The New SharePoint — HTML, Copilot and Why Information Architecture Still Comes First

Send us Fan MailSharePoint is changing quickly.You can now use Copilot in SharePoint to create and edit pages, libraries, lists, workflows, reusable skills and—with the right set-up—HTML pages that can become rich, live experiences inside your site.But this is not a reason to abandon good SharePoint practice. It is the reason to get serious about it.In this episode, Liza Tinker explains what the new HTML capability means, where SharePoint Copilot is genuinely useful, why an AI-generated page is not the same as a trusted solution, and the practical foundations you need before you start building.You will learn:What an HTML page in SharePoint actually is;What Copilot can create and where the boundaries are;Why lists, libraries, clear ownership and useful metadata are the data layer behind better AI experiences;How personal and site skills can make repeatable work easier; andThe first small pilot to run without creating another confusing site.There is no AI without IA.Mentioned in this episodeClean Up Your SharePoint Library in 7 Days ChallengeSimply AI Ready BlueprintsMicrosoft Learn: Get started with Copilot in SharePointMicrosoft Support: Create, upload, edit and publish HTML pages in SharePointMicrosoft Learn: Extend Copilot in SharePoint with skills Microsoft SharePoint Blog: What’s New in Copilot in SharePoint — September 2026 The episode is based on public Microsoft documentation and announcements current to 6 October 2026. Copilot in SharePoint availability, licensing, Copilot Credits, advanced capabilities and rollout status can vary by tenant, region, permission and administrator configuration. Validate capabilities in the customer’s own tenant before designing a process around them.Support the show

Send us Fan MailFor twenty years I've walked into organisation after organisation and said the same things: nobody can find the right document, nobody knows which version is current, nobody actually owns half the content in the business. People nodded politely. Then went back to what they were doing.Then AI arrived — and suddenly, when Copilot confidently answers a question using the wrong policy, that mess isn't invisible anymore. It's sitting in a chat window in front of your staff and your customers.In this episode I get into:Why AI doesn't fix messy information — it exposes itWill AI take your job? No — but it will change it. Here's what that actually meansWhy "using AI well" is about to become a baseline skill, like emailWhy two organisations can buy the exact same AI tool and get completely different resultsThe roles I think are emerging as this decades-old problem finally becomes a boardroom issueThis isn't really a podcast about SharePoint, or even about AI. It's about what happens when a problem we've quietly ignored for 25 years suddenly becomes the thing that decides who wins.Also visit the blog to read my latest article on the future of Jobs in SharePoint and what will a SharePoint Information Architect be called in 2025. https://simplysharepoint.com/what-will-a-sharepoint-information-architect-be-called-in-2035/Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The shift from filing cabinets to organisational intelligence In this episode of Simply SharePoint, Liza Tinker explores the mindset shift that is quietly changing everything about Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Copilot adoption.For years, organisations have treated SharePoint like a digital filing cabinet — a place to dump documents and hope people can find them later. But in the AI era, that model is breaking down fast.Because Copilot doesn’t think in folders.It thinks in relationships, context, metadata, permissions and meaning.This episode unpacks why modern SharePoint environments need to be designed as knowledge databases rather than storage systems, and why information architecture is suddenly one of the most important disciplines in the modern workplace.Liza walks through:• Why Copilot failures are usually information architecture failures • The concept of every document having a “digital fingerprint” • Why metadata is becoming the intelligence layer of Microsoft 365 • The difference between designing for humans vs designing for AI • How content types, views and libraries change when you think database-first • What good Copilot-ready environments actually look like • Why messy SharePoint environments are now amplified by AI instead of hidden by itIf you work in SharePoint, Teams, intranets, governance, collaboration, records management or Microsoft 365 adoption, this episode will completely change the way you think about your environment.Because your information architecture is no longer just supporting collaboration. It’s powering intelligence.🎧 Read the accompanying article at: https://simplysharepoint.com/sharepoint-database/📚 Explore the Resource Hub and The Modern SharePoint System: https://hub.simplysharepoint.com/Support the show

