SharePoint 2007: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 21. Designing SharePoint My Sites

Introduction

Chapter 5 detailed the process of creating sites and site collections but only briefly mentioned My Sites. My Sites are created just like any SharePoint site except that they are intended to be accessed only by you and whomever else you decide should have access. SharePoint users can create and manage their own personal My Sites within the larger site collection structure and customize them for their individual use. Consider it a SharePoint site just for you.

The vast majority of SharePoint is built on the principle of collaboration between users and teams, and My Site can be used to gather together all of your projects, tasks, documents, and links. If you are involved in several teams or team projects, your SharePoint resources can be scattered across the site collection. Use your My Site to gather all of that information together and then organize it in a way that makes sense to you.

You can personalize My Site and then allow guests to access some of your information so they can learn more about your experience and qualifications or work with you on a project. You can also assign Privacy Groups to lists and libraries and control who has access to what on your My Site. This is like living by yourself in your house and inviting your neighbors over, but letting them see only the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Content Providers in SharePoint can use your My Site as a way to supply you with targeted information, depending on which ...