Simply SharePoint

Liza Tinker
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SharePoint is everywhere — but good guidance for real users? Not so much. I’m Liza Tinker: consultant, trainer, and the one teams call when things get messy. This podcast is your go-to for real talk, real solutions, and a whole lot of clarity — minus the jargon. Whether you're managing sites, cleaning up document chaos, or just trying to make things work, you’ll find practical tips and insight from the creator of Fix the Mess™, the training series helping real people get SharePoint under control.

  1. SharePoint at 25 — Episode 1: Why We Don’t Need Naming Conventions Anymore

    1D AGO

    SharePoint at 25 — Episode 1: Why We Don’t Need Naming Conventions Anymore

    Send us a text As SharePoint approaches its 25th birthday this March, this episode kicks off a new series focused on how the platform has evolved — and why many organisations are still working in ways that no longer serve them. In this first episode, I tackle one of the most persistent and controversial habits in SharePoint: naming conventions. Almost every organisation has a naming convention document. Almost no one follows it consistently. That’s not a people problem — it’s a design problem. In this episode, I explain why naming conventions made sense in the early days of file servers and folders, why they don’t scale in modern SharePoint, and why I’ve never relied on them to make a solution work across my career. We unpack how metadata, information architecture, permissions, and structure have quietly replaced the need for filenames to carry all the meaning — and why that matters more than ever in a world of AI and Copilot. You’ll hear real-world examples of how metadata replaces complex filenames, how to keep filenames simple and human-readable, and why governance that depends on people remembering rules is fragile by design. I also talk openly about why naming conventions are difficult to follow in practice, how cognitive load plays into this, and why automating structure leads to better outcomes than policing behaviour. This episode sets the foundation for the rest of the series, which will cover governance, information architecture, metadata, and the design decisions that actually shape successful SharePoint environments — whether you’re preparing for Copilot, fixing an inherited mess, or building sites properly from the start. Next episode: why governance isn’t a document you write once and file away — and why real governance has to be built into the design.

    13 min

  2. 12/22/2025

    How Every Generation at My Christmas Table Uses AI (And Why It Matters)

    Send us a text This end-of-year episode wasn’t planned — it unfolded naturally around my family’s Christmas table. As we gathered early this year, missing family members, reflecting on work and life, and celebrating a small but significant personal milestone — recovering from back surgery after six months of pain — the conversation drifted to AI. What surprised me wasn’t how advanced the technology has become, but how differently every person around the table was experiencing it. From a developer using ChatGPT daily to pull together complex technical reports and save enormous amounts of time, to creative experiments with AI-generated video, imagery, and even transforming travel photos into physical Christmas cards. From organisations feeling pressure to “use AI” without knowing why, to my mum quietly replacing Google with ChatGPT because she can simply ask questions and keep asking. And finally, a group of Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids who were completely unimpressed — calling AI aesthetics lazy and expressing frustration with how AI has taken over platforms like Pinterest. This episode explores what that one conversation revealed about AI adoption, AI readiness, creativity, and the very real gap between hype and usefulness. I reflect on six months spent working deeply in AI readiness in the workplace, why preparation and structure matter more than clever prompts, how tools like Copilot work best when your information is ready first, and why AI doesn’t fix messy systems — it exposes them. More than anything, this is a human episode. It’s about how AI shows up differently depending on where you sit, what you do, and what you need. It’s about curiosity, resistance, creativity, confusion, and quiet everyday use — all existing at the same table. If you’re feeling pressure to “use AI” without a clear purpose, experimenting creatively without wanting to lose your voice, questioning where this technology really fits, or simply curious about how others are navigating it, this conversation will resonate. Because the future of AI won’t be defined by hype or age — it will be defined by relevance, readiness, and how well it fits into real human lives.

