There a few way to integrate your company’s look and feel in SharePoint. For example, you can customize the CSS, the forms (using InfoPath), the general “terms” used, the theme, but the one you want to start with should be the Logo. Branding your SharePoint site(s) is essential for users to know where they are. In a corporate environment, branding could prove the difference on how quick user learn to identify with their department–and could potentially lead to new users adapt quicker and to the new medium. The learning curve is high as it is and most users get lost after a few clicks. My boss came to me the other and asked me if we could use the top navigation links (tabs) for all the kinks in the site– to my count we have a about 40 site and sub-sites, so my answers was no. He insisted on the need to achieve this because it takes too long for him to find what he needs. His perception is that SharePoint is “our” website and as such, it should be built/designed on the same principles as a commercial website should be designed to its customers. I agree, except that even thought SharerPoint can be access from the outside the company’s network, it resides and works within the intranet site, designed under and for the purpose of document and content management.
This is a quick over view of how to change the logo and the description on you SharePoint site. Enjoy!
I always find it interesting when one person insists on something changing because they can’t find what they are looking for. It makes me wonder if all people are having the same issue and only this one person decides to say something or if this one person is just being stubborn and not wanting to learn how to use it. I find most times it is the later, but when it is all people it can be fun to find/create a solution. Of course there is always going to be at least one person who does not like the change.
Content management systems are new to me, but I can see the usefulness and some limitations as well. Although it takes the headache out of each large, or maybe small, company their own CMS, why not leave that to someone else and focus on the product of your company? Make sense to me, but it seems that the customization is limited, as your boss is finding out. Perhaps the next generation of CMS will provide more flexibility, but until then, it seems the convenience of a CMS is well worth the sacrifice of the limitations.