"Old Punks Never Die, We Just Stand in the Back" – A SharePoint Metaphor

As a SharePoint consultant with a deep love for punk rock, I easily find parallels between the two. One of my favorite t-shirts says, "Old punks never die we just stand in the back," which accurately describes SharePoint Online's evolution. SharePoint's wild, early days were like the mosh pit of a punk show in a small smoke-filled club—chaotic, loud, and full of custom-built solutions that felt like DIY band flyers scattered everywhere.

Still Rocking, Just a Bit Different

In the early days of punk, everything was raw, fast, and loud—much like the early days of SharePoint. Early iterations of SharePoint were rough around the edges. Configuring sites and managing content was a DIY experience, where every admin had their approach, often involving custom development or workarounds. But just like the punk scene, SharePoint matured. It's cleaner, sleeker, and more polished, but the fundamentals remain the same: empower users and deliver collaboration in ways that fit an organization's unique culture.

As a seasoned SharePoint consultant, I see the evolution of SharePoint Online as a journey similar to the old punks—moving from the mosh pit to the back of the venue. We're still invested, but we've learned to appreciate the finer, more efficient things from a slight distance.

From Chaotic to Controlled

In the same way, punk shows used to be chaotic and wild; early SharePoint was a mess. Subsites, nested folders, and custom web parts could all get out of control quickly. But that was part of its charm. It allowed users to customize their environments as they saw fit, much like punk music was about rejecting the mainstream and doing things your way.

Fast forward to today's SharePoint Online. We've moved away from that chaos, just like old punks no longer dive headfirst into mosh pits (our knees and back can't handle that). Now, SharePoint Online offers a more organized, governed approach to collaboration. With the introduction of hub sites, modern site templates, and flat hierarchies, users are nudged toward best practices without losing the flexibility that makes SharePoint powerful. It's as if we're still rocking out, but we've learned to control the chaos.

The Quiet Backbone of Collaboration

Even though SharePoint isn't always front and center anymore, it's still the quiet backbone of collaboration. SPO sits behind the scenes in Microsoft Teams, storing files and driving seamless collaboration through channels and chats. It's also deeply integrated into newer tools like Microsoft Loop, ensuring that the data and content you need flow smoothly across platforms without complex configurations.

Like the older punks hanging out at the back of the venue, SPO quietly powers so much of what happens in the front—the vibrant Teams chats, Loop workspaces, and collaborative pages. It might not be the show's star, but these tools wouldn't run half as smoothly without SharePoint.

Embracing the New but Honoring the Old

Just because we're not front and center doesn't mean we've lost our edge. Today's SharePoint Online may look different, but the core values of collaboration, content management, and accessibility remain. It's faster, more reliable, and more user-friendly than its predecessors, much like older punks might now appreciate a band that still embodies that DIY spirit without the reckless abandon.

For those of us who have been around since SharePoint's early days, we've learned to evolve with the platform. We've embraced modern tools like Viva Connections and SharePoint News, allowing for more seamless internal communications. We're using metadata and flat structures instead of the tangled web of nested folders we once relied on. But just like those of us standing in the back of a punk show, we still honor where we came from.

                        Standing in the back of the Bad Religion/Social Distortion Show, this past Spring 😁

The Takeaway: Still Pushing Boundaries

At its core, SharePoint Online is about pushing boundaries, just like punk. It challenges organizations to rethink how they manage and share information. The move to the cloud opened new doors for collaboration and security, and with each new feature, SharePoint Online asks us to evolve further. The 'punk' mentality hasn't disappeared from the platform; it's just found a new way to express itself. We're still rebelling against inefficiency and outdated processes—just from a more refined place.

So, whether you're an old punk like me who remembers SharePoint's early, scrappier days or a newcomer to the platform, the message is the same: SharePoint Online, like punk, never dies. It stands in the back, watching, adapting, and staying true to what it always stood for—empowerment and breaking the mold.