Know GCal more

These are some characteristics of Google Calendar considerably unique from other calendaring systems.

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Not only primary calendar, we can schedule meeting through other calendars too.

Meeting owner is also a guest in the list.  When meeting owner changes response to "No", it is not meeting cancellation.  To cancel a meeting event, this procedure is suggested:

1. Enter the meeting item (edit event details).
2. At Guests list, choose "Email guests" to inform cancellation.
3. Next, click [Delete] button at the top line of calendar form

In case we also show other people's calendars and have schedules in common (either via meeting responding or copy-to-my-calendar), so far there's no solution to avoid redundant displaying.  At least there is a reason: we can edit our own instances.

The note next to response in a meeting, when input, is shown under our name in Guests list.  It is not for corresponding.

Meeting notification to inbox is just an email copy in addition to calendar item itself, with ability to respond and link to the event item.

• It helps for people who don't open calendar regularly.
• It can be used for replying as email.
• It can be deleted with no effect to the event item in calendar.

We can reply "No" to a meeting but leave it stay in calendar: i.e., different from "Remove".  Turn setting "Show events you have declined" on.

To subscribe a Google Calendar indirectly shared through group/public

If a calendar is shared to individuals, it will be displayed in My/Other-calendars widgets (in left pane of calendar window) automatically.  However, this is not true when it is shared to public or groups (GoogleApps Contacts, GoogleGroups).

In settings of each calendar (from menu button at the end of each calendar), there is "calendar address" section showing 3 types of links: XML, ICAL, and HTML.  Note that intention of HTML link is to obtain the public URL to view a read-only version of the calendar without signing in to Google Calendar.  It is not to add the calendar into My/Other-calendars list.

Given that we are member of group to which the calendar is shared, here is how to add the calendar into our My/Other-calendars list.

1. Obtain the ICAL link from searching, calendar owner or existing member (e.g., via email or chat).
2. Follow "subscribe" procedure:  At the bottom of the calendar list on the left, click the Add down-arrow button and select Add by URL.  Then input the ICAL link.

Google & Lotus-Notes: calendar-item characteristics & differences

This is situation when an organisation has these 2 email systems running.

	Google Calendar	Lotus-Notes calendar
Showing on calendar	Item is always posted to GCal as '?' mark (looked similar to 'Maybe' response).  We respond 'No' or choose 'Remove' to remove it from GCal.	Item only arrives Inbox and optionally displayed in 'New Notices' pane.  We respond 'accept' or 'add' to get it displayed on calendar.
Colouring	GCal supports multiple calendars and colouring is assigned to each calendar.	LN can only see calendars of others, but neither see altogether simultaneously nor can create multiple calendars in addition to own one.  Colouring is assigned to calendar types (meeting, appointment, anniversary, reminder, to-do)
Participant list	Has option to add guest by any participant.	Has To/CC/BCC classification.
Calendar-item instance between mail & calendar systems	Separate: Deleting the instance in GMail does not effect one in GCal and vice versa.  However, we can respond in either GMail or GCal.	Same: calendar is another view the mail database so that we see same-single instance.  We do not delete it from inbox but manually remove it away (possibly to other folder), or set option (in Tools |Preferences) to remove meeting invitations from inbox after responded.
Item's content	See body of LN-cal item contains .ics attachment (as common as normal Internet email).	See body of GCal item as: "View your event at http://www.google.com/calendar/..."

Also:

• Sender & participants name formatting:  In same system, it can look up its "address book" so that we'll see as full-name written (ex., "John Smith").  Whereas each side will see ones from each other system as Internet-email format (ex., john.smith@company.com).
• Response to GCal invitation via LN can have error such as nonexistent parent document, (field) incorrect data type for operator or @Function.

Tweeting shorthands

As Twitter keeps message posting limited to 140-character long, sometimes it would be better using certain symbols in character set instead of multiple/repeated characters to save message length.

Try this	To/For
… — ‼	Instead of repeating those characters.
« »	Double less/greater signs, or denote arrows: <- ->
‖	"RT @... original message. ‖ your additional comment"  (idea from '// comment' in C++)
≠ ≤ ≥ ±	<>, <=, >=, +/-
⅛ ¼ ⅜ ½ ⅝ ¾ ⅞	Instead of x/y
© ® ™	Instead of (C), (R), TM
α β	Instead of 'alpha', 'beta'

Also these symbols are nice for use:

• ≈ ≡ × ÷
• ∞ ∫ ∑ √ ∂ ∆
• ¬(not) °(degree) ²(square) ³(cube)
  

Twitter visibility

1. When we follow an account, we see followee's own updates not others that s/he follows, unless we already follow ones of them mutually.
2. People will only see replies in their home time line if they are following both the sender and recipient of the update. People with protected accounts cannot send replies to people who aren't following them, and mentions won't be seen by non-followers either. [from: "What are @replies and mentions?"]

Lists
As simply stated in Lists' privacy setting:

• Public — Anyone can subscribe to this list.
• Private — Only you can access this list.

We see lists when they are set public, and cannot see/access private lists (even we specify exact URL).  This rule is not matter the lists' owner is normal(public) or protected account.

What connection can we make with other people? Given that they are: »	Normal/public account	Protected account
Follow them	Yes	To request
Keep them in list	Yes	Available when we've already followed
Follow (subscribe) their lists	Public lists only	Public lists only (needn't request)
See their private lists	No	No

Whom do we see inside a list? Given that they (not list owner) are: »	Normal/public account	Protected account
List is public	Visible	Visible if we've also followed them
List is private	List is inaccessible	List is inaccessible

Also notice that we may put people (of normal/public account) into our list(s) without following them: i.e., they are not shown up in our main-stream time line.


Further reading

• Twitter blog: "Soon to Launch: Lists" (Sep.30'09). "There's a List for That" (Oct.30'09).
• Josh Catone "HOW TO: Use Twitter Lists"; Mashable (Nov.02'09)
• Mashable: "Twitter Lists, Resources & How-Tos"