1.1. Say hi to SharePoint

In the real world when you first meet someone you learn a bit about them; likewise, here I’ll introduce you to SharePoint. This is a great get-to-know-you chapter for those readers who aren’t familiar with SharePoint. Here you’ll see what SharePoint is and why it’s so great. For those of you already familiar with SharePoint, this should be more of a recap of what you already know. In addition to the initial introduction, I’ll also touch on the new features for SharePoint 2010. By the end of this chapter, you and SharePoint will be at the beginning of a long-standing, beautiful friendship.

1.1.1. What is SharePoint?

SharePoint in its most basic form is a website that helps people collaborate and communicate information. It has a wide set of features that, when fully leveraged and configured, is capable of being used as a rich, interactive, and powerful platform. This platform is capable of supporting the most advanced business needs or can be used on your own personal site. Business and personal uses can be found everywhere, and the variations are endless, including, but not limited to, the following: