback)

For me, this book is like the end user manual that Microsoft never shipped with SharePoint but really should have. Rob does a great job of identifying the core functions of SharePoint that users need to know, and covers them as easily understood common tasks. I think this is a great way to introduce information workers to SharePoint, as a user my goal is to figure out how to accomplish what I need to do with a new tool not the intimate inner workings of the tool. By distilling SharePoint's core collaborative functions into chunks that users can easily grasp, the book makes it much easier for a new user to get up and going with the platform.

Each task is clearly laid out with a descriptive purpose, so a user can identify whether or not the task described by the book is applicable to what they are trying to accomplish in SharePoint. Rob then walks through the steps necessary to execute the task from start to finish, and includes very useful screenshots to guide readers through the SharePoint pages they should be seeing in their environment as they complete the task. The book also does a good job of explaining why the task is being executed in a particular way and covering any limitations or gotchas that the reader may encounter.

The book covers a wide range of topics, including basics like using a SharePoint collaboration site and integrating with Outlook and the rest of the Office stack. Rob also goes into some Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007-specific topics such as MySites and publishing sites. One thing I would have liked to see Rob spend a little more time on is the difference between MOSS and Windows SharePoint Services (WSS); he does mention it briefly in the initial chapters of the book but when covering MOSS-specific tasks I would have liked to see him pointing out that features like MySites require MOSS and are not included in all versions of SharePoint. But I know from personal experience that this is not an easy topic to cover briefly and understand why he took the approach he did with WSS versus MOSS in the book.

The Shepherd's Guide also includes some outstanding resources in its appendices. The appendices cover Site Definitions, List Definitions, Web Parts, Views, and Permissions, and provide excellent descriptions of each SharePoint component within those groupings so that users can get a good understanding of what makes them unique as well as their common use cases. I think it makes a lot of sense to include these in appendices, rather than trying to explain the components within the book's tasks. This way readers are not getting overwhelmed by all the information and have an easy resource to flip to when they need it. And I really like seeing everything covered so thoroughly, because these components are key elements to successfully using SharePoint to its fullest potential.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My #1 SharePoint Resource, August 31, 2008

By 

Jimmy May "@aspiringgeek" (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The SharePoint Shepherd's Guide for End Users (Paperback)

Rob Bogue has a great reputation in the SharePoint community. He is an MVP & I read everything from him I can get my hands on.

I had high expectations when I learned he had published "The SharePoint Shepherd's Guide for End Users". My expectations were exceeded.

The Shepherd's Guide is unique. There's nothing like it anywhere.

In a world where the ability to fog a mirror & spell "SharePoint" can land a consulting job, the expertise contained in this book is unmatched anywhere & is exceedingly valuable.

The Shepherd's Guide is a brilliant concept, with lucid, step-by-step instructions for simple & complex tasks, much clearer than the SharePoint out-of-the-can help. Who needs to scour through pages full of hits on Live Search or Google with a reference such as this at one's fingertips? It's an excellent resource for novice & expert alike.

I've just learned that electronic & enterprise editions are available & I'm eager to learn more.

In the meantime, I carry Rob Bogue's The Shepherd's Guide with me to all my SharePoint engagements & recommend it to all my customers. If you use SharePoint, I recommend it to you, too.

Jimmy May
Microsoft Sr. Performance Consultant: SQL Server
SQL Server Pros, Founder & Visionary-in-Chief
Indianapolis Professional Association for SQL Server, Founder & Executive Committee

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Brass Tacks, September 11, 2008

By 

djk (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The SharePoint Shepherd's Guide for End Users (Paperback)

Our organization is just started to use SharePoint. As an end user I found this book helpful in walking me through, step-by-step, on how to create the elements I will need. I liked the book enough to pass it on to an associate and she loves it as well.

The book lacks an index (which I find strange) and you need to still plan out what you want the element to be since the book doesn't get too much in the how and why you would want to even create the item it's explaining how to create.

Think of this book more as recipes in a cookbook where it shows you how to make a dish but you have to decide when and where each recipe fits into your tastes and dinner plans.