Create an "Add to Google Calendar" button for a single event --

Table of Contents

Purpose

Google Calendar is widely used
- You don’t have to be a GCal user yourself
Avoid typos from someone adding an event manually
Just share 1 event — we’re not trying to create an entire calendar — just sharing 1 event at a time
- But, yes, you can create an entire calendar / list of events
It’s easy
You can have one version of the event on your GCal but but create a Public version for others
- Example: For my own open house calendar event, I might make it from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, but the Public event should be from 2-4pm.
- Example: Personal version of the event might have notes like “print flyers, bring spare key, and bring chair” while the Public version just says “beautiful home with water view”

An Open House
A Broker’s Open
Any other purpose – doesn’t have to be for real estate
- A bake sale
- A soccer game
- A party

Visit http://www.google.com/googlecalendar/event_publisher_guide.html#individual
Enter the event details
- * Note the use of military time *
Choose the look of your button
Copy the HTML code and paste into your website page or blog post
TIP: You cannot post recurring events — only 1-time events.
TIP: You cannot edit the event once posted, but you could just create a new event button if the event details changed
- Just replace the incorrect/old HTML code with the correct/new HTML code and save your web page/post
Examples: They all do the same thing — just different button choices:

Same results as Option 1, but Option 2 is really just sharing one of your own GCal events
Login to http://www.google.com/calendar/
Create a new event
Enter the event details
Under “Privacy”, select “Public”
- For more details about setting an event’s privacy level, visit http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=34580&hl=en
Click the “Save” button
Get back into the event’s editing mode
Click the small “Publish event” link (directly above the “Save” button)
- This may not be visible prior to Saving; thus, Save then re-enter editing mode, then click this link.
Copy the HTML code and paste into your website page or blog post
TIP: You CAN use this method for recurring events.
TIP: Since the Public event is linked to your own Personal event, if you update the event, YOU’D THINK THAT GCal would suggest notifying others of the change, but I just tested it and GCal doesn’t currently do this.
- Again, if you need to update the event, just update the event details on your Personal calendar and re-generate the HTML code by clicking the “Publish event” link again. Then, replace the old code with the new code.
Example:

About Eventbrite’s Free Online Event Registration
Eventbrite automatically creates an “Add to my calendar” link for each event that includes:
- Outlook Calendar (i.e. downloadable .ical file that you have to open with Outlook to get posted to your Outlook Calendar)
- Google Calendar
- Yahoo! Calendar (I noticed an issue with posting to Yahoo! calendar with an incorrect time — off by a couple time zones even though my Eventbrite and Yahoo time zones are both set to Central/Chicago)
- iCal Calendar (i.e. downloadable .ical file that you have to open with iCal to get posted to your iCal Calendar)
Just include a link in your blog post, email, or wherever free text is accepted.
TIP: You can use Eventbrite for one-time and recurring events.
TIP: Check out Eventbrite’s integration services, like Facebook and Twitter.
Example:
- http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1289487893

Click here to create an event with Facebook Events
- Make sure to select “public event”
Each user would then need to figure out how to export/sync their own Facebook Calendar with their preferred calendaring system. These should help:
- Facebook Events: How to RSVP and access events – http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=828
- Facebook Events: How do I export my events to another calendar? – http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=14490 (one of the help topics included from the link above)
Just include a link in your blog post, email, or wherever free text is accepted.
TIP: You cannot post recurring events — only 1-time events.
TIP: Only logged-in Facebook users can interact with Facebook Events (i.e. view the event and RSVP)
Example:
- http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=187192751301547

There is no true “Stay In Sync” functionality, especially with Options 1, 2, and 3. And Option 4 (Facebook) may or may not stay in sync, depending on how each user interacts with their own Facebook Events. If they ONLY add it to their Facebook Events and don’t export the event to another calendaring system, it will stay in sync directly within Facebook, which is the same as your own blog post or your Eventbrite listing.
- So… in the event’s “Description”, include a link to your announcement/blog post, and hopefully participants will check the link before venturing out to your event at the old time or location…if they added the event to their calendar using one of your old items.
- And if you delete the event from your Personal calendar (or never “Save” it after generating the “Publish event” link), your “Option 2” button will still work even though it’s not on your Personal calendar.
However, with Option 2, if you still have the Public/Shared event on your Personal calendar, if you update the event, all new “event-adders” will get the current version.
- So… I recommend not deleting the Public event from your Personal calendar… just in case.

With Option 3, EventBrite shows the event’s “Description” text as “For details, link here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1289487893”, not what you entered in Eventbrite’s “Event Details” area.
- With Options 1 and 2, you enter the “Description” text manually, which I prefer.
Add Options 1, 2, and 3 to your GCal to see the differences.
If you don’t have your own website, blog, or other space to enter “raw” HTML code, either get one or just use Eventbrite or Facebook as your event’s website (remember, only logged-in Facebook users can interact with Facebook Events).

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