iPod/iCal/Calendar Query
*Warning, long post!*
As the title says, i have an iPod/iCal integration issue that I'm hoping one (or some) of you can help me with.
First let me set the scene... Basically, my University, for all its efforts in providing extracurricular activities to what is a generally apathetic student body, doesn't have a clear, all encompassing method of getting this information to the students - from the school sports teams, on campus club events, faculty and department run events to our ever present fraternity system, all the on campus 'things to do' are so selectively advertised that you really have to be in the right place at the right time to find out what's going on. This has become such an issue on campus that many parents have contacted the university saying that there is little for their sons and daughters to do, which is not the case.
Knowing this, I have decided to do something about the issue and have taken to designing and executing a monthly calendar that will tell students exactly what is going on on campus. At present, i have put together a sample that I hope to take to those in more senior positions (notably student senate, the greek counsel and the athletics department). While I have set the ball in motion in terms of getting this calendar live, I am still considering the possibilities of how to get the information to students.
The first idea I had was to (using a new account on my Powerbook) create a number of iCal calendars, each of which would relate to the different areas (Greek, Athletics, Academic etc). Then, using the month view, create a pdf from the print menu which would provide a basic overview of the month's events (Date/Time/Event/Location). So far, this is looking positive - iCal prints beautifully, especially in color, and the save to pdf function is a lifesaver.
While the above seems the most obvious, I have been brainstorming other potential distribution methods that would appeal to the aforementioned apathetic student body, and came up with what I considered a stroke of genius - having the calendars available for viewing on an iPod!
Although the idea is great, especially at a well to do school like mine where EVERYONE has an iPod, I am unsure how best to execute this.
As far as i can see, there are two methods - using the iPod's Calendar utility or using the notes feature. I can see advantages and disadvantages to each...
Calendar -
Advantages: Looks better, more easily accessible on the iPod, probably require the least effort by the lazy students.
Disadvantages: Calendar function already in use by students (both on the iPod and on a Mac), process of getting calendars onto the iPod using a PC.
Notes -
Advantages: Should be easier to transfer to the iPod
Disadvantages: Not as easy to view on the iPod, will require more effort to transfer to the iPod, creating the calander from the iCal files I will be working with.
I'm sure there are more, but as far as I can see those are the majors issues.
So, you can all see my problem - how best do I set this up to help assist my socially challenged peers?
If any of you have any feedback/ideas/questions/complaints about how long this post is, please reply. Your help will be much appreciated!!
Thanks for taking the time to read this...
As the title says, i have an iPod/iCal integration issue that I'm hoping one (or some) of you can help me with.
First let me set the scene... Basically, my University, for all its efforts in providing extracurricular activities to what is a generally apathetic student body, doesn't have a clear, all encompassing method of getting this information to the students - from the school sports teams, on campus club events, faculty and department run events to our ever present fraternity system, all the on campus 'things to do' are so selectively advertised that you really have to be in the right place at the right time to find out what's going on. This has become such an issue on campus that many parents have contacted the university saying that there is little for their sons and daughters to do, which is not the case.
Knowing this, I have decided to do something about the issue and have taken to designing and executing a monthly calendar that will tell students exactly what is going on on campus. At present, i have put together a sample that I hope to take to those in more senior positions (notably student senate, the greek counsel and the athletics department). While I have set the ball in motion in terms of getting this calendar live, I am still considering the possibilities of how to get the information to students.
The first idea I had was to (using a new account on my Powerbook) create a number of iCal calendars, each of which would relate to the different areas (Greek, Athletics, Academic etc). Then, using the month view, create a pdf from the print menu which would provide a basic overview of the month's events (Date/Time/Event/Location). So far, this is looking positive - iCal prints beautifully, especially in color, and the save to pdf function is a lifesaver.
While the above seems the most obvious, I have been brainstorming other potential distribution methods that would appeal to the aforementioned apathetic student body, and came up with what I considered a stroke of genius - having the calendars available for viewing on an iPod!
Although the idea is great, especially at a well to do school like mine where EVERYONE has an iPod, I am unsure how best to execute this.
As far as i can see, there are two methods - using the iPod's Calendar utility or using the notes feature. I can see advantages and disadvantages to each...
Calendar -
Advantages: Looks better, more easily accessible on the iPod, probably require the least effort by the lazy students.
Disadvantages: Calendar function already in use by students (both on the iPod and on a Mac), process of getting calendars onto the iPod using a PC.
Notes -
Advantages: Should be easier to transfer to the iPod
Disadvantages: Not as easy to view on the iPod, will require more effort to transfer to the iPod, creating the calander from the iCal files I will be working with.
I'm sure there are more, but as far as I can see those are the majors issues.
So, you can all see my problem - how best do I set this up to help assist my socially challenged peers?
If any of you have any feedback/ideas/questions/complaints about how long this post is, please reply. Your help will be much appreciated!!
Thanks for taking the time to read this...
Comments
So I read on the iCal support pages that all I have to do is export the calendars and manually place them in the iPod's calendar folder to get them to show up. Why did I think Apple would make this any more complicated that it had to be!?!?
So that pretty much answers my major question!!
I guess to make this topic relevant - does anyone else have any ideas on how to execute this besides the pdf and iPod calendars? If I were to make the calendars available in notes too, how would I do that?