Jumpstart Your
Community Efforts
Christian Buckley
@buckleyplanet #SPSJHB
The first ever all green SharePoint event on earth
19 May 2012
About
Christian Buckley, Director of Product Evangelism at Axceler
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Microsoft MVP for SharePoint Server
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Most recently at Microsoft, part of the Microsoft Managed Services
team (now Office365-Dedicated) and then Advertising Operations
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Prior to Microsoft, was a senior consultant, working in the software,
supply chain, and grid technology spaces focusing on collaboration
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Co-founded and sold a collaboration software company to Rational
Software. At another startup (E2open), helped design, build, and
deploy a
SharePoint-like collaboration platform (Collaboration Manager),
onboarding numerous high-tech manufacturing companies, including
Hitachi, Matsushita (Panasonic), and Seagate
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Co-authored ‘Microsoft SharePoint 2010: Creating and Implementing
Real-World Projects’ link (MS Press, March 2012) and 3 books on
software configuration management.
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Twitter: @buckleyplanet
Blog: buckleyplanet.com
Email: cbuck@axceler.com
Get the Book
Available from Microsoft Press
Order your copy at http://oreil.ly/qC4loT
Tackle 10 common business problems
with proven SharePoint solutions
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Set up a help desk solution to track service requests
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Build a modest project management system
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Design a scheduling system to manage resources
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Create a site to support geographically dispersed teams
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Implement a course registration system
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Build a learning center with training classes and
resources
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Design a team blog platform to review content
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Create a process to coordinate RFP responses
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Set up a FAQ system to help users find answers quickly
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Implement a cost-effective contact management system
Axceler Overview
Improving Collaboration since 2007
Mission: To enable enterprises to simplify, optimize, and secure their
collaborative platforms
– Delivered award-winning administration and migration software
since 1994, and for SharePoint since 2007
– Over 2,000 global customers
Dramatically improve the management of SharePoint
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Innovative products that improve security, scalability, reliability, “deployability”
Making IT more effective and efficient and lower the total cost of ownership
Focus on solving specific SharePoint problems
(Administration & Migration)
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Coach enterprises on SharePoint best practices
Give administrators the most innovative tools available
Anticipate customers’ needs
Deliver best of breed offerings
Stay in lock step with SharePoint development and market trends
The Evangelist Role
• Product
• Partner
• Community
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Your Role
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Why develop community?
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
• SharePoint is the fastest growing server product in
Microsoft history, rivaling the success of MS Office
• The SharePoint partner ecosystem fills the platform gaps,
and helps deliver solution ROI
• Many credit the SharePoint community with making
SharePoint the success that it is
• Microsoft is looking at ways they can tap into key learning
from the SharePoint community, extend it to other product areas
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Why Community Development?
• Proactively drive perceptions
• Visible member of the community
• Thought leadership
• Connect to experts, partners, customers
• Microsoft relationship
• Awareness of the brand and our products
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
The Consumer Decision Journey
HBR 12/2010
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Why Involve End Users?
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Executives
Managers
IT Department
Consultants
Partners
The SharePoint Fairy
End Users will determine the success
of your SharePoint deployment
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Studies show that end user
participation in the design and
development of a system
dramatically increases the
chance of success
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
What is so hard about
developing community?
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Case Study
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
How to
Jumpstart Community
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
No registration required http://bit.ly/aiYKWR
Strategy 1: Events
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Strategy 1: Events
1.
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Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Start a company user group
Join your local/regional SPUG
Join your local/regional technology organizations
Attend or help organize a SharePoint Saturday
Attend or host a SharePint
Attend a regional conference
Create your own event
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
While at these events:
• Bring a friend, family member, co-worker
• Introduce yourself to someone new, every time
• Take notes on what worked, what you would
do differently
• Get to know the people who run them, the movers
and shakers within the community
• Help out
• Provide feedback
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Feedback
Mechanisms
I find your lack of faith
in the community
disturbing…
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Strategy 2: Social Media
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Definitions
“Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social
interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing
techniques. Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to
transform broadcast media monologues (one-to-many) into social
media dialogues (many-to-many).
It supports the democratization of knowledge and information,
transforming people from content consumers into content producers.”
Wikipedia.org
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Cultural Battle
• Understand your corporate culture
before you try to change anything
• Explain what it is you’re trying to do,
and get end users onboard
• In addition to executive buy in,
you need your end users to buy in
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Strategy 2: Social Media
1.
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Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Create a Twitter personal profile
Create a Twitter company profile
Join a Facebook group
Start a Facebook group
Join groups on LinkedIn
Bookmark the MSDN/TechNet forums, create a profile
RSS feeds for your favorite blogs and sites
Use Google Analytics
Use Hubspot and other tracking tools
Utilize social bookmarking on all content
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Social Media is about consistency
Blog daily activity / visits
Social media visits
Blog subscription growth
Twitter follower growth
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Strategy 3: Content
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
The Power of Content
More than any other activity, content
creation drives thought leadership, and is
the cornerstone of building community.
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Strategy 3: Content
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Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Create a blog
Read and comment on other blogs
Create an editorial calendar, write with intent
1. Blogs lead to
2. Articles, which lead to
3. Whitepapers and presentations, which lead to
4. Books, featured content, and other content opportunities
Create a metadata strategy
Present at a regional event or conference
Create content for an aggregator (Squidoo, About)
Write an ebook
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
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12.
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Publish a newsletter
Host a webinar
Create a podcast
Create videos
Partner with other authors and experts, cross-market
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Strategy 4: Take Action
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Strategy 4: Take Action
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Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Create a metadata strategy for your intranet
Create a user adoption strategy
Brand yourself
Use free press release services
Use free event services (Evite, Lanyard)
Create branded bling
Hire a publicist
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Define Success
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Measuring Success
• Have success defined up front:
o Number of end users participating
o Number of events held
o Articles written
o Views / downloads
• Make it part of your formal commitments
• Communicate your plans
o Tell people your plans
o Give people visibility as you work
o Tell people what you’ve accomplished
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
The Secret to Community Success
1. Bring a friend
2. Get involved
3. Keep learning
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
Email
cbuck@axceler.com
Cell
425.246.2823
Twitter
@buckleyplanet
Blog
http://buckleyplanet.com
•
Christian Buckley
cbuck@axceler.com
+1 425-246-2823
@buckleyPLANET
www.buckleyPLANET.com and http://info.axceler.com
http://bit.ly/aiYKWR