Send us Fan MailSharePoint has entered its AI era — and this is not just another feature release.In this episode, I walk through what’s actually changed, based on what I’ve been testing myself. From the new SharePoint AI agent that can build lists and libraries from a simple description, to the newly announced Skills capability that lets you teach SharePoint how your organisation works — this is a shift in how the platform is used, not just how it looks.I break down what the AI agent can do today, where it still has limitations, and why I think the real opportunity isn’t for beginners — it’s for people who already understand how SharePoint should be structured.We also touch on the SharePoint Admin Agent and what it means for governance, visibility, and understanding your environment without relying on scripts and exports.But the biggest takeaway is this: AI doesn’t replace structure. It depends on it.If your content is messy, untagged, and sitting in the wrong place, Copilot won’t fix that for you. It will just scale the problem.This episode is a practical, no-hype look at what’s here now, what’s coming, and what I’d focus on first if you want to make the most of it.🔗 In this episode: What the SharePoint AI agent can (and can’t) do right now  How building lists and libraries is changing  What SharePoint Skills are and why they matter  The role of the SharePoint Admin Agent  Why structure and metadata matter more than ever in the AI era 📌 Resources & linksFull article and breakdown:https://simplysharepoint.com/sharepoints-ai-era-is-here/ More tools, guides and templates:https://hub.simplysharepoint.com/Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the SharePoint at 25 series, I tackle one of the longest-running and most misunderstood debates in the SharePoint world: folders versus metadata.For years, the conversation has been framed as a binary choice — either you use folders or you use metadata. But in reality, modern SharePoint environments require a much more balanced approach.In this episode, I unpack where the debate originally came from, why folders made perfect sense in the file server era, and how SharePoint introduced a completely different way of structuring information through metadata. More importantly, I explain why the real problem was never folders themselves — it was expecting them to carry the entire information architecture of a system.We also explore how the modern SharePoint library experience has evolved, with views, filtering, and metadata now sitting at the centre of how people interact with information. And with AI tools like Copilot entering the picture, structure and context are becoming even more important.Rather than arguing for “no folders ever,” this episode presents a more practical design perspective:Folders provide containmentMetadata provides meaningViews provide experienceDesign provides governanceWhen these elements work together, SharePoint environments scale. When they don’t, complexity builds — and AI tools will surface those problems very quickly.If you’ve ever been in a workshop where the folders vs metadata debate spiralled out of control, this episode resets the conversation and explains how these pieces actually fit together in modern Microsoft 365 environments.Links & ResourcesFix the Mess™ Training and Courses https://fixthemess.aiSupport the show

Send us Fan MailFor years, governance in SharePoint has been treated as a document.We write policies, frameworks, and rules at the start of a project, get them approved, upload them to SharePoint… and then quietly hope they’ll influence how people work. In reality, those documents rarely shape day-to-day behaviour. They sit on shelves while environments drift into inconsistent structures, fragile permissions, duplicated content, and growing frustration.In this episode of the SharePoint 25th Birthday Series, Liza unpacks why governance documents fail — not because governance doesn’t matter, but because documentation has never been an effective control mechanism.This episode explores what governance documents are actually good at capturing, what they fundamentally cannot control, and why real governance has to be built into the design of the system itself. From site creation through to document lifecycle and archiving, Liza walks through how governance by design works in practice — and why this approach is no longer optional as organisations move toward AI-enabled work with tools like Microsoft Copilot.This is also where Fix the Mess™ fits in. Instead of relying on shelfware policies and training-heavy governance, Fix the Mess™ focuses on designing SharePoint environments that guide behaviour by default. The Studio and courses provide practical, real-world starting points that replace guesswork and good intentions with structure, consistency, and clarity — while still allowing organisations to tailor and evolve their environments over time.If your governance still lives in a PDF, it isn’t governing anything. Better SharePoint — and better AI outcomes — start with better system design.Support the show

Send us Fan MailAs SharePoint approaches its 25th birthday this March, this episode kicks off a new series focused on how the platform has evolved — and why many organisations are still working in ways that no longer serve them.In this first episode, I tackle one of the most persistent and controversial habits in SharePoint: naming conventions.Almost every organisation has a naming convention document. Almost no one follows it consistently. That’s not a people problem — it’s a design problem.In this episode, I explain why naming conventions made sense in the early days of file servers and folders, why they don’t scale in modern SharePoint, and why I’ve never relied on them to make a solution work across my career. We unpack how metadata, information architecture, permissions, and structure have quietly replaced the need for filenames to carry all the meaning — and why that matters more than ever in a world of AI and Copilot.You’ll hear real-world examples of how metadata replaces complex filenames, how to keep filenames simple and human-readable, and why governance that depends on people remembering rules is fragile by design. I also talk openly about why naming conventions are difficult to follow in practice, how cognitive load plays into this, and why automating structure leads to better outcomes than policing behaviour.This episode sets the foundation for the rest of the series, which will cover governance, information architecture, metadata, and the design decisions that actually shape successful SharePoint environments — whether you’re preparing for Copilot, fixing an inherited mess, or building sites properly from the start.Next episode: why governance isn’t a document you write once and file away — and why real governance has to be built into the design.Support the show