    13 min

  3. 12/01/2025

    The Hard Truths of Building a SharePoint Agent

    Send us a text Building a SharePoint agent looks simple in the marketing demos — just click Create, add your site, and you’re done. But anyone who has tried to build a truly accurate, enterprise-ready agent knows the reality is far more complex. In this episode, I share what I’ve learned after spending the past several weeks deep in the trenches building a real SharePoint agent. This is not the polished, theoretical version of AI adoption. This is the messy, difficult, strategic reality that most organisations discover far too late. I break down the three hard truths every organisation must understand before they even think about deploying an agent: The Metadata Mountain — Why AI collapses without a solid information architecture, and how metadata determines every answer your agent gives. The Unicorn Skills Gap — The rare combination of SharePoint architecture, IA, prompting, business analysis, and governance expertise required to build an agent that actually works. The Long Road of Governance and Trust — Why the real work begins after the agent is built, and how to create a sustainable model for accuracy, oversight, and responsible use. This episode goes beyond the hype to explore the realities of content readiness, skills gaps, organisational maturity, and the long road of governance that follows launch. If you're responsible for Microsoft 365 strategy, AI adoption, information architecture, or governance — this conversation will give you the clarity you need to plan effectively. Before you click “Create agent,” listen to this. This is the view from the trenches, and it might change the way you approach AI entirely.

    12 min

  4. 10/29/2025

    The October Revolution: How AI is Quietly Taking Over Microsoft 365

    Send us a text After a month away from the podcast, I'm back with an episode that perfectly captures why Simply SharePoint is evolving into something bigger. Because what happened in October 2025 proves something I've been thinking about for a while: you can't talk about SharePoint anymore without talking about the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem—and you definitely can't ignore how AI is changing everything. This episode breaks down what I'm calling "The October Revolution"—a series of announcements from Microsoft that signal AI is no longer just a feature, but the foundation of how we work in Microsoft 365. What we cover: SharePoint's AI transformation: The Knowledge Agent that automatically organizes and enriches your content, plus the new document library interface rolling out in November that makes SharePoint more intuitive than ever. OneDrive gets smarter: Copilot integration that lets you summarize documents, compare versions, and even generate audio overviews you can listen to on the go. Teams becomes an AI collaboration platform: From malicious URL protection to Loop pages in channels, AI is woven into the fabric of how teams communicate. The democratization of development: App Builder and Workflows agents that let anyone—yes, anyone—create custom apps and automate processes using nothing but natural language. No coding required. Collaboration goes AI-powered: Shared Copilot Notebooks that transform AI from a personal assistant into a team intelligence platform. Plus: Practical guidance on data quality, licensing strategy and prompt literacy. This isn't just a feature roundup. It's a roadmap for understanding where Microsoft 365 is heading and how to prepare your organization for an AI-first workplace. Perfect for: SharePoint admins, Microsoft 365 administrators, IT leaders, knowledge managers, and anyone responsible for digital workplace strategy.

    20 min

  5. 10/06/2025

    Final_Version_7_REALLY_Final.docx — The SharePoint Intervention You Didn’t Know You Needed

    Send us a text Ever opened a SharePoint library so messy you didn’t know where to start? The kind full of “final_final_really_final.docx” chaos, folders from 2016, and documents with no owner in sight? In this episode, we stage a SharePoint intervention. I’ll walk you through how I took one out-of-control document library and transformed it into a clean, structured container that actually works — using nothing but out-of-the-box SharePoint features. You’ll learn the exact steps I take to: Identify the mess behind “version seven really final” chaosApply metadata that instantly brings structure and findabilityUse content types to separate working documents from published onesClean up without breaking links, losing history, or starting overThis story builds on last week’s Policy & Procedure Hub design — but this time, we’re taking it to the ground level: a single library, one team, one intervention. And at the end, I’ll share a practical next step if you’re ready to make your own content Copilot-ready — my 60-minute mini course, Fix the Mess™ – Preparing Your SharePoint for Copilot. Because the fix isn’t more AI. It’s better organisation.

