Social Calendar

[Louisa Ming]

All,

After checking around to see what Calendar applications are out there, I've evaluated a couple and can now make a recommendation.  My suggestion is Yahoo! Calendar since it's been out longer than Google Calendars, it has almost all the features of every other Calendar application, and some people already have calendars through that system.  While I feel that Google Calendar has a better UI, uses Web 2.0 (drag and drop) features, and has a couple more security features, the fact that others are using Yahoo! Calendar is what tips the scales in its direction.  After all, social networking applications aren't useful without the social network.

At this point, Yahoo! Calendar offers almost everything we need to coordinate social schedules, and a lot of us already have Yahoo! ID, so starting a new Calendar would be trivial.  If you already have an @yahoo.com email address, you have a Yahoo! ID.  If you're interested in joining, all you need is an email address (doesn't have to be @yahoo.com) to create a Yahoo! ID.  For those of you who don't want extra email addresses like myself, note that registering for a Yahoo! ID doesn't automatically get you an @yahoo.com email address.  Once you have an account, you will be able to use the calendar function at http://calendar.yahoo.com/.

If you are group oriented like myself, you will appreciate the ability to invite others to your events, manage those events to which you've been invited, share your calendar with friends, and view your friends' calendars.

If you are privacy oriented like myself, there are several options you can select to make sure that the general public doesn't see your calendar, your friends can see public events, private events don't show up at all, and events marked as busy show up but don't offer any details.

I can write up detailed instructions on how to get an account, how to share your calendar with others, and how to share your own calendar in return as well as what privacy options I would suggest turning on.  But first, what do you guys think about using Yahoo! Calendar?  I want to make sure we're all on the same one because it defeats the purpose for half of us to be on one and half to be on another.

Feel free to forward this to others in the group.  I'm going to send an email pointing people to this post.

[Jake]

I've been using the Google calendar for a little over a month or so and am a big fan of it so far.

One of the things I like about it is the layered approach to calendars.  So that I can have a "work" calendar and a "social" calendar and a game calendar or three (I've got one set up for TI3, one for Donnie's Ars Magica game, one for my D&D game), and then share those calendars (including the ability for other people to manage events on those calendars) with different groups of people.

By checking and unchecking calendars I can change my view to only include those calendars that I want to see right now (a useful way to look for conflicts).

The only thing I haven't liked thus far is that it only sends reminders about events on your main calendar. 

Update re: daily agenda reminders.  On the google help site it says "Your Daily Agenda email only includes events from your primary calendar. Events on your secondary calendars aren't included at this time. But stay tuned...we plan to include events from all your calendars soon."  So, that functionality should be forthcoming.

[Corbin]

I am willing try whichever one is adopted by the group.

[Rainee]

What Corbinnymark said!

[Louisa Ming]

Just to clarify a good point that Maia brought up. This is not just for the gaming groups. This is for any social event that people want to keep track of.  As Otter mentioned on a post a couple months ago, we have a lot of things going on with basically the same group of people, and planning new social events becomes increasingly difficult when we have little insight into what we're doing. Bill and I will be using the calendar that we choose extensively just to sync ourselves up, and I'd love to be able to better sync up with all of you, too!

[Louisa Ming]

One of the things I like about it is the layered approach to calendars.  So that I can have a "work" calendar and a "social" calendar and a game calendar or three (I've got one set up for TI3, one for Donnie's Ars Magica game, one for my D&D game), and then share those calendars (including the ability for other people to manage events on those calendars) with different groups of people.

Do I need to create separate logins to be able to do this?  Or, from my single login, can I create separate calendars?  In other words, can I manage all my calendars from one login?

Also, I don't want anyone to think that I'm laying down an edict.  Obviously, if no one likes it, no one will do it, so if you don't like my recommendation, please say so and suggest one of your own!

[Jake]

One of the things I like about it is the layered approach to calendars.  So that I can have a "work" calendar and a "social" calendar and a game calendar or three (I've got one set up for TI3, one for Donnie's Ars Magica game, one for my D&D game), and then share those calendars (including the ability for other people to manage events on those calendars) with different groups of people.

Do I need to create separate logins to be able to do this?  Or, from my single login, can I create separate calendars?  In other words, can I manage all my calendars from one login?

Also, I don't want anyone to think that I'm laying down an edict.  Obviously, if no one likes it, no one will do it, so if you don't like my recommendation, please say so and suggest one of your own!

I presumed you were open to input. 

Yes, that's one of the things I like about Google's calendar.  I have my one login.  I've created multiple sub-calendars from that login, so that I have about a dozen different calenders now.  One for birthdays and anniversaries, three for gaming, one for local/social events (that I've already shared with Leesa so she can add and manage events too), one for my family stuff, one for my work stuff, one for my fitness stuff (so I can track when I went to the gym and what I did), etc....  I even have one I created for movie premieres happening over the summer for movies I might want to see.

