Getting the most out of SharePoint Online

During 2024, why not learn how to get the most out of SharePoint Online (SPO)? The IT Learning Centre and the Nexus Team are offering a new ‘hands on’ course, designed for SharePoint novices, but also useful if you want to learn a little more - we hope to see you there. In the meantime, we’ve set out some features and tips which you may find useful.

Using Stream on SharePoint – 5 ways to enhance and share your video content

As Stream (Classic) is closing soon, Microsoft is rolling out new features and web parts to help you use Stream on SharePoint. Here are 5 useful ways you can access and share Stream content in your SharePoint Online sites: 

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  Use dedicated Stream web parts to view single videos or a grid of several videos all from an easy-to-configure new web part. 

• Upload video or audio files and manage them in your sites just like any other file or document.
• Generate a transcript and closed captions in SharePoint, Teams, or OneDrive. 
• Create custom playlists of video content to share with your users in your SharePoint sites, Teams or OneDrive for Business.
• Share videos with external users using externally-facing SharePoint sites. If needed, you can also share direct from your OneDrive for Business or arrange guest access in Teams. 

If you click on the waffle (top left of any Office/Microsoft 365 or SharePoint page) and open the Stream app, you can see and filter all of your Stream content, regardless of where it is stored or shared from. Guidance for using Stream can be found on the IT Help website.

Useful SharePoint features now available

Here are some more recently released features that we think you’ll find useful in your day-to-day work.

• New Document Library templates allow you to quickly create document libraries for specific purposes. For Power Automate users some templates also include built-in automation. 
• New List templates also allow you to quickly create lists for many use cases covering content cataloguing, HR processes, collaboration and document publication. 
• Set up calendars, task lists and issue tracking with intuitive web parts and site components
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  Coloured folders in document libraries help you arrange and organise content attractively and intuitively. 

• Collaborate and co-author documents with ease, with full version control. 
• Share attractive news articles and modern SharePoint pages automatically with your audience. 
• Accessibility options for tables in SharePoint pages with new subtitling options, features for screen readers and other accessible tools
• Site usage data shows how effective your site content is. View site traffic and visits, unique viewers and see summaries of your most popular content. 

SharePoint Online support, help and advice 

The SharePoint Online pages on the IT Help website are a great starting point and includes lots of useful information for using SharePoint Online and finding help and training.

The University’s SharePoint Service Home site also includes an extensive help and support section as well as frequently asked questions.  

We recommend joining the Nexus365 User Group (NUG) on Teams and following the SharePoint Online User Group channel where you can share your experiences or tips and tricks for using SharePoint Online with others across the University and find informal support. 

Did you know? 

SharePoint Online has a sophisticated search system that does more than just search for metadata or keywords. It allows you to fine-tune or supercharge your search criteria using a few simple rules.