Body
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.
Content
This article describes the type of information that is typically included in each of the two types of SharePoint sites: communication sites and team sites. It also includes the information needed to help you select a site type.
Communication site
Create a SharePoint Communication site to share news, reports, status, and other information in a visually compelling format. These types of sites can be shared broadly and with a wide variety of people within the USNH system.
Team collaboration site
Create a SharePoint team collaboration site to provide a location where you and your team can work together on projects, create work flows, store and collaborate on files, or create and manage lists of information. A team collaboration site includes a group of related web pages, a default document library for files, SharePoint lists for data management, and web parts that you can customize to meet your needs. This type of site is designed for smaller groups of users than a communication site is.
Note: Microsoft's naming makes this confusing. A SharePoint team site (with a lower-case "t") is a SharePoint site built for collaborating with a group of people. It does not have to be tied to a Team (upper-case "T") in the Teams app. You can have a stand-alone team site in SharePoint for collaborating with people within USNH. The SharePoint site underpinning a Team in the Teams application is generally this same type. If you follow the instructions in this article to create a stand-alone team collaboration SharePoint site, you can add a Team (through the Teams app) on top of your team site at a later date if desired.
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, choose SharePoint.
Step 2 - Click + Create site and 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 3 - Select the template that you want to use to create your new site.
Step 4 - Select Use template to begin creating a site from your selected template.
Step 5 - Enter the name for the site. When you start to enter a name for the site, other fields appear.
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.
- Example of a good name: UNH Human Resources
- Example of a bad name: HR
Step 6 - You can enter a site description and edit the site address and the group email address (for a team site) if you want.
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 if you want.
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 fill out a request Service - SharePoint (usnh.edu)
Use of SharePoint Online and other Office 365 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.