It doesn't appear that I am required to have a gmail account either.  You can use other email addresses.  I set up a secondary test calendar using another (non-gmail) email address of mine, and that seems to work just fine too.  (I did that so I could test the event/calendar sharing between my primary and test calendars). 

It also looks like it would support xml output, so someone clever like Otter could import the xml from a group social calendar into his Scylla stuff someplace. 

[Rainee]

I haven't started flddling with Yahoo! calendar yet, but Google's looks pretty neat.  Ping me if you want to be added as a viewer for testy testington purposes.

[Ceili]

Jake's right -- you don't need a gmail account to use Google calendar.  I use it and I've never ever had a gmail account.

[Louisa Ming]

Jake's right -- you don't need a gmail account to use Google calendar.  I use it and I've never ever had a gmail account.

Totally.  I noticed the same thing when I was doing my original testing.  Both Yahoo! Calendar and Google Calendars require the creation of an account (of course) but neither require that you use their email service.  So both are the same in that instance.

[Brak Zanagin]

I've tried the google thing, and the ajaxness of it makes adding stuff easy.  I also like that there aren't any ads.

I've tried the Yahoo thing in the past, but it was absymal.  Perhaps it's gotten better since the last time I used it, but our DnD group used it and we couldn't make it work for group scheduling.  I'll have to give it another shot, once I find a way to make Yahoo accept my email.

[Corbin]

I have been playing around with the Google Calendar since yesterday, I already had a g-mail account so I didn't have to register or anything.

I like Googles calendar alot. It's pretty damn easy to work and very clean.

[Lucy St. Jude]

I've been using Yahoo calendar for years, and I have faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar too much stuff in it to consider switching to a different calendar provider.   

[Luther]

I've been using Yahoo calendar for years, and I have faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar too much stuff in it to consider switching to a different calendar provider.   

I have similar issues - I have a freaking ton in my calendar and it is all in Outlook, and that is the only way it is accessible to my Blackberry - and is the only way for me to share my calendar with my co-workers.  There might be some limited way I can play in this (like putting big group things into a personal calendar and sharing it out - or consulting a group calendar before declaring dates) - but I don't think I am going to be able to maintain the full McCoy in any calendar other than what I've got.

[Jake]

I've been using Yahoo calendar for years, and I have faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar too much stuff in it to consider switching to a different calendar provider.   

Are you attached to Yahoo's calendar?  Or are you attached to the history of events? 

If the latter, you could try using the Intellisync for Yahoo to export the entire calendar to something like Outlook or Outlook Express, and then import that into Google.  Edit:  There's also a place to do an export to csv format without installing Intellisync.

That's another of the things I like about Google's calendar.  It's ability to import from both ical and Outlook's csv formats.  And, you can decide which calendar (primary or secondaries) you'd like those events imported into. 

The ability to import and export was an import consideration when I was looking at calendars.

[Jake]

I've been using Yahoo calendar for years, and I have faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar too much stuff in it to consider switching to a different calendar provider.   

I have similar issues - I have a freaking ton in my calendar and it is all in Outlook, and that is the only way it is accessible to my Blackberry - and is the only way for me to share my calendar with my co-workers.  There might be some limited way I can play in this (like putting big group things into a personal calendar and sharing it out - or consulting a group calendar before declaring dates) - but I don't think I am going to be able to maintain the full McCoy in any calendar other than what I've got.

You can do imports and exports. Especially if this is for work type stuff.  Set up a specific sub-calendar for the events you want to share/synch with Outlook, then you can do imports and exports back and forth. 

Just a suggestion.  It's something I will be trying as well, since I have a work Outlook calendar, and at least two personal Outlook calendars that I've got historical entries I want to capture. 

[Louisa Ming]

These are all really good points.  I just want to remind everyone that we're not trying to make a decision on your overall calendar, we just want to have a solution that we can share.  So when you're planning things like group parties, check the shared calendars (on whatever solution we pick), but if it's just personal stuff that has no bearing on any of us, it doesn't matter what calendar you use.

Since people use different applications, all we can do is find one that a majority of us will use and go from there.  Even that would be helpful enough in terms of scheduling.

[Jake]

These are all really good points.  I just want to remind everyone that we're not trying to make a decision on your overall calendar, we just want to have a solution that we can share.  So when you're planning things like group parties, check the shared calendars (on whatever solution we pick), but if it's just personal stuff that has no bearing on any of us, it doesn't matter what calendar you use.

Since people use different applications, all we can do is find one that a majority of us will use and go from there.  Even that would be helpful enough in terms of scheduling.

