SharePoint Sites FAQs
This page provides common answers for SharePoint Online Sites to help you get started.
Should I use a Team Site or a Communication Site?
Two kinds of sites can be created in SharePoint Online - Team Sites and Communication Sites.
| Team site | Communication site | |
---|---|---|---|
What is it? | A private space to collaborate with your team. | A space to share information that engages and informs viewers you choose within the University. | |
What's it used for? | Store and collaborate on files or lists of information with your team. The primary goal for a team site is to collaborate to create content with a small group. | Broadcast information to engage and inform others outside of your immediate team. The primary goal of a communication site is to inform readers – primarily for them to read, not create. | |
Possible uses |
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| |
Who creates content? | All members are content authors who jointly create and edit content. | Small number of content authors and a much larger number of content readers or consumers. | |
Who can view content? | Only members of your team or specific guests you share with. | Typically a small set of members contribute content that is consumed by a much larger audience. | |
Access/Security controlled by... | |||
Site navigation menu | Left | Top | |
Comes with... | Site, workspace to share files, OneNote notebook, Shared Calendar, Planner board, email address for group, shared inbox, Microsoft Team, live chat (dependent on settings) | Site, workspace to share files |
Read more:
Can I make my SharePoint site open to the public?
No. SharePoint sites are designed to be for "internal" University audiences only with login required for access. The largest supported audience for a site is "the whole University", plus optionally specific external/non-albany.edu email addresses.
If you need a website that is open to the public (viewable and searchable by the world without requiring login), submit a "New Web Project" request to the University's Web Services team.
Should I use/store my files in Microsoft Teams or in SharePoint?
Microsoft Teams is the hub for teamwork. It allows for collaboration, document management, chat, calls, meetings, and much more. Every Team has an associated SharePoint Team site where much of the Team's content, including files in Channels, is stored.
SharePoint Online is primarily an intranet site and a document management platform where you store, collaborate, and share information seamlessly across the organization, and is also part of Microsoft 365.
Read more: Should I store my files in Microsoft Teams or in SharePoint? An understanding of behind the scenes
How are Teams and SharePoint related?
When you you create a new Team, several other services are automatically created in the background:
Microsoft 365 Group
SharePoint Online Team site
Exchange Online shared mailbox & calendar
OneNote notebook
Other services like Power BI and Planner
This means that when you share files in a Team, they are actually stored in the associated SharePoint Team site, not in Microsoft Teams itself. In other words, Teams and SharePoint are closely related because every Team has an associated SharePoint site for storing documents.
Read more: Overview of Teams and SharePoint integration
What are Hub Sites?
Hub sites provide a way to organize and bring together content from related sites. ITS can designate your site as a hub site for you if you need to associate multiple sites (Team or Communication) with each other. If you need a hub site created, please submit an ITS Service Desk ticket.
Read more: Planning Hub Sites