So what's the big deal about a free web-based calendar application? Plenty, when Google is the company putting it out. At least one analyst says that it has all of the old wow factor that we remember from older Google products, including some interesting uses for search. It also might offer some good advertising opportunities.
To hear some of the analysts talk about it, it’s the best thing to happen to scheduling since paper planners – or at least since Yahoo! put out its calendar application back in 1998. It has been rumored to exist for at least a year, but Google apparently took its time putting it together, and it shows. Google Calendar (www.google.com/calendar) was released just this month, in the company’s typical “Beta” fashion. It is receiving acclaim already for the richness of its features and how easy it is to use.
Google designed this service for “power calendar” users. By this I don’t necessarily mean the most technically savvy, though that probably helps. I mean that folks who constantly have to juggle schedules should find it particularly useful. If you have to synchronize your schedule with anyone else’s, such as kids or a spouse (or a softball team), you will find a lot to love here.
Google Calendar can be used by anyone who has a free Google account. Those are easy to get; anyone with Gmail has a Google Account. According to one analyst, you’re supposed to see a link to your calendar in the upper left corner of your screen, but I didn’t.
The calendar interface is clean and easy on the eyes. By default you view an entire week with the dates across the top and the times down the side; next to this large view is a small calendar of the current month. You can click on tables that will show you one day, one month, the next four days, and one for “Agenda,” which gives you a linear list of all of your scheduled events.
You can add an event to your calendar by clicking on the appropriate area of the calendar. A pop-up window appears in which you can add text; click the button, and presto! Your event is added to the calendar.
If you need to edit the event, that’s easy too. Click on the event, and a new screen comes up. It’s a separate web page that lets you add any details you left out (like the location or a description). You can also add guests, who you can allow to invite others and/or see the guest list (more about that later). Click on the options link, and a drop-down appears that lets you set a reminder, show yourself as available or busy, and set whether the event is “public” or “private” (again, more about that later). There’s also a section for comments about the event; Google gets a little tongue-in-cheek here if it’s empty (“Sorry, nothing to read here. Try Google News if you’re bored.”).
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