For the people that wonder how to call the new version of SharePoint (or SPS, or WSS), Lawrence, who I actually met and have lunch with today, explains which abbreviations and namings can be used for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
“For starters, one of the most important yet challenging aspects of community is to ensure that everyone is using the same abbreviations and acronyms when referring to a product or technology. So, this past Monday, I sent the following naming guidelines for Office SharePoint Server 2007 to our external SharePoint MVPs as well as a broad mix of SharePoint oriented internal Microsoft people. I’d encourage you to adhere to these guidelines as best you can.
- Initial (formal) mention: Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007
- Initial (informal) mention: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
- Second mention (lengthy content: more than 250 words): Office SharePoint Server 2007
- Second mention (short content: e-mails, etc. – though having the “Office” prefix is still strongly preferred): SharePoint Server 2007
- Acronym (long form – must be defined in conjunction with initial mention of the product name): MOSS 2007
- Acronym (short form – must be defined in conjunction with initial mention of the product name): MOSS
Although the guidelines above include the use of an acronym, it’s important to note that we do not officially recommend the use of it because 1) it doesn’t work in all languages, and 2) it can potentially diminish the Office brand. However, as we’ve seen with “WSS” and “SPS” in the past, the use of acronyms (and naming abbreviations) is unavoidable. Therefore, we need to be proactive in influencing the consistent and accurate use of an acronym for Office SharePoint Server 2007 – and MOSS, it is.”
[Edit: style layout]