Summary
This article provides information to aid the reader in choosing the SharePoint site type that most meets their needs, and the instructions to create a site. It intended for those who may be interested in creating a SharePoint site, but need more information about available site types and their purpose. This information is applicable to both the Windows and Mac OS operating systems. Please be sure to review SharePoint: USNH SharePoint Usage Guidelines and Governance
Important: USNH SharePoint sites are part of the university’s internal intranet. While it’s possible to share content with specific external collaborators, SharePoint sites cannot be made publicly accessible for anonymous viewing (i.e., they cannot function as a public-facing website). For files and folders, anonymous sharing links can be configured for the site and then posted publicly.
Content
Before creating a site, clearly define its purpose:
- Is the site for a project, department, committee, or general collaboration?
- Who are the intended contributors and audience?
- What kind of content will be stored or created?
Use this information to determine if a standalone site is needed, or if the content would be better housed in an existing site or hub to avoid site sprawl.
More information is available in our USNH SharePoint Usage Guidelines and Governance article. Follow these hotlinks to view specific sections.
Site Organization and Best Practices
Site Navigation and Content Organization
Site Naming Conventions
Site Ownership Requirements
Sharing and Permissions
Sensitivity Labels
Site Lifecycle Management
Communication vs. Team Sites
- Team Sites are designed for collaboration among a specific group of people. They are typically connected to a Microsoft 365 Group, which brings integration with other M365 services such as Teams, Planner, Outlook, and OneNote.
- Use a team site when:
- You need a shared workspace for a project team, committee, or working group.
- Members of the site need to co-author documents, track tasks, or manage lists together.
- You want to integrate with Microsoft Teams for persistent chat, meetings, and shared files.
- Communication Sites are designed for one-to-many communication. Their primary purpose is to share information with a wider audience rather than support collaboration among a large group of contributors.
- Use a Communication Site when:
- You need to broadcast information such as announcements, internal news, or policies.
- You want to publish content that’s mostly read-only for most users.
- You are building a portal or homepage for a department, office, or service unit.
Plan carefully as a team site cannot be converted into a Communication site and vice versa. Avoid creating multiple similar-purpose sites unless there’s a clear business need. Duplication creates sprawl and confusion.
Note: Microsoft’s naming can be confusing. A SharePoint team site (lowercase “t”) refers to a SharePoint site designed for collaboration. It does not need to be connected to a Microsoft Team (uppercase “T”) in the Teams app.
You can create a standalone SharePoint team site for collaborating with people within USNH. If needed, you can add a Team (through the Teams app) to your team site at a later date. Whenever a new Microsoft Team is created in Teams, a corresponding SharePoint team site is created.
Should I create a team collaboration site or a communication site?
- Use a communication site to broadcast information out to a broad audience within USNH. With a communication site, typically only a small set of members contribute content that is consumed by a much larger audience.
- Use a team site when you want to collaborate with other members of your team or with others on a specific project. With a team collaboration site, typically all or most members can contribute content to the site and the information is limited to only the members of the team or project and specific invited stakeholders.
How-To
Task: To create a SharePoint site.
Instructions
Step 1 - Sign into Microsoft 365, open the app launcher (the waffle icon in the top left), choose SharePoint.
Step 2 - Click + Create site button on the top left.
Step 3 - Choose one of the site type options: Team site (for collaboration) or Communication site
Note: It is recommended to make a team site for smaller groups of users..
Step 4 - Select Use template to begin creating a site from a selection of ready-made templates. You can also create a USNH institutionally themed site.
Note: there are two tabs for templates, 'From Microsoft' and 'From your Organization'. Selecting the 'From your Organization' tab will allow you the option of creating your desired site using various institutional color themes, including KSC, PSU and UNH. These themed organizational templates can be used to create either a Communication site or a Team site.
Step 5 - Enter the name for the site. When you start to enter a name for the site, other fields appear. See Site Naming Conventions
Note: Your SharePoint site name should be clear and define the contents of your site. The name should include a department abbreviation and/or a project name. Keep the name as short as possible while maintaining clarity.
Step 6 - Enter a site description and edit the last portion of the site address and the group email address (for a team site) if you like.
Important: The only symbols allowed in the site address are underscores, dashes, single quotes and periods, and can't start or end with a period.
Step 7 - If prompted, select privacy settings for your site information (this will only show up when creating a team site.)
Step 8 - Select the default language for your site.
Step 9 - Select Create site.
Step 10 - You can choose to add site members and owners at this time if you like.
Step 11 - Select Finish.
Outcome
Your site is created and a appears among the sites you're following . Your site does not inherit the permission settings or navigation of other sites.
Important Information
If you require a SharePoint/Teams to contain PII, FERPA, and HIPAA data please review this article SharePoint: Requesting and Managing Sites for FERPA or HIPAA Data
Use of SharePoint Online and other Microsoft365 services provided by UNH is governed by the same policies as other university resources:
Further Readings
Team Site vs. Communication Site - Which one should I choose?
To share your Team collaboration site with others, see Share a site .
To request to share with external (non-USNH) collaborators, see SharePoint: Enabling Sharing with External Collaborators
Now that you have a Communication Site it's time to set it up. Visit the knowledge base article on using web parts.
See the Manage site permissions section in Microsoft - Manage a site in SharePoint Online
To add a Team (through the Teams app) on top of your team site at a later date if desired.
Need additional help?
For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:
Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!
Visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request. For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.