November 2021 Content Wrap-Up

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Here we are at the end of another month, and with a little planning and structure, I’m still on target with my goal of at least one-post-per-day here on the blog — plus videos, podcasts, and content being published elsewhere. In addition, I am co-hosting a new series that launches in January that focuses on the channel, with 6 episodes already in the can. That will be a weekly show which you’ll find under the hashtag of #P2Pnow, so watch for update!

As for November activities, the month blew by at a furious pace as I closed out my first year with AvePoint, with regular contributions to the #CollabTalk TweetJam and Podcast, my bi-weekly #O365hours series, the #MVPbuzzChat interview series, and a new format for the #M365AMA series. I also participated in the Minnesota Microsoft 365 User Group, as well as Teams Day Online 4, both of which have assets and links below. Here’s my output for the month:

Change Management, Governance, and Migration

Still the meat-and-potatoes of my content contributions, I have a few more articles in my OneNote backlog that I’ll publish in December, and then will be shifting my content activities back toward productivity tips. Give the people what they want, right?

AvePoint Community Champions

For the past couple of years, AvePoint has run a Community Champions program with experts and influencers from around the world who are also friends-of-AvePoint. I have taken over this program and will be expanding it over the next year, and am excited to work with many familiar, and not-so-familiar names from the global community on a variety of projects. If you are a fan of AvePoint products and have any interest in joining this exclusive program, check out my introduction blog post below and, if it sounds like something you’d like to pursue, connect with me via email or LinkedIn.

  • We’re Expanding the AvePoint Community Champions Program! [AvePoint blog]

Office 365 Hours (#O365hours)

The #O365hours series runs on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday morning each month at 11am Eastern. You can find details on the upcoming episode as well as past episodes at avept.it/o365hours. If you subscribe, you’ll get email reminders about each episode — and no, we will not spam you. With a subscription, all you’ll see are the email reminders for each episode. Today’s episode (this being the 1st Wednesday of the month) featured MVP Rene Modery (@modery) talking about “Citizen Development and the Power Platform.” In our next episode on December 15th, I’ll be joined by Microsoft’s Mark Kashman (@mkashman) to discuss “Extending Microsoft Lists.” Don’t miss it!

  • The Usefulness of Data-Driven Insights & Microsoft Viva Topics [AvePoint blog]
  • #O365Hours​​​: Data-Driven Insights and Microsoft Viva Topics [YouTube]
  • The Evolution of Hybrid Work with Microsoft Teams & Microsoft Viva [AvePoint blog]
  • #O365Hours​​​: Microsoft Teams, Viva, and Hybrid Work [YouTube]

Events

I participated in 3 online events/activities this past month, including a guest spot on the Inside Microsoft Teams broadcast along with Microsoft’s Stephen Rose (@stephenlrose) and Karuana Gatimu (@karuana), participating in the 4th of 4 sessions, this one on Adoption. I had a lot of fun on the show, joining several other MVPs behind the scenes answering questions live on TechCommunity, but then jumping on camera a couple times to discuss a few topics live with Stephen and Karuana. I also joined a panel of Regional Directors to discuss #MSIgnite takeaways for the Minnesota Microsoft 365 User Group (#MN365). And finally, I participated in another Teams Day Online event, once again sharing some of my favorite Microsoft Teams productivity tips…which my team then folded into the existing 20 tips in my AvePoint eBook, making it 40 tips.

CollabTalk TweetJam

For the November 2021 tweetjam, we focused our discussion on “Making Collaboration Secure” with another stellar panel of MVPs, partners, and experts from around the world, and sponsored by tyGraph (https://tygraph.com/) and AvePoint (https://avepoint.com/). Following the Twitter discussion, I caught up with AvePoint’s Chief Risk, Privacy and Information Security Officer, Dana Simberkoff (@danalouise), where we walked through the 7 tweetjam questions and shared our takeaways. I always enjoy my discussions with Dana, and recommend this content to anyone who is involved in the operational planning for security and compliance around SharePoint, Teams, and other related tools and platforms.

