Is this the beginning of the end?

No not of the world as we know it but of the small SMB reseller. Microsoft appears to have answered Google’s online document creation ability with :
 
 
Looks like you can run and store a whole lot of standard Microsoft applications and documents on an Internet server. Not exactly sure just yet, have only just signed up, more details when I know.
 
Why is this the beginning of the end? You tell me a customer who is going to buy applications if they can run them from the Internet? Especially, when they are all maintained on the server somewhere on the Internet. Especially when you can run these applications from anywhere you have access to the Internet. Especially … (and the list goes on)
 
So why does a small business need an IT person now? Why do they even need an office? Sure, it may take some time to become popular but my guess is more and more switched on people (read ‘younger’ generation) will embrace this whole heartedly. They now have an even greater reason to ask their reseller ‘Why do I need you?’, if they can get to the Internet they can get to their data AND applications. So why the hell do I need a server when I can store everything on the Internet? Even if it costs me something per month it is going to be cheaper and easier than maintaining a server based network – right?
 
I agree there are some counter points but they are becoming weaker by the day. Mark my words, the beginning of the end is now here for the small SMB reseller.

Windows Sharepoint V3.0 Service Pack 1 now out

Yes, it is finally here. You download it by clicking here but I would strongly suggest you hang off and see what happens when other idiots like me install it! Just gotta get throught the 14 pages of documentation on how to deploy this.
 
This time :
 
– I am going to read the documentation
– I am going to a full image backup
– I am going to do a content backup
 
before I even attempt this. As they say once bitten, twice shy.

A first look at Sharepoint wikis

Want to know what is a wiki is in Sharepoint V3.0? Well we have released a new YouTube video that will give you an introduction to this new feature of Sharepoint V3.0. To view the video simply click here or go to the Video – Links portion of this Supportweb site.

This presentation will show you how to create and edit documents in a wiki and well as demonstrate the power of wikis to business in things like knowledge bases.

So you want to install Sharepoint V3.0 onto SBS 2003?

Let me show you the ways.

Well more accurately let the article I just created tell you. You can find it here in the Supportweb Document Library as free download. The article takes a brief look at the different options and considerations you need to make before installing Sharepoint V3.0 onto a Small Business Server 2003.

If you don’t already know then you shouldn’t do an in-place upgrade (it breaks things if you do), you also have the option to install the Sharepoint into SQL if you want (although the “official” Microsoft procedure doesn’t mention that).

The articles looks at the installation of Sharepoint V3.0 on SBS from a reseller or systems implementer’s perspective, however hopefully this doesn’t mean that it won’t have value for other attempting this kind of installation. I also mention some of the benefits the Microsoft Search Server 2008 will bring to SMB space given its ability to not only index Sharepoint content but also file shares.

As always I appreciate any feedback on this article or any of the material that I create. Also, if you are interested in something specific them also let me know since I like to create material that is of benefit to “real” people.

Sharepoint Document libraries – Part 3

You’ll find our latest video on Sharepoint Document libraries now here on YouTube. It shows you what is under the covers of the settings menu option in document libraries. This menu allows you to do things like changes the title and description of the library, manage the permission and RSS settings and configuration. The settings menu also allows you to configure columns and views.

For the time being, this will conclude our look at Sharepoint document libraries.

Can I just say these people still don’t understand e-commerce

Well it is coming up to Christmas time and the “easiest” way to go shopping is the via the net right? Let me just show you how even big suppliers don’t understand e-commerce.

Firstly, I wanted to buy some DVD’s and CD’s from a major retail chain. I login with my credentials so it knows who I am and records my purchases. Nowhere can I see how many “bonus points” I have with this supplier on the page, which would be nice. So I select what I’m after, add it to my shopping cart and then head to the checkout. After putting my credit card details in I’m now taken to “Verified by Visa”. Here I have to put in a “Verified by Visa” password that I have no idea what it is. Sure I set it up but this is the only site that I’ve seen that uses “Verified by Visa”. Not having my password means that I am unable to complete my purchase. So I request my password (which terminates the checkout process anyway). I have to wait a few minutes and check my email for the details, then I go back in and re-order everything, put in my ‘Verified by Visa’ password and complete the transaction (and only get shown my bonus credits at checkout). When I receive a confirmation of my purchase on the web site I also receive an unknown pop-up that gets blocked by my browser. Hmmm… I wonder what the pop up says and if it is important? I take a screen shot of my completed transaction details because I know what is about to happen next. I enable pop ups in the browser so I can see what the message and is and surprise, surprise my completed transaction details have disappeared from the original browser window because the window was reset when I enabled the pop up.

Issues :

1. Why, oh why do I have to jump so many hurdles to give you people my money? Why, oh why can’t I check my ‘Verified by Visa’ password BEFORE I have to enter it? Why, oh why can’t I elect to not use ‘Verified by Visa’ if I so desire? Sure there is security risk but I just want to pay my money and get out. Dumb.

2. Why is the site using pop ups? Geeze fellas these things went out with Internet Explorer 4.0. The only things that use pop ups these days are annoying ads and spyware. Every browser these days blocks pop ups by default so everyone is going to have the same problem of losing their transaction info if they view the pop up. Was there are warning prior to processing that I should enable pop ups? No. Dumber.

Next, I went to purchase some books. I locate the first book I want and add it to my basket which conveniently displays. Ok boys, now how the hell do I get back and make more purchases? I scout around the page and see no indication of a return link. So where’s the encouragement for me to buy more? Finally I find that if I click on the company’s logo in the top left of the screen I go back to the main site. Hmmm…my basket now shows that it has 0 items. I click back on my basket and find that it does in fact still have my initial item. I again return to the main page and make more purchases. When complete I proceed to the checkout where I am asked for my loyalty card number. Yes, I do have one of those. I enter the number and it says “invalid number or password”. Hmmmm…. ok I’ll request my password (again) and guess what it was correct! So what’s the problem here? After much stuffing around I work out that the number I need to enter must not include any dashes (‘-‘), I must just type the number in straight. Where the hell did it tell me that? Bloody hell I just wasted 5 minutes trying to working out what I was doing wrong when all you needed to do was tell me that I should only use the numbers on my loyalty card. Mr(s) supplier, you have either just wasted my valuable time and gotten pissed me off or I have wasted time I could have spent shopping for more product on your site.

Issues:

1. Navigation. Has anyone else except the snow boarding web designers and poor suffering customers ever looked at the shopping basket page? Clearly not, since it must be so bloody obvious to press the logo in the top left of the screen to return to the main page to purchase more (Yeah right).

2. If you give me a card with a number separated by dashes I am going to assume that when I’m asked for that number you want it exactly how it is printed (ie with the dashes). If not, then pay me the courtesy of telling me this rather than wasting my time and pissing me right off. Dumbest.

In the end, sure I made my purchases and sure maybe I should be more forgiving but take a look at the check process differences between US and Australian sites. The big US sites really make it easy and want me back, these Australian sites just piss me off so I would rather go into the store. C’mon guys get the fundamentals right. Set you sites up to make it EASY for the customer to buy, stop putting all these barriers up. You complain about the lack on online sales but have you EVER looked at the check out process through the eyes of real consumer? I doubt it, I doubt it and that is plain stupid.