Tech Forum

should be listed on the "Local School/Community" calendar, or a new element of the calendar should be created to include all state and federal holidays. Each country/state would be responsible for including their own holidays (just as they do now with non-church activities).

We have a stake calendar called "Holidays" that we use for "situational awareness" that has events like that.

Since holidays vary by state, and the church isn't organized by state lines, I'm not sure as trying to do this at any higher level would be successful.

Thanks! I'll suggest your suggestion to our stake web guru.

lisastamps wrote:Thanks! I'll suggest your suggestion to our stake web guru.

Of course, why suggest it to that "guru?" Make it yourself, and make it a stake calendar! From the Calendar Help:

• "Regular members themselves can create calendars as needed. A calendar administrator needs only to approve the calendar for it to become available to all members."

I prefer having less things not specific to the ward, stake, or general membership on the LDS.org calendar. There are two reasons for this, based on the fact that I sync my LDS.org calendar to the calendar program on my computer:

1. I have my own calendars for things like holidays. The LDS.org calendars combine into one calendar when they download to the computer, meaning they are all one color, and you can't show and hide certain events. I have my own holidays calendar, in a certain color and formatted in a way I like; and I can choose to include obscure holidays that interest me, too (like Pi Day or Lego Day). I can show or hide my holidays calendar while still seeing other things.

2. It can get really cluttered. In my previous stake, the stake calendar had a lot of things that didn't need to be there:

- Stake Leadership meetings should've been separated into a separate calendar that regular members don't have to subscribe to.
- The local temple schedule. Maybe a good idea, but extra clutter.
- BYU games (I'm in a Provo YSA stake). The reason they put these in was to make sure not to schedule church activities at the same time as the games. But I didn't want to see them on my computer calendar.
- Home Evening every Monday at 7 PM. This should be put in by the wards. Sometimes it's a special ward activity that night, or at 7:30, or different groups are doing different things and you can't set a specific time.

sbradshaw wrote:I prefer having less things not specific to the ward, stake, or general membership on the LDS.org calendar. There are two reasons for this, based on the fact that I sync my LDS.org calendar to the calendar program on my computer:

1. I have my own calendars for things like holidays. The LDS.org calendars combine into one calendar when they download to the computer, meaning they are all one color, and you can't show and hide certain events. I have my own holidays calendar, in a certain color and formatted in a way I like; and I can choose to include obscure holidays that interest me, too (like Pi Day or Lego Day). I can show or hide my holidays calendar while still seeing other things.

In our stake, "Holidays" is a separate calendar. So you can unsubscribe from it. Problem solved.

We have it there because it can make a difference in scheduling. For example, the singles have a fireside every month on the 3rd Sunday. Guess what Sunday Mother's Day falls on? So for that month it's moved. The criteria for a church "Holiday" is if it affects church plans. So, as much fun as it might be, Talk like a Pirate Day isn't listed.

sbradshaw wrote:2. It can get really cluttered. In my previous stake, the stake calendar had a lot of things that didn't need to be there:
- Stake Leadership meetings should've been separated into a separate calendar that regular members don't have to subscribe to.

I completely agree. Someone doesn't have the vision of how things sync to the membership.

sbradshaw wrote:- The local temple schedule. Maybe a good idea, but extra clutter.

"Ward Temple Night" is fine, but I don't think anyone wants the entire schedule. That should be a newsletter item IMO.

sbradshaw wrote:- BYU games (I'm in a Provo YSA stake). The reason they put these in was to make sure not to schedule church activities at the same time as the games. But I didn't want to see them on my computer calendar.

In that situation, I think having the games on it's own calendar is a good idea. It goes along the same idea as the Holiday calendar. You can subscribe (or not) as personal preference.

sbradshaw wrote:- Home Evening every Monday at 7 PM. This should be put in by the wards. Sometimes it's a special ward activity that night, or at 7:30, or different groups are doing different things and you can't set a specific time.

If the unit is having an event, by all means put it on the calendar. But a blanket "FHE" - no. As you say, it clutters the calendar. And it's not an event. It should be scheduled by the family. While Mondays are the most common, I'm sure some families have other days due to work conflicts. So not everyone does it on Monday at 7.

Separating calendars solves a lot of problems. I'm glad that you have "Holidays" as a separate calendar.

russellhltn wrote:In our stake, "Holidays" is a separate calendar. So you can unsubscribe from it. Problem solved. We have it there because it can make a difference in scheduling.

Our stake also has a separate Holidays calendar for the same reason. In addition to a separate calendar allowing members to unsubscribe, it also allows those events to show up in a different color, which is helpful.

russellhltn wrote:For example, the singles have a fireside every month on the 3rd Sunday. Guess what Sunday Mother's Day falls on?

My guess is the 2nd Sunday. But it will be good to be able to see the conflict with Father's Day in June on the 3rd Sunday.