On the importance of the Calendar in my work.
After a recent conversation with a client in which we were discussing appointment finalization, we discussed how I kept track of my meetings. It made me realize that my workflow for meeting management might make for an interesting template for others. I had another friend ask me what it was that allowed me to manage my work best. I replied without thinking that if something exists on my calendar, it’s real. Otherwise, it’s just an idea.
In that light, here is the way that my calendaring works:
- I use Google Calendar as the basis for everything. Because both my personal account and my business account both are Google based, it makes sense that I use the various tools there, including, drive, music, photos, contacts, Gmail and calendar. http://calendar.google.com
- Because Google understands my contacts in context, it makes it especially easy to add people and places to the meetings. I am sure to add geolocation data when I enter business cards and contact info into contacts. When I start to type a client’s name in my location field in Calendar, it autocompletes with their location if present in contacts. http://contacts.google.com
- I use a Gmail feature that makes recognizable dates and times in my email into links that create new events in Calendar. http://email.about.com/od/gmailtips/qt/et_mailtoevent.htm
- I use Rapportive to give me socially-contextual information in my right sidebar. https://rapportive.com/
- I use Doodle.com. Doodle is best known for its service for letting multiple people arrange their meeting time. However, they have a less known feature called “Meet Me” pages, where you get your own Doodle URL that people can go to and choose an open spot (all busy times show as simply busy) on my Google Calendar. Meanwhile, I do not have to go through the relatively restrictive controls on sharing my Google Calendar with someone without a Google account, or with one I don’t know. Also, I do not have to make my calendar public. Doodle sends me a notification, and I confirm. Doodle updates my calendar, and syncs changes I make from Calendar. The openness of Google Calendar’s APIs allows Doodle to make a better tool. http://doodle.com/lemasney
- I use If This Then That (IFTTT, pronounced ‘ifft’) in order to add certain social activities to my calendar. IFTTT takes the response from one service, and outputs it to another service. In particular, I have a calendar that just shows scrobbling (a log of what I listen to on my devices) from last.fm, and I add checkins (places I visit and geotag) from foursquare to my meetings calendar. http://ifttt.com
- Finally, I like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but I also enjoy both chocolate and peanut butter. With Google Calendar, I have multiple account calendars. One for public meetings, one for my time with my boys, and one for my personal meetings. I have a second account on Google that has its own calendar. You’d never know I have all of those calendars, because they all appear on one Calendar, with custom colors to differentiate them. Within Google Calendar, you can either create a new calendar, subscribe to another Google Calendar user, or subscribe by ICS to anyone using a standards based Calendar. This is one of the reasons I love open standards.
Technology and the Arts Special: Art All Night Trenton 2013
