Is the instructions in the help section current?

[aebrown]

From my experience, none of the bishoprics or branch presidencies in my stake are interested in using their calendars. Therefore, they do not encourage their ward council members to use their calendars. I have seen some units (mostly Relief Society) using Facebook, Yahoo groups, or just paper calendar handouts to advertise their planned events.

Such a problem can be solved with proper messages from the stake leaders. Our stake leaders have made it very clear that the only official way to book a building is to have an event on the online calendar. In the first year we had a couple of problems where people thought they had a building booked because they published the event in their ward bulletin or some other way, only to find that someone else (who had properly scheduled the building) was in the building when they arrived. Sure, it was awkward for those couple of cases, but the people who failed to use the LDS.org calendar had no excuse.

I suppose that if there is only one ward that ever uses a building, you could get away with alternate scheduling methods, but in our multi-unit buildings, we simply don't allow any other methods. You don't have to get burned too many times to figure out that you have to put an event on the LDS.org calendar, or you don't have the building.

Once the event is properly booked on LDS.org, feel free to advertize it in any number of other appropriate ways, but make sure the event is booked before you do any other advertizing.

[drepouille]

Several years ago, when we were using the "Stake and Ward web sites" calendar, my wife had scheduled a Family History Fair at the stake center for the third Saturday of October, and placed it on the calendar nearly a year ahead of time. As the event approached, we saw signs popping up in our meetinghouse (not the stake center) for a multi-ward Relief Society Super Saturday in our meetinghouse on the same date. My wife nearly cried. She asked the ward Relief Society president if she had consulted the stake calendar, and received a blank stare.

Oh well. Live and learn.

[drepouille]

For the bulk of the members - it is - via sync. But that only works for events. I only log into the calendar if I need to make a change.

That is the problem. They will not login to a web site to create an event. It has to be as easy as creating a calendar event on their PED.

I mentioned Handbook 2 in our stake council meeting last week, and the stake RS president seemed genuinely interested in the section number I referenced.

If I may make a comment about the Lesson Schedules here without highjacking the thread, I wish I could look there to see which Gospel Doctrine lesson we have this week. The teacher doesn't even tell us which lesson she is teaching at the start of the class. It takes me 10 or 15 minutes to figure out which lesson she is teaching. I've asked her to at least write the lesson number on the board. Oh well.

[aebrown]

That is the problem. They will not login to a web site to create an event. It has to be as easy as creating a calendar event on their PED.

In my experience, there is no difficulty in members being motivated to login to a website to create an event, as soon as they understand that that is the only way to get the building scheduled. Our stake has dozens of calendar editors who use LDS.org to create events. Although I've heard a few requests for making it easier to do on a smartphone, I have never heard of anyone who refused to create an event because they had to use a web site.

[russellhltn]

That is the problem. They will not login to a web site to create an event. It has to be as easy as creating a calendar event on their PED.

I don't know as that will happen anytime soon. An API would have to be created and then LDS Tools updated to use it. Currently, I'm not seeing a lot of development action. TPTB are directing the developer's efforts somewhere else right now.

But aebrown has listed a leadership solution - if it's doesn't exist on the lds.org calendar, then they have last priority for a conflicting event. (Not just facilities, but conflicting audience.)

[1968leocomeeatabite]

russellhltn wrote:Keep in mind that all Bishoprics and Presidencies have full edit rights to all ward calendars

I understood this differently. I agree that the bishoprics or "Ward Administrators" have full edit rights to all ward calendars. I understood that the presidencies have rights to their calendars only, or the calendars of which the Ward Administrator gave them when a calendar was set up.

Saying this a different way. When anyone goes to the calendar and clicks in the upper right hand corner on settings one of the options is Calendars. He clinks on calendars and the calendars that he has rights to edit are listed. In addition if a calendar has been approved (By an administrator) for anyone that is not currently serving in a presidency, I suspect that that calendar will show for that person.

Am I wrong on this?

[russellhltn]

Let me re-phrase: Keep in mind that all Bishoprics have full edit rights to their public ward calendars and Stake Presidencies have full edit rights to all of their public stake calendars. In both cases, clerks and executive secretaries are included.

I did not intended to extend that statement to ward presidencies. They have whatever rights have been set up for them.

[drepouille]

russellhltn wrote:Keep in mind that all Bishoprics and Presidencies have full edit rights to all ward calendars

I understood Russell as saying, "Keep in mind that all Bishoprics and [Branch] Presidencies have full edit rights to all ward [and branch] calendars."

I didn't think Russell was referring to priesthood and auxiliary presidencies.

[1968leocomeeatabite]

Such a problem can be solved with proper messages from the stake leaders. Our stake leaders have made it very clear that the only official way to book a building is to have an event on the online calendar. In the first year we had a couple of problems where people thought they had a building booked because they published the event in their ward bulletin or some other way, only to find that someone else (who had properly scheduled the building) was in the building when they arrived. Sure, it was awkward for those couple of cases, but the people who failed to use the LDS.org calendar had no excuse.

I suppose that if there is only one ward that ever uses a building, you could get away with alternate scheduling methods, but in our multi-unit buildings, we simply don't allow any other methods. You don't have to get burned too many times to figure out that you have to put an event on the LDS.org calendar, or you don't have the building.

Once the event is properly booked on LDS.org, feel free to advertize it in any number of other appropriate ways, but make sure the event is booked before you do any other advertizing.

In my experience, there is no difficulty in members being motivated to login to a website to create an event, as soon as they understand that that is the only way to get the building scheduled. Our stake has dozens of calendar editors who use LDS.org to create events. Although I've heard a few requests for making it easier to do on a smartphone, I have never heard of anyone who refused to create an event because they had to use a web site.

Just like to say that I like the positive approach which aebrown has related. I will proceed on the hope that our Stake Presidency will see the vision and make it known that the way to schedule the building is to do it online at LDS.ORG. I would like to ask aebrown for permission to use these two posts/quotes and share them with my agent bishop and Stake Presidency. Do I have your permission? Is it proper to use forum posts in training or FYI sessions. Is it OK to represent you as a church employee or moderator of the forum? Thank you, to all, this forum is very informative!

[aebrown]

I would like to ask aebrown for permission to use these two posts/quotes and share them with my agent bishop and Stake Presidency. Do I have your permission? Is it proper to use forum posts in training or FYI sessions. Is it OK to represent you as a church employee or moderator of the forum?

Everything I post here is intended to help others. So I certainly give my permission for anyone to use anything I've posted here for any Church-related purposes. And since my posts are public and identify me as a Community Administrator, you can identify me as such.

Note, however, that I am simply acting as a community member when I post here; my statements are no more authoritative on these topics than those of anyone else who participates in the LDSTech forum. But to the extent that my experiences can be helpful to others, feel free to share them.