Daily TechnoTips: SharePoint 2013 - Creating and Configuring MySite

SharePoint 2013 has many new social media features where people can interact, discuss, search etc etc etc with each other. Creating MySite is not just creating a web application and site collection within it. It has more steps and more concepts revolve around it. In this post I will explain how to create and configure the MySite in SharePoint 2013.

Create Web Application

It is always recommended to have a separate Web Application for MySite. Go to Central Administration and selectManage web Applications.

Select New and create a new web application.

I have created web application http://goazrapp19:2000/.

Create Site Collection

Now create a new site collection under the new Web Application by selecting experience version as 2013 andtemplate as My Site Host.

Configure Web Application that will host MySite

Select the Manage Path button for the MySite's hosting web application

Add new managed path with wild card inclusion and my as path.

Select the Service Connections button

Make sure User Profile Service Application, Managed Metadata Service, and Search Service Application are running.

Select the Self Service Site Creation button for the web application

Select On for Site Collections and Prompt users to create a team site under: for Start a Site. Also provide the managed path created earlier.

Select the Permission Policy button for the web application that will host MySite to grant permissions to the users to create their own MySite

Select Add Permission Policy Level

Provide the name MySite Creation and under Site Permissions select Create Subsites

Now add users to the newly created policy by selecting the User Policy button for the web application.

Select Add Users

Setup MySites for the Search Center

From Central Admin select Application Management -> Manage Service Applications (under Service Applications) -> User Profile Service Application

Then select Setup My Sites

Here you specify the Search Center. If you don't have the search center then you can skip this step. I am setting up MySites on a single server farm and am not using Search Center.

Enable the User Profile Service Application - Activity Feed Job

Go to Central Administration -> Monitoring -> Timer Job -> Review job definitions

Look for User Profile Service Application.
Note: If the Service list does not display User Profile Service, in Service drop down (on right top), click No selection, then click Change Service. On the Select Service Webpage Dialog, use the arrows in the upper-right corner to locateUser Profile Service, and then click it.