Send us Fan MailThis end-of-year episode wasn’t planned — it unfolded naturally around my family’s Christmas table.As we gathered early this year, missing family members, reflecting on work and life, and celebrating a small but significant personal milestone — recovering from back surgery after six months of pain — the conversation drifted to AI. What surprised me wasn’t how advanced the technology has become, but how differently every person around the table was experiencing it.From a developer using ChatGPT daily to pull together complex technical reports and save enormous amounts of time, to creative experiments with AI-generated video, imagery, and even transforming travel photos into physical Christmas cards. From organisations feeling pressure to “use AI” without knowing why, to my mum quietly replacing Google with ChatGPT because she can simply ask questions and keep asking. And finally, a group of Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids who were completely unimpressed — calling AI aesthetics lazy and expressing frustration with how AI has taken over platforms like Pinterest.This episode explores what that one conversation revealed about AI adoption, AI readiness, creativity, and the very real gap between hype and usefulness. I reflect on six months spent working deeply in AI readiness in the workplace, why preparation and structure matter more than clever prompts, how tools like Copilot work best when your information is ready first, and why AI doesn’t fix messy systems — it exposes them.More than anything, this is a human episode. It’s about how AI shows up differently depending on where you sit, what you do, and what you need. It’s about curiosity, resistance, creativity, confusion, and quiet everyday use — all existing at the same table.If you’re feeling pressure to “use AI” without a clear purpose, experimenting creatively without wanting to lose your voice, questioning where this technology really fits, or simply curious about how others are navigating it, this conversation will resonate.Because the future of AI won’t be defined by hype or age — it will be defined by relevance, readiness, and how well it fits into real human lives.Support the show

Send us Fan MailBuilding a SharePoint agent looks simple in the marketing demos — just click Create, add your site, and you’re done. But anyone who has tried to build a truly accurate, enterprise-ready agent knows the reality is far more complex.In this episode, I share what I’ve learned after spending the past several weeks deep in the trenches building a real SharePoint agent. This is not the polished, theoretical version of AI adoption. This is the messy, difficult, strategic reality that most organisations discover far too late.I break down the three hard truths every organisation must understand before they even think about deploying an agent:The Metadata Mountain — Why AI collapses without a solid information architecture, and how metadata determines every answer your agent gives.The Unicorn Skills Gap — The rare combination of SharePoint architecture, IA, prompting, business analysis, and governance expertise required to build an agent that actually works.The Long Road of Governance and Trust — Why the real work begins after the agent is built, and how to create a sustainable model for accuracy, oversight, and responsible use.This episode goes beyond the hype to explore the realities of content readiness, skills gaps, organisational maturity, and the long road of governance that follows launch. If you're responsible for Microsoft 365 strategy, AI adoption, information architecture, or governance — this conversation will give you the clarity you need to plan effectively.Before you click “Create agent,” listen to this. This is the view from the trenches, and it might change the way you approach AI entirely.Support the show

Send us Fan MailAfter a month away from the podcast, I'm back with an episode that perfectly captures why Simply SharePoint is evolving into something bigger. Because what happened in October 2025 proves something I've been thinking about for a while: you can't talk about SharePoint anymore without talking about the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem—and you definitely can't ignore how AI is changing everything.This episode breaks down what I'm calling "The October Revolution"—a series of announcements from Microsoft that signal AI is no longer just a feature, but the foundation of how we work in Microsoft 365.What we cover:SharePoint's AI transformation: The Knowledge Agent that automatically organizes and enriches your content, plus the new document library interface rolling out in November that makes SharePoint more intuitive than ever.OneDrive gets smarter: Copilot integration that lets you summarize documents, compare versions, and even generate audio overviews you can listen to on the go.Teams becomes an AI collaboration platform: From malicious URL protection to Loop pages in channels, AI is woven into the fabric of how teams communicate.The democratization of development: App Builder and Workflows agents that let anyone—yes, anyone—create custom apps and automate processes using nothing but natural language. No coding required.Collaboration goes AI-powered: Shared Copilot Notebooks that transform AI from a personal assistant into a team intelligence platform.Plus: Practical guidance on data quality, licensing strategy and prompt literacy.This isn't just a feature roundup. It's a roadmap for understanding where Microsoft 365 is heading and how to prepare your organization for an AI-first workplace.Perfect for: SharePoint admins, Microsoft 365 administrators, IT leaders, knowledge managers, and anyone responsible for digital workplace strategy.Support the show