■ Putting Some Thought into the Team Site Design

5. Enter a title and the URL where you want the site to appear. 6. Click Create. The new site is added beneath the existing top-level team site of your site collection, and you can begin to add your own content and customize it to meet your team’s needs.

FIGURE 5-1 Click Express Team Site to create a new team site quickly.

If you’re envisioning a team that will work together for a while, one that really needs to communicate well, have access to the latest versions of files, and be able to see at a glance what the various members of the team are working on, putting some thought into the design of the site will help you create a cloud experience your team members will be likely to appreciate and use. You might want to get together team members (on the phone or using Microsoft Lync) to discuss the following questions: ■ What are your team goals? ■ How long will your team be together? ■ Will you focus on one project or multiple projects? ■ Will you have regular team meetings?

These types of function questions will help you determine what types of web parts and tools you’d like to add to your team site. If your team will be together over the long haul, creating multiple projects, you might want to envision a site with multiple pages that can each contain the files and updates related to one specific item you’re working on.

Tip When it’s time to think about the site you want the public to see, asking similar kinds of questions about function can help you plan the content you want to include. For example, what do you want your clients or customers to be able to do on your site? Will they download a report? Sign up for your latest catalog? Submit an idea? Your answer to those questions will help you think through the types of elements you want to build into your site design. You learn more about how to design the site clients and customers will see in Chapter 12, “Designing Your Public Website.”

Thinking through the overall look and function of your site also gives you the chance to throw a few design touches into the mix. You can easily choose—and change—site themes that coordinate the color scheme used throughout the site. You might want to choose a look that corresponds with your company logo, for example, or select a color and layout style that best reflects the type of content you’ll be creating. As you can see in Figure 5-2, SharePoint’s Editing Tools Insert tab offers you the tools you need to add all sorts of elements to your team pages. You can insert the following elements by using the ready-made tools already placed on the ribbon for you: ■ Tables

■ Pictures

■ Links

■ Files

■ Document libraries

■ A calendar

■ Announcements