Aug 15 2017 10:58 AM - edited Aug 15 2017 11:01 AM
I may be late to this conversation if it's been had already, but now that my organization has gained access to more Modern page design features (editable banner, Hero web part, Events web part, layout options), I'm left wondering if there is no fundamental difference between Modern Team Sites and Communication Sites other than what you start out with when the site is created. I'm looking mainly at how a Communication Site's structure can, as it seems to me, be built using webparts and configuration items available in Team sites.
Given that, currently, newly created Communication Sites are their own site collections, I'm not seeing a reason to start out with a Communication Site when I can just build one from a gutted Team site. Can anyone tell me what significant differences there are between a Modern Team Site and a Communication Site may be?
Aug 15 2017 11:35 AM
Aug 15 2017 11:40 AM
That's what I'd hoped to hear. Thanks!
Aug 15 2017 01:57 PM
If by "modern team site" you mean a site powered by Office 365 Groups then of course those "team sites" get all the related Office 365 Group services (Planner, OneNote, Outlook distribution list). Communications sites don't get those.
Aug 15 2017 01:59 PM
Aug 15 2017 03:02 PM
The introduction of Communication sites, and the similar/identical options for pages, has made us re-think about how on-prem sites will be migrated to online sites.
The main point I'm making is that the new SP online environment providest the opportunity to re-think architecture and content layout - especially for mobile access.
Aug 16 2017 06:09 AM
@Andrew Warland wrote:The main point I'm making is that the new SP online environment providest the opportunity to re-think architecture and content layout - especially for mobile access.
Great wrap-up, thanks. This kind of migration is a good point to sort things out and reorganize your content. But in so many cases you have people who actively prevent such thinking because "Everything has to stay as it is because the users are used to it in this way."...
Aug 16 2017 06:50 AM
SolutionSep 18 2017 08:39 AM - edited Sep 18 2017 08:52 AM
my pennies worth on this one is, that this is more a strategic separation than a technical one
You can see on the 'new site' dialgue that Microsoft are asking the basic question about a new site which is , collaboration or communication?
collaboration means a defined set of people who want to work together in a shared area, so this is tied to an O365 group.
communication means a vehicle to push out information and doesnt tie to a predefined group of people. so this is not ties to a group.
from a security and management perspective this is a very important first question as it dictates the site pattern on any platform and i think when you look at the way the 'new site' dialogue now flows you can see that patten being established. the fact that they have included a blank communications pattern site reinforces the fact that the style and webparts are not what makes it a comms site. Its the pattern.
so my guess is the style and webparts are not relevant as you have them in both patterns but setting the pattern is this is probably paving the way for features down the line that will be specific to the two basic patterns of site construction.
there are also parallels here with the old oslo vs seattle masterpages....
Sep 20 2017 02:50 PM
Sep 20 2017 03:06 PM
Thanks @Brent Ellis. After reading your reply I checked to see if I could switch the quick launch nav to be the top nav by switching to the Oslo masterpage (as you can using the classic page experience) and this just switches you back to using a classic page as your home page. I guess I have alot to learn.... Do the Modern pages use master pages?
Sep 21 2017 10:05 PM
Hi Matt,
There is one difference which i noticed related to navigation.
There is left navigation and golabal navigation available in team site ,In case of communication site we have only global navigation and there is no left navigation.
Thanks.
Kiran
Sep 21 2017 11:52 PM
Brent is right here. Other than that haven't noticed any current differences, but I'm expecting a little more convergence or divergence in that regard, not sure which way Microsoft is leaning towards.
It was mentioned in the past, that a few additional rollup features, like corporate news are in the pipeline. They might be limited to Communication Sites.
Also I wish I could adopt the comm site template to an Office 365 Group, because sometimes we have the need to group a few people together, but only a small subset of users are really creators/contributors and the navigation options in commsites are just more user friendly if you create a lot of pages.
guess we'll see more at Ignite.
Sep 25 2017 08:58 AM
Sep 25 2017 11:55 AM
Oct 05 2017 08:21 PM
I hope this article explains in detail about the differences between these two sites:
Differences between Communication Sites and Modern Team Sites
Oct 09 2017 01:15 PM
Does anyone know how to change classification for Communication site? Is it only possible to select one during site creation?
Oct 23 2017 09:54 AM - edited Oct 23 2017 09:55 AM
from Ignite, at the end of this session in the Q&A they answer this question. The presenter Dave Cohen from the team delivering Comms sites says 'a resource for your whole company where a few contributors publishing information to your whole company to read.... very different to the permission basis for team sites'.
This very much confirms the distinction between the two types and how to select the right one.
Dec 07 2017 10:45 AM
@kath patterson wrote:
from Ignite, at the end of this session in the Q&A they answer this question. The presenter Dave Cohen from the team delivering Comms sites says 'a resource for your whole company where a few contributors publishing information to your whole company to read.... very different to the permission basis for team sites'.
This very much confirms the distinction between the two types and how to select the right one.
Just because someone said it doesn't really mean anything. I've been to about 4 search results when Googling what the difference is, and nobody has addressed the question properly yet:
What limitations, if any, are there on one site or the other? Just because one might be more geared towards one thing, doesn't change the fact that there might be a feature that is in now, or coming, that ties you to one site or the other. I know myself, and others, probably want to make sure they don't go do a big re-design, and then get stuck in the future with, "Oh, your site has to be a Team Site and can't be converted to utilize this feature".
Dec 07 2017 05:36 PM
One way to help you decide is to have a look at the mobile experience. Currently, the Communication sites are a very nice interface for users, while team sites are pretty ordinary looking, present content as activity, files and lists, and are more 'functional'.
As we migrate our sites to SharePoint Online it's one of the first things I raise - let's have a look on a mobile device. For purely informative sites, the mobile experience is better in Comms sites. For functional, document/list based sites, the mobile experience is more practical in team sites.
Aug 16 2017 06:50 AM
Solution