Tracy van der Schyff

#Office365Challenge Today’s post is not part of my challenge, but somehow the crazy reasoning behind it.

When I started writing blogs, I didn’t do it so much to help other people – it was merely a creative way to document the things I’d learnt – and to be able to find it again. As I was in a support role back then, it definitely saved time – so many tips and tricks are not documented as quick reference guides, and I was spending a lot of time making screenshots and typing up help emails. When ‘blogged’ I could just send the user a link to the relevant blog. (Great idea for a company by the way – knowledge sharing through blogs, which also doubles up as the documented quick reference guides).

It took me years to realise that I had something to offer. I’m not very technical and cannot code anything from scratch, I don’t understand Kerberos and SQL and I’m still trying to figure out exactly what Hybrid is. And yes – that’s what I measure myself against. Silly right? What I had to share, was everyday stuff, and I thought everyone already knew that – so I didn’t share.

Being a trainer / consultant, I get my inspiration from my students / clients. As time passed, I realised they still had so much to learn (and me from them) – and most probably didn’t have someone to turn to, in times of need. People also don’t have spare days to go sit in training – which was the biggest reasoning behind my crazy #Office365Challenge. Teach them a bit about Office / SharePoint, everyday, for 365 days. Bite sizes. That’s how you eat an elephant right?! 🙂

This brings me to the Starfish story. When you write blogs, it’s not about how many people read it. It’s about that one person you could help. Only one. That’s all I need. I have no idea who originally wrote the story below, but I will be using a cartoon by Hugh Macleod (which is where I read it the first time):

While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young boy, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.

He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”

To this, he boy replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It surely made a difference for that one.”

So there you go: “Every time I write a new blog, I’m throwing another starfish back into the water.”

We all have people we look up to. The people we reach out to when we’re stuck. This brings me to the SharePoint (Office365) Community. Without them I’d be lost. This is my power source where I recharge my battery.

I was interviewed by 2GuysAndSharePoint (@2GuysSharePoint, @AlistairPugin, @OddRodlin) yesterday, which is what inspired this blog. What a great idea!! They’re committing to one podcast a week. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they’re up to next. I heard a rumour that they might be doing some podcasts at the SA SharePoint Saturdays. That would be a lot of fun!

Information Worker happens every month (second Tuesday) in Cape Town and Johannesburg at Microsoft. “The only true SharePoint and Office 365 community in South Africa, For the people, By the people. No Sales pitches, No Showboating, No Company fronting.”

“SharePoint Saturday Events (SPS Events) is a FREE one-day event held in different cities around the world, featuring sessions from influential and respected SharePoint professionals.” Johannesburg 8 Oct. 2016 #SPSJHB, Cape Town 22 Oct. 2016 #SPSCPT, and Durban 29 Oct. 2016 #SPSDBN. Please go register and join us on a wonderful, fun filled day of Learning through Sharing.

And then of course, in one week I’ll be at Ignite – Whoooooop!!! I’m so excited.

Please support the people out there who makes the community great and who does their part by giving back. In the end, we all have something to learn from each other. That’s what life is all about.

Overview of my challenge: As an absolute lover of all things Microsoft, I’ve decided to undertake the challenge, of writing a blog every single day, for the next 365 days. Crazy, I know. And I’ll try my best, but if I cannot find something good to say about Office 365 and the Tools it includes for 365 days, I’m changing my profession. So let’s write this epic tale of “Around the Office in 365 Days”. My ode to Microsoft Office 365.

Keep in mind that these tips and tricks do not only apply to Office 365 – but where applicable, to the overall Microsoft Office Suite and SharePoint.