Things to come
Back in April I set up an experimental calendar using the new Google Calendar service. It's been freely available to anyone interested in using the service to track events at the New World Symphony and/or Fairchild Tropical Garden, but it hasn't gotten much traffic. That's understandable, since using it required you to either have software installed that could read iCal format files, or a Google Calendar account.
Fortunately, though, Google never sleeps. A new feature allows you to display your calendar on your own site, while still giving the option of subscribing via other programs. See for yourself.
As a public service I added the entire inaugural season for the Miami Performing Arts Center, as well as updating the Fairchild events and the 2006/2007 NWS season. (Why these institutions don't provide iCal links is beyond me, but I suppose the concept of websites is still new to most arts organizations.) I am certainly open to suggestions as to additional events to include, particularly in the realm of art. Drop me a line.
8 Comments:
I clicked on the calendar but it only shows my own Google calendar.
The (now removed) link on the left, or the separate calendar page accessed through the menu above?
I just tried the link to the calendar (inside your post) and it worked fine. The only thing I find frustrating about viewing the events on the calendar is that they are "cut off"... you can't see the entire entry. Ex: on 6/24 all I can see is "7pm FTG: Taste of"... taste of what? The only way to find out is by clicking on the link. Too bad Google Calendar can't be revised to allow the entire title entry to be read without clicking through.
I agree -- it was frustrating for me, too. If you switch to Agenda view, though, you can see the entire thing. Should I default to that view? The configuration settings give me that option.
What else could you add? Boy are you opening a can of worms there. How about all the gallery openings and events? This can become a part time job very very quickly, and not a particularly fun one. I've contemplated doing a calendar of some sort on CM, but it's just not worth the trouble for me.
BTW, your calendar events are popping up on your RSS feed as you add them, which is probably not the intended effect.
Nice experiment. I'm curious to see how long you keep updating this before you get sick of it.
BTW, oh, so hidden city runs Blogger? Or just for comments? What's going on here?
Alesh, are you talking about the calendar's RSS feed? If so, I guess that's the way Google designed it; I really hadn't given that much consideration. I'm too concerned with keeping the site's main feed working.
And I agree as regards the potential for a nightmarish workload. If you look at the MNT calendar, it is really, really packed, so I am more than willing to let them continue to have someone on staff to handle that. I was really thinking more in terms of specific calendars of interest to me and my visitors. If you can think of a specific site or mail list for some galleries I might want to check out I'll add it, though.
Oh, and yes, I use Blogger, have done so since protohistory. I know I should switch to something more robust but frankly, it is still too much trouble. Some day, though, some day...
Oh, a Blogger user? Wow. Imagine that. And I took you so seriously, mkh.
Reference.
Heh . . . rick gets a little defensive about it. No problem, I suppose, it's just funny to see this super-carefully designed site, and then have a blogger comment window open over it.
Does the blogger software live on your server, or on blogger.com?
Oh, BTW, obvious problems with the open-in-new-window scheme: when I click on Rick's link, it opens up in this rediculous little window. AND I can't use my google toolbar spellcheck (hence "rediculous").
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