[Chrissy Scivicque]

I've just discovered Google Calendar and it looks like a really cool free program. The thing I like most is that I can allow others to view my calendars and they can be viewed from any computer anywhere. I can see this being helpful for work, but also for home - for example, I can give my boyfriend permission to view my calendar so if he wants to make plans, he can check what I'm doing really quickly without having to send me an email.

Has anyone had any experience with the Google Calendar system? What are your thoughts? How do you think it compares to the Outlook Calendar? Do you think it will always be a free program or something you'll have to pay a monthly fee for?

Thanks for the help!

[angelayala]

I've been using Google Calendar since the beginning and it's great! One of the most powerful features I think is the txt messaging for events. I setup my phone with my Google Calendar and all my daily activities reminders are sent to my phone via text message. You can update the calendar from anywhere all you need is a computer and a sane mind to avoid filling up your day since a very clear schedule in Google Calendar seems fun to fill out.
The sharing calendar feature is great and also you can search for community calendars and add them to yours for reminders on TV Show's schedules and more.
Outlook Calendar as powerful as it is within a corporate environment lacks of features that only Google at the moment can provide. And with full featured integration with devices like Blackberry's and IPhones it is a smart solution hard to beat.
As for what the future holds within this two I don't know but for now Google works for me and it is easy to use!

[HewDaily]

Google Calendar is the way to go. It will probably always be free. If Google sticks to its current model then someday, depending on what you have in your calendar, you'll have relevant ads being displayed. But being able to create multiple calendars that include either public or private information? Plus it's all searchable with Google's algorithm?!?! PLUS, Google has lived up to not doing evil which Micro$oft/Outlook has done much to the opposite.

[connecttorohan@gmail.com]

It's great! It even sends me a short message direct to my phone over my mobile network, accompanied by an email. I use it extensively and like everything Google is extremely stable. No downtimes. No crashes.

[lilysunshine]

I used GCal and Gmail with my last employer (for start-ups, there really is no better way to go, in my opinion). With my current job, we use the Microsoft Suite.

Really, for me it depends on what the rest of the people I am in contact with most use. I've found many of the features comparable. You can share calendars in gmail without depending on an exchange server - but you can send invites through either option that make that not as much of an issue. You can get more reminder types through GCal, but Outlook syncs much better with my Blackberry, which sets off an alarm for reminders.

What would be really brilliant is a much more bug-free way to sync both of them. I've used a couple third-party programs in the past, but none seemed to work quite as well as advertised!

[Rebecka@VBSofOK]

I love Google calendar. I love the fact that it sends me an email every day telling me what my scheduel is. I also love the color-coding feature. I have replaced all other calendars and even my franklin covey with google calendar.

[KatieGatto]

I'm with rebecka! the color code can be a lifesaver! another feature I prize is the ability to switch to multiple views and print them so I can take my day with me when I'm on the road.

[AnthonyRusso]

I use both as my office uses Outlook, and my life uses Google. finally the Google Calendar Sync tool is working correctly, so I can keep control of everything. I can now check my work calendar from anywhere because it is synced with my Google calendar. I used to have to be logged into my work VPN for that ability.

also being able to have multiple calendars in Google is priceless. I don't want my personal events synced to my work calendar so I have a main, personal, finance, and a NY Mets Schedule all at my fingertips in GCal.

[Jodith]

While I don't find Outlook's calendar to be the most user friendly, all of the Outlook functions as a whole work well together, and for office purposes I prefer it, especially when working with meeting requests. If everyone you are dealing with is on the same exchange server (as is often the case in large businesses), being able to see everyone's availability is really nice. It makes setting up meetings so much easier. Plus you can attach notes, agendas and whatnot to the meeting request so everyone has everything they need for the meeting right there attached to their calendar.

[Bree]

Google calendar is pretty awesome. Does anyone know if the calendar items can be exported to Outlook?