  • Focusing on Collaboration Security [buckleyPLANET]
  • Community Feedback on Collaboration Security [buckleyPLANET]
  • November 2021 #CollabTalk TweetJam Summary [YouTube]

CollabTalk Podcast

I’m also excited to see the growth in the CollabTalk Podcast, and have big plans as the number of listeners grows each month. One thing you’ll notice is that many of my guests are increasingly coming from outside of the Microsoft ecosystem, since the topic of collaboration is not about a specific technology. As I state in the opening of each show, these conversations are about the convergence of technology, business productivity, and collaboration culture. I’ll still have experts and friends from within the Microsoft ecosystem, and am planning on another solo broadcast in December where I’ll do a deep dive into Viva and share my thoughts on the employee experience (EXP) opportunities for Microsoft and the community. You can find the CollabTalk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, and other popular podcast platforms.

  • CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 30 on Shifting Cultural Mindsets Toward the data-Driven Organization with Nick Amabile [buckleyPLANET | podcast]
  • CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 31 on Microsoft Loop and Collaboration “In The Flow Of Work” with Darrell Webster [buckleyPLANET | podcast]
  • CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 32 on The Impacts of Employee Well-Being on Productivity & Innovation with Michelle Natalya Moore [buckleyPLANET | podcast]
  • CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 33 on The State of Information Governance in the Modern Workplace with Nick Inglis [buckleyPLANET | podcast]

#MVPbuzzChat interviews

Also available on the CollabTalk Podcast as well as the CollabTalk YouTube channel are the weekly#MVPbuzzChat interviews with new and seasoned Microsoft MVPs from around the world. What started as a way for me to personally get to know other MVPs, it has become a weekly episode drop on the blog, YouTube channel, and podcast, with Episodes 138, 139, 140, and 141 going live this past month. Check it out!

Microsoft 365 Ask Me Anything (#M365AMA)

What started as a weekly gathering of MVP friends in the early days of the pandemic, morphing into a longer monthly live stream — has now evolved into a series of videos and short-but-sweet blog posts around individual topics. Despite the fun we had in creating these live shows, we realized that few had the time or interest in sitting through a 90-minute broadcast. I spent a couple hours after each show going through and editing a list of links to each individual topic, which generated more traffic, but we think we’ve landed on a format that appeals to the masses. We still record as a group and run through multiple topics, but now deliver the content as standalone videos and blog posts, with links to relevant resources. It’s more consumable and shareable this way. Check out the intro article and 4 initial episodes below and let me know what you think. We have 16 more episodes shot and scheduled for staggered release across December, so be sure to follow me @buckleyplanet for when each of them drop.

Blatant Self-Promotion

…and to wrap up my wrap-up, I always kick off the month with a summary of the previous month’s content. Here’s the post for October:

Oh, and one more thing…

As of the 30th, my wife and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary, which is crazy to think about. It sure doesn’t feel like 31 years. Nor can I believe that my oldest just turned 29, or that 3 of my 4 children are married. That’s insane. I’m lucky to have found someone that I love and who continues to be my best friend and favorite fellow human being. To be fair, I did provide her with an out, though. I told her that after our 50th, we could step back and reassess things, and then make decisions on next steps. I should probably block out some time in 2040 for that conversation 😉

Christian Buckley

Christian is a Microsoft Regional Director and M365 Apps & Services MVP, and an award-winning product marketer and technology evangelist, based in Silicon Slopes (Lehi), Utah. He is a startup advisor and investor, and an independent consultant providing fractional marketing and channel development services for Microsoft partners. He hosts the weekly #CollabTalk Podcast, weekly #ProjectFailureFiles series, monthly Guardians of M365 Governance (#GoM365gov) series, and the Microsoft 365 Ask-Me-Anything (#M365AMA) series.