Online Calendar - Beneficial or a Hindrance

When I first encounter online calendar many years ago, I did not want to use it. I thought it was laborious as I would be the one to choose a time on someone else's calendar and vice versa, I thought I would not want to subject the other party to such task. A few months ago, I ended up getting an online calendar of my own, courtesy of my new employer, Fabric Genomics. Lo and behold, the online calendar changed the way I work. I am much more efficient with my day as everything has to be marked on my calendar. I have to block out time for certain activities, keeping me in check and allowing me time for some activities such as preparation time for a meeting, etc.

Traditional scheduling requires both parties to agree upon a date and time. This requires communications between two parties and usually follows this pattern: Party 1 suggests a meeting. Party 2 agrees and asks when. Party 1 suggests a few time slots. Party 2 agrees on the time slot. Party 1 sends out the invite. There are clear drawbacks and hiccups that most everyone have experienced with this approach.

1. The time it takes to arrange a meeting can be lengthy given the back and forth. At minimum three or four days would go by before a meeting could be scheduled.
2. Timezone mix-up happens more often than I care to count. This happened just earlier today for me as one party came back after receiving the invite saying the time zone was off and they would not be available at that time.
3. If the meeting is booked far in advance, sometimes one party might end up needing to change the time and date as it gets closer to the meeting date, or worst, it gets canceled or someone forgot to show up.

The online calendar is different in that the process eliminates the back and forth between the two parties. One party's availability is visible to the second party, allowing Party 2 to pick and chose a convenient time. The time it takes to schedule the meeting is almost instantaneous as a calendar invite is generated right after submission. There is no timezone mix-up as Party 2 can change the time zone to match their specific location. Lastly, a reminder is sent out automatically to Party 2 an hour before the meeting.

Despite all the advantages and benefits of the online calendar, it seems that some folks are adamantly against them. I would like to know from you your reasoning for or against such system. Are you in favor of an online calendar or do you feel offended if someone was to send you an online calendar? Consider it a fun Friday or weekend survey. Tell me how you feel about online calendars. Thanks, ahead, for your feedback! Wishing you a wonderful weekend and for those in fair weather, enjoy and those in not so great weather, huddle up in a nice cozy blanket and enjoy a warm bowl of soup! Until next time!

Mindy