outlook should merge with sharepoint

K

kamenBlake

1. Why are there attachments? There should be no such thing as a
physical attachment in an enterprise system. If you want to send someone a
file, the email should simply store the location of the file. The receiver
would open it from it's original location. Only the originator can delete or
move it, and if he does, he is reminded that the file is 'linked' to others
and prompted to send an automatically generated email to everyone who
received a 'link' that the file is either being purged or moved. I realize
you can send links today, but no uses them! It seems easier to attach a file.

2. There should be a SIMPLE way to add Sharepoint libraries under your
Outlook mailbox. When you right click in the library (while in Outlook) you
should be able to create a new email, right from the library. That becomes
the resting spot of the email. Then, when I email it to someone, they are
actually opening it from the library.

3. The Outlook Inbox simply becomes a LIST, nothing more. Everybody
manages an Outlook list that points to files in a common, intelligent library
structure.

4. You should be able to send special messages, that automatically
delete themselves. For example, "thanks" or "you're welcome". Or, if the
sender chooses to not originate an email from a library, it automatically
deletes itself after a predetermined time period.

5. When creating a new email message, there should be several options,
like 'send auto-deleting message' (see #3)

6. Outlook needs to be the hub and interface for day to day work. For
me, it already is, however I spend far too much time sorting, saving, moving,
filing and deleting emails and attachments. Outlook needs to become more
project oriented with built in basic project management tools. Probably 80%
of the email I receive daily is related to a project my company is involved
in. It should be much easier to manage all the email and documents
associated with these projects.

7. Outlook needs customizable views like Sharepoint libraries do. I
should be able to have an 'email view', or a 'project view' or perhaps a
'calendar view', all at the click of a button.

8. Outlook needs workflow features, similar to Sharepoint. Managers
and supervisors would find this useful if leveraged properly.

9. If email comes in that was not originated in one of the internal
document libraries, from outside the company for example, my secretary should
be able to file it to a library, for example, but it still shows up as an
unread email in my inbox.

10. I think what I'm really saying is Outlook and Sharepoint need to
become one application.



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http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...834f63d4c&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.general
 
B

Ben M. Schorr, MVP

Inline....

kamenBlake said:
1. Why are there attachments? There should be no such thing as a
physical attachment in an enterprise system. If you want to send someone
a
file, the email should simply store the location of the file. The
receiver
would open it from it's original location.

That only helps if the recipient has access to the original location. If
I'm e-mailing you and you don't work for my company then you don't have
access to my internal SharePoint libraries so sending you the link won't do
you any good.

That said, if you're e-mailing internally you can already sent a link
instead of the actual file, if you want to. The fact that people don't use
that feature is more of a training issue than a tech one.

2. There should be a SIMPLE way to add Sharepoint libraries under
your
Outlook mailbox. When you right click in the library (while in Outlook)
you
should be able to create a new email, right from the library. That
becomes
the resting spot of the email. Then, when I email it to someone, they are
actually opening it from the library.

You already can, it's called a post. Been able to do that since the early
days of Exchange public folders. Like e-mailing links very few people ever
do it, though, except maybe for messages that are public posts intended to
be read by a large and perhaps non-specific group.

3. The Outlook Inbox simply becomes a LIST, nothing more. Everybody
manages an Outlook list that points to files in a common, intelligent
library
structure.

Isn't that what I have now? My common, intelligent, library structure is my
mailbox.

4. You should be able to send special messages, that automatically
delete themselves. For example, "thanks" or "you're welcome". Or, if
the
sender chooses to not originate an email from a library, it automatically
deletes itself after a predetermined time period.

Message options | Delivery Options | Expires after...

You might also want to Google (or Bing) "Information Rights Management".

5. When creating a new email message, there should be several
options,
like 'send auto-deleting message' (see #3)

See #4. Or File | Set Permissions | Set Expiration Date if you're using
Outlook 2010.

6. Outlook needs to be the hub and interface for day to day work.
For
me, it already is, however I spend far too much time sorting, saving,
moving,
filing and deleting emails and attachments. Outlook needs to become more
project oriented with built in basic project management tools. Probably
80%
of the email I receive daily is related to a project my company is
involved
in. It should be much easier to manage all the email and documents
associated with these projects.

You'll like the Quick Steps in Outlook 2010.

7. Outlook needs customizable views like Sharepoint libraries do. I
should be able to have an 'email view', or a 'project view' or perhaps a
'calendar view', all at the click of a button.

You do. View | Current View. And you can create custom ones if you want
to.

8. Outlook needs workflow features, similar to Sharepoint. Managers
and supervisors would find this useful if leveraged properly.

You'll have to elaborate for me to respond to this one. There are 3rd party
applications that do some of this, of course.

9. If email comes in that was not originated in one of the internal
document libraries, from outside the company for example, my secretary
should
be able to file it to a library, for example, but it still shows up as an
unread email in my inbox.

I can copy e-mails to any folder (or library) I want to. Your secretary
should be able to as well, assuming she has the proper permissions.

10. I think what I'm really saying is Outlook and Sharepoint need to
become one application.

Not all Outlook users are SharePoint users (or want to be). That said I
think there is increasing integration between SharePoint and Outlook and I
believe that trend will continue.

Best wishes and aloha,

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com/outlook.html
Author: The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/ol4law-amazon
 

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