    17 min

  6. 09/28/2025

    Mental Models, Not Features: The SharePoint Training Revolution

    Send us a text Traditional SharePoint training fails because it focuses on clicks, not concepts. After two decades of watching adoption stall, I developed something different — The Container Method™. In this episode, I share the story behind this new approach, why it works, and how it transforms SharePoint from a confusing tool into something intuitive and usable. You’ll hear: Why traditional SharePoint training fails and what’s missingThe origin story of The Container Method™, including the metaphors that didn’t work (yes, even sushi boxes)How containers, cabinets, drawers, and labels map directly to SharePoint’s sites, libraries, folders, and metadataReal-world examples showing how this model makes everyday SharePoint tasks faster and simplerDetails of the new Container Method™ End User Course, designed to get people productive with SharePoint in just 60 minutesIf you’re tired of seeing your teams overwhelmed and under-trained, this episode is for you. Learn how to bridge the gap between abstract SharePoint terminology and the way our brains naturally organize information. Special Launch Offer: The Container Method™ End User Course is now live at simplysharepoint.com/sharepoint-essentials-container-method. Get it for just $67 during the launch period (regular price $97).

    15 min

  7. 09/21/2025

    SharePoint Confessions: Metadata Mayhem, Subsite Chaos & Workflow Woes (and How to Fix Them)

    Send us a text Ever sat through a two-hour metadata committee meeting? Or clicked into a SharePoint subsite only to find… one lonely document? Or maybe you’ve heard the cubicle chorus of “You left it checked out!” echo across the office? In this episode, I’m spilling my SharePoint confessions — the good, the bad, and the downright messy. From 13 mandatory metadata fields to 800 empty subsites and workflow meltdowns, these are the real stories from my early days in SharePoint. But here’s the twist: for every confession, I’ll share the solution I use today that would have saved me (and my sanity) back then. If you’ve ever lived through a SharePoint nightmare, you’ll laugh, nod along, and walk away with practical tips you can use right now. And stick around to the end — I’ve got exciting news about a brand-new service I’ve just launched to help you fix your SharePoint chaos for good.

    11 min

  8. 09/03/2025

    Microsoft 365 Copilot Can Only See What You Can See. But What If You Can See Too Much?

    Send us a text Microsoft 365 Copilot is rolling out across organizations worldwide, promising unprecedented productivity gains. Yet there’s a hidden danger many companies aren’t prepared for. Years of casual SharePoint sharing have created exposure risks that AI is about to amplify in ways you may never have imagined. In this episode, I unpack the critical difference between SharePoint’s “Share” and “Copy Link” buttons—a simple misunderstanding that’s creating massive security risks as AI enters the workplace. You’ll hear how oversharing has led to data breaches, competitive intelligence leaks, and compliance violations, and what you can do to avoid them. You’ll learn why most users unknowingly expose sensitive data with every “Copy Link” click, the three ways Copilot amplifies oversharing risks—including “ghost files” and permission inheritance traps—real stories of organizations that discovered hidden exposure through AI-generated reports, a simple three-question test to guide every sharing decision, and a clear step-by-step action plan to prepare for Copilot deployment. The key takeaway is simple: organizations that clean up their sharing practices now will unlock AI’s full potential safely. Those that don’t will spend their time dealing with data breaches instead of enjoying productivity gains. Don’t let convenience turn into a security nightmare. This episode could save your organization from an AI-amplified data disaster. Resources mentioned include the free Copilot Security Quick-Start Guide (for newsletter subscribers), the SharePoint sharing audit checklist, and advanced governance strategies for AI readiness. This episode is perfect for IT professionals, business leaders, compliance officers, and anyone using Microsoft 365 for collaboration.

    17 min
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About

SharePoint is everywhere — but good guidance for real users? Not so much. I’m Liza Tinker: consultant, trainer, and the one teams call when things get messy. This podcast is your go-to for real talk, real solutions, and a whole lot of clarity — minus the jargon. Whether you're managing sites, cleaning up document chaos, or just trying to make things work, you’ll find practical tips and insight from the creator of Fix the Mess™, the training series helping real people get SharePoint under control.

Information

  • Creator
    Liza Tinker
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Simply SharePoint
  • Show Website
    Simply SharePoint