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   Downloads   |    Help!     ...on using the calendar      ...on adding an event    ... on downloading      ...on administration and privacy   

 The calendar as a grid

The grid is the traditional calendar. To print a month look for printer icon on the calendar. Clicking on the printer icon transforms the month you are viewing into a printable page. You can use your browser to 'Save' the page or 'Print' it.

You can use the calendar page to select the current day, week, or year and print that.

 The calendar as a list

We distribute the calendar in another format: a list of events. The newsletter and the website routinely present the same information. Also, publicity flyers can be made up with the current events on them.

Use the download page to select a the date range you are interested in. For your convenience, the current month and quarters can be selected. (The quarters refer to the three-month periods covered by the newsletter.) You can also select a specific date range.

You can select a format, depending on how you are going to use the list. You may 'cut-and-paste' the listing from the screen and import it into your word processor. You may also save the listing as a file (as you do when importing an .ics file into your personal calendar).

 Events: who can see them, who can edit them, and when

These comments are based on the policies in effect in the spring of 2010. The actual operation of the calendar is governed by the "Settings" on the webcalendar menu bar.
    Users
    Users find the calendar by following the navigational link on the events page. The events page is not indexed by search engines and is accessible only via a link from greenmountainclub.org. A "public" user, formally speaking, is a someone not logged in. In actuality, the no-indexing policy makes a "public user" synonmyous with a "section member."
    A "privileged" user is someone who has an account as has logged in. Privileged users can alter everything about the calendar. Privileged users are, ex officio, the vice president, the newsletter editor, the publicity coordinator, as well as their delegates.
    Stages in entering an event
    Entries
  1. A public user can add an entry. Once saved, the public user cannot edit it. The calendar status of the entry is "unapproved." The entry is visible on the "grid" but it cannot appear on any of the download lists.
  2. It is possible--though rare--that an entry comes from a rogue user and is actually an advertisement or other form of spam. A privileged user indicates that the entry is not spam by using the "Unapproved Entries" option. (The entry can also be "Deleted.") For purposes of this discussion, the "entry" is now referred to as an "event."
    Events
  3. A privileged user can now edit the event. The event's status begins as "proposed." If there are no conflicts with other events, a privileged user can change the status to "scheduled." This allows it to be visible on the various downloads.
  4. The event is now visible to the membership, directly via the grid or indirectly via the newsletter or change in the website's events page. If later cancelled or rescheduled, we should allow the member to trace what happened to the event. If cancelled, mark the status as "cancelled". An event should never be deleted (only spammed entries are deleted). The website marks cancelled events in red.
  5. Similarly, a rescheduled event should not be deleted and reentered. Change the status to "rescheduled" and, of course, correct the date and time.
Note that hypertext markup language coding (html) is enabled. You can enter a reference to another page. This is useful for referring the user to the agenda and minutes of meetings.

 Recommended work process for events during a quarter

  1. Events are entered on the calendar. They are not 'approved' yet and will not appear in the newsletter or website versions.
  2. On the 'Grid' view, check for dates where no event is scheduled, but should be.
  3. On the 'Downloads' page select for 'In what style should results be displayed?' the button 'Table'. You can detect typographical errors and edit them. You can change the date of any event or delete the event.
  4. Use the 'Details' option to see when the event was entered and edited and why it appears or does not appear in the newsletter or website styles.
  5. Sometime before the Newsletter deadline, mark events as 'Approved.'
  6. Select the 'Newsletter' and 'Website' displays to make sure the wording of the event's title and description isn't redundant. Edit the event as necessary.
  7. Select the 'Details' display. This shows every event that was entered. Check for omissions and inadvertent cancellations.
  8. Download the Newsletter display. Ideally, there are no changes to make before inserting it into the newsletter's calendar.
  9. The Website display can now be published as the event calendar.
  10. Correct the events as necessary and republish the calendar. If an event is cancelled, change its status to 'cancelled' rather than deleting it from the calendar. (This allows users to track the newsletter entries on the website.)
  11. When an event is concluded and a report available, change the status of the event and add a reference to the report. Selecting a date range allows you to publish a summary page of reports.

© 2010 Montpelier Section of The Green Mountain Club, Inc.     Top    Sat 13 Mar 2010

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