There are always little gotchas. One of the ones that bugs me the most is default values. I create a farm wide content type to be used across the entire farm, but on different sites, some columns will need default values but on those different sites (or even on entire site collections) those defaults will be different. So, I can't set them at the hub. But, I have had Site Collection Administrators mistakenly try to set them at the Site Collection or Library level, and in doing so, they break the umbilical cord from the syndication hub.
So, how exactly can one use a syndicated Content Type and still have different default values and NOT break the umbilicus? The answer lies in Library Settings. If the Site Collection Administrator (or other person with proper permissions) can go to the library settings and in the first column on the left, there is a link that says Set Default Column Values. THIS is the correct way to set default values for columns that are coming in from the Content Type Syndication Hub. Setting the default value here does NOT break the umbilical connection to the hub.
However, clicking on the column name, and then clicking the "Edit Column" link, is the WRONG way to set the default value for a column that comes from the syndication hub. Changing the value in this way will break the umbilical cord and a -content type changed in this way will no longer accept updates from the syndication hubs. So, if you are interested in keeping the content types connected to the hub, remember to only set defaults using the link within the Library Settings list.
