Saturday, May 29, 2010

How to add a linkable Google Calendar event to non-digital media with Goo.gl QR codes

In my last post I talked about how to add a Google Calendar Event Button to a website, Google Map, or any other place you can add HTML code. Today, I am going to show you how you can use Google Calendar Event Publisher and Google's URL shortening service, goo.gl, to add a link to non-digital media.

First, what exactly are we talking about doing. We are going make a poster or flyer for an event and add a QR code (bar code) to it. This will allow someone with a smart phone to scan the QR code and automatically add that event to their Google Calendar.

Here is how it is done:

Step 1: Design your poster or flyer (Duh!)

Step 2: Go to the Google Calendar Event Publisher web page and create your event. (You can even add the location of the event)


Step 3: If you have not done so click on "Create button HTML" at the bottom. Look for the <a href=" at the beginning of the HTML code. Select everything between the quotes (make sure you are between the correct quotes) and copy it.


Step 4: Go to this website http://gaigalas.net/lab/googl Take the web address that you just copied from the HTML code and paste it into the URL field.


That will produce a URL shortcode and a QR code.


Final Step: Right click on the QR code (the funny bar code looking thing) and save the image. Now you can add it to your event flyer or poster. (be sure not to expand the image to large so that it will not become fuzzy or pixelated).



Now anyone with the a cell phone or device capable of scanning that code will be able to add the event to their personal Google Calendar.


For more information on Google Calendar please check out either of my Google Calendar Training pages at SmallSchoolBigTech.com or atGoogle Teacher Academy Resources

Or If you have any questions please leave it in the comments so I can respond.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Google Calendar's often forgotten Event Publisher

There is a little tool that is hidden in the help area of Google Calendar. Call it an Easter Egg if you will. It is Google Calendar's Event Publisher.

There are actually two tools on this page; the individual event publisher and an entire calendar publisher.



Both of these tools allow you to create a "Google Calendar" button for an event or an entire calendar. First off these buttons provide a link to an event that you might be promoting or maybe a calendar that you might want people to be able to subscribe to.


But what to do with these buttons. After you insert your information and hit "Create button HTML" you can then use the simple HTML code that is supplied to post an event or an entire calendar to your website. When people click on the button they will launch a Google Calendar window and are asked if they would like to add the event/calendar to their Google Calendar.

You can add this button to almost anywhere you can insert HTML code including a Google Map.



Now someone can add the event to their calendar from Google Maps.

For more information on Google Calendar please check out either of my Google Calendar Training pages at SmallSchoolBigTech.com or at Google Teacher Academy Resources