This is another of the reasons why the layered approach in addition to the import/export capability was critical for me.  I do want to have shared calendars, but I don't necessarily want to share all events with everyone.  Using the social calendar as an example, *if* we used google, people could export that specific calendar to a format that can be read into Outlook, Yahoo, or other calendar programs.  Then if there's a different calendar for gaming events, e.g., Otter's Amber game, or the In Nomine game, my D&D game, or the TI3 games, since they can be separate calendars, those who are participating in the games can export/import the relevant calendar, while those of us not in that game don't have to worry about cluttering up a calendar with events we're not taking part in.

Sorry, I know, broken record.  I confess I am very enthusiastic about google's calendar.  I've been waiting years for one that supported some of these features (layering, easy export from and to those layers, etc). 

I concur with you completely.  I don't want to suggest everyone should immediately convert to Google calendar.

[Louisa Ming]

Looks like Google has it.  For those who are using other products, it also has the ability to export. Over the next couple days, I will post instructions on how to do basic things in the Calendar.  Considering how many things we have coming up in the next three months, this couldn't come at a better time.  Thanks for the idea, Otter. 

[otter]

Thank you for the legwork, Lee

[Derrick Heyoka]

Thank you for the legwork, Lee

Nooooo doubt.   

[Jake]

Is everyone planning to use their regular email address for this? 

I have noticed one odd behavior that I am not sure if there's a resolution for.

If you invite an email address that does not already have a google calendar, when they DO create their calendar, they don't see the calendar(s) they had been invited to prior to their calendar creation.  So, in order for people to properly get the invites (and see the calendars) they need to have already created their calendar.  However, I believe that once invited, if they can't see the calendar, if you change their permissions (and then change them back) then they'll see the calendar.  I haven't tested that extensively.

It seems like it would be a good idea for people to create their calendar login prior to being invited to see other people's calendars. 

[Louisa Ming]

Can we get a shout-out here for who has a calendar?

Bill and I have ones, using our regular email address. (The @webslayer.net ones.)

[Jake]

I've got all my calendars set up at *redacted*

[Rainee]

I'm using my gmail as well, which is my non-work AIM screenname that involves a cat and photographs NSFW.

[Jake]

I took the liberty of creating a calendar entitled "NoVA Local Events" (if you want to rename it, that's cool) and have shared it (including management of it) to Liz and Lee (since I knew what email they had set up for the google calendar).  As more people identify what email address they're using I, or anyone else set up to manage, can add those addresses to the calendar's share list. 

I also created a calendar entitled "Ron & Leesa" which is where she and I can share one calendar to advertise to the group (so that the group doesn't have to see all the busy dates for things like doctor appts and stuff).

[Derrick Heyoka]

I have one too, it's the usual dark + shmoo at AOL. 

[otter]

Set one up with the usual otter address.

[Marie]

Mine is set up under my standard scary girl gmail address.

[Corbin]

it's my standard mark'dot'noonan at gmail

[Lucy St. Jude]

My google cal is under the usual jocbothe at yahoo addy.

[Andromache]

I got one, I'm just now figuring it out It's my email address. you all have it

[LeesaLogic]

My email is my standard one leesalogic at aol

[Luther]

I set one up to look at other peep's stuff - but I am still going to keep mine in Outlook so it is sync'd with my blackberry and work stuff - otherwise I am going to have to do the parallel calendar thing.

[Rainee]

You can import/export from Outlook.

[Luther]

Huh.  I will fiddle with it and see.

[Jake]

I set one up to look at other peep's stuff - but I am still going to keep mine in Outlook so it is sync'd with my blackberry and work stuff - otherwise I am going to have to do the parallel calendar thing.

Your regular email address?  Need to know what email address is associated with your google calendar so people can invite you to see their calendars.

[Luther]

Yup - e-mail address el regular'

[Nalroth]

mine is pshartley at gmail

and Kris' is krisjett at gmail

[Louisa Ming]

Since I posted this elsewhere, I figured I would consolidate my instructions on this thread:

To share your calendar with everyone, go to the left hand navigation called "Calendars" and click on the down arrow to the right of your primary calendar. A drop down menu will appear. Click "Share this calendar." Under the section where it says "Share with specific people," add an email address, select a level of permission, and click "Add Person." Repeat as necessary with each email address you have. Then, click "Save."

To request access to others' calendars, go to the top right hand corner navigation and click on "Settings." In the new page labeled "Calendar Settings," select the option "Calendars." Click the button "Add Calendar." In the new page labeled "Add Other Calendar," click "Friends' Calendars." Enter the email address and click "Add." You may need to request permission from the person as most of our calendars are set as private. Click "Send Invite." Repeat as necessary with each email address you have. Then, click "Ok."