Computers are picky and fussy and so we have to be also
Another end-of-the-year, get-ready-for-next-year challenge: making sure that everyone understands
- that a “Calendar” is a program that manages events and activities
- that a “Calendar template” is not a program but something that is a part of another program, something put on top of a blank document, like blankets on a bed.
A word processor or spreadsheet can have a “calendar template” but it is not a “Computer Calendar” even if it is on a computer. You can share the document and let others make changes but it is still not a “Computer Calendar.” You can’t have events that repeat each week without putting them in each day.
A calendar program, like iCal, Google Calendar, or the calendar within Outlook, can repeat events, skip dates, categorize events, assign them to individuals and much, much more.
We just had a panic because they couldn’t figure out why they couldn’t see someone’s calendar in 4J Google Calendar. It turned out that the “calendar” was a spreadsheet with a calendar template applied to it. Yes, it looked like a printed calendar. Yes, it was a calendar on a computer. No, it wasn’t a “computer calendar” anymore than a typewriter is a word processor.
