After last week’s column about Google’s calendar I could not believe the number of emails I received. The great majority of them were asking about tying that calendar to others, mainly Outlook for people who use Microsoft products in the office. I wrote about this several years ago but the response deserves it again, along with some updates.
It would be really brainy to combine calendars in Gmail and Microsoft Outlook and someone has. I believe they have done a very good job of it, too!
For instance, I use Outlook for my main business email application and have for many years. For the majority of my personal email I use Gmail.com. Many great features serve to recommend Gmail. To see what I have recommended, read a few of my most recent articles at DoubleClicks.info.
OK, now back to the calendars. I use Outlook’s calendar for all of my appointments and scheduling both for work and home. Whether it is a meeting at work or a doctor’s appointment I post it there so that I will be alerted/alarmed/reminded at a time of my choosing. I also use an Android phone which will sync to my Outlook calendar. If you have a smart phone you need to check with your cell provider or phone manufacturer to find out how to do this (if you don’t already know.)
However, when I am online on a computer without Outlook on it or surfing the net and don’t want to start up Outlook, it would be good to be able to use my calendar. In steps a free application, Google Calendar Sync (bit.ly/google-cal-sync). Once installed GCS will allow your two separate calendars to communicate with each other and to "sync."
It is fairly easy to set up. Follow the instructions on the site and you will be up and running in no time. There are basically three settings you need to apply. First, your Gmail account name and password (to access your online calendar) need to be entered. Next, you will need to enter how you want to sync the two calendars (see the next paragraph) and how often you wish to sync them during the day.
The Sync Options have three choices. First, would you like to sync the calendars both ways so that if you make a change on one it is updated on the other? The next way syncs the changes from your Gmail calendar up to your Outlook calendar. The final way is to sync all of your Outlook appointments to your Gmail calendar, which is the option I use.
I run this application on several computers and they are all tied to my main calendar in Outlook. Please note: currently Google Calendar Sync is only compatible with Microsoft Outlook versions 2003, 2007, 2010 and operating systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
