Some thoughts and ideas on using Google Calendar
from Paul L.G. Morris: an experienced, respected and qualified Computer Advisor.
Google calendar is a simple way of adding an events diary to your website, as well as helping the business
Google Calendar is a free tool that I have been using for some time now. And, although there are some limitations, I am quite impressed with this product - especially as it is free! You can create and maintain calendars using a web browser directly on Google's servers. Note that you do need a Google account to set one up: this is quite easy - see this overview for more information.
One of the beauties of this product is that it allows you to manage your calendar from wherever you are able to browse the internet. You can maintain several calendars from one account so you can, for example, have a private calendar and a business appointments calendar.
Calendars can be made public or private. With public calendars, these can be restricted to groups of friends or open to the whole world. You can access other people's public calendars enabling you to do things such as scheduling holidays with a group of friends.
Although I have not explored all the functions of this product, I see the main features as being:
1) As mentioned above, you can create multiple calendars. I have set up two for myself: a personal calendar (with birthdays and anniversaries) and a business calendar.
2) You can easily decide which calendar you wish to view and the contents of more than one calendar can be seen together
3) Repeating events and anniversaries can be easily set up - no chance now of forgetting my wedding anniversary!
4) The calendars can email you with your daily schedule.
5) The calendars can email you giving you notice of an event, with the notice period you decide. For example, you can get it to email you a week before as a reminder to get a ticket to get to a business meeting.
6) Calendars can be made public, private or shared with a specific group of people
7) You can search for other public calendars and add them to your view
8) Being Google, you can search for the contents of calendars, be they your own or public calendars
9) Details from a calendar can be published on a website, making it easy for non-calendar users to see your availability, events, bookings etc.
There are many other features including integration with Mobile devices, desktop gadgets and so on.
I find that there are limitations preventing it working as a contact management system For example, although you can create events and put times on them, you cannot complete them or postpone them. Therefore you cannot view open events so that you have a to-do list.
Still it is early days yet and I am sure Google will continue to add features.
To set it up, the instructions are quite straightforward. Full details are given in the help system, but essentially you need to:
1) Make the calendar public - by clicking on the down arrow next to the calendar name (the box on the lower left of the screen) and selecting 'share this calendar' and follow the options.
2) Get the code by: taking the settings option from the down arrow next to the calendar name, click on the HTML button by the 'Calendar Address' box, select the 'configuration tool' and follow the prompts.
This will give a short snippet of code that can be incorporated into the code for the web page. If you are not comfortable about doing this, your web developer should be able to handle it for you.
What does it look like? I have added a calendar to one of my websites - take a look!
What can it be used for?
1) If you are a small guest house or B&B, then you could use it to show room availability, or to add interest to the site by detailing forthcoming events in the locality.
2) For a craft worker or artist attending shows and exhibitions, use the calendar to inform people what events you attend.
3) A small business putting on events (such as an arts gallery, or a pub hosting bands, pub quizzes or other special occasions), use the calendar to show when these events are planned.
One of the beauties of this product is that it allows you to manage your calendar from wherever you are able to browse the internet. You can maintain several calendars from one account so you can, for example, have a private calendar and a business appointments calendar.
Calendars can be made public or private. With public calendars, these can be restricted to groups of friends or open to the whole world. You can access other people's public calendars enabling you to do things such as scheduling holidays with a group of friends.
Although I have not explored all the functions of this product, I see the main features as being:
1) As mentioned above, you can create multiple calendars. I have set up two for myself: a personal calendar (with birthdays and anniversaries) and a business calendar.
2) You can easily decide which calendar you wish to view and the contents of more than one calendar can be seen together
3) Repeating events and anniversaries can be easily set up - no chance now of forgetting my wedding anniversary!
4) The calendars can email you with your daily schedule.
5) The calendars can email you giving you notice of an event, with the notice period you decide. For example, you can get it to email you a week before as a reminder to get a ticket to get to a business meeting.
6) Calendars can be made public, private or shared with a specific group of people
7) You can search for other public calendars and add them to your view
8) Being Google, you can search for the contents of calendars, be they your own or public calendars
9) Details from a calendar can be published on a website, making it easy for non-calendar users to see your availability, events, bookings etc.
There are many other features including integration with Mobile devices, desktop gadgets and so on.
I find that there are limitations preventing it working as a contact management system For example, although you can create events and put times on them, you cannot complete them or postpone them. Therefore you cannot view open events so that you have a to-do list.
Still it is early days yet and I am sure Google will continue to add features.
Using a calendar on a website:
To set it up, the instructions are quite straightforward. Full details are given in the help system, but essentially you need to:
1) Make the calendar public - by clicking on the down arrow next to the calendar name (the box on the lower left of the screen) and selecting 'share this calendar' and follow the options.
2) Get the code by: taking the settings option from the down arrow next to the calendar name, click on the HTML button by the 'Calendar Address' box, select the 'configuration tool' and follow the prompts.
This will give a short snippet of code that can be incorporated into the code for the web page. If you are not comfortable about doing this, your web developer should be able to handle it for you.
What does it look like? I have added a calendar to one of my websites - take a look!
What can it be used for?
1) If you are a small guest house or B&B, then you could use it to show room availability, or to add interest to the site by detailing forthcoming events in the locality.
2) For a craft worker or artist attending shows and exhibitions, use the calendar to inform people what events you attend.
3) A small business putting on events (such as an arts gallery, or a pub hosting bands, pub quizzes or other special occasions), use the calendar to show when these events are planned.