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Web Calendar

In addition to some helpful hints, you'll also find detailed directions for submitting a new event to the Web Calendar.

Notes and helpful hints

  • If you have already entered an event to the Web Calendar and wish to alter or delete event information, you must contact the calendar@umassd.edu for assistance. Entering a new version of a previously submitted event will not alter the first entry.
  • The Web Calendar’s form for submitting new events is organized for typical on-campus events. Read the directions below for help in using the form. If your event doesn’t exactly match the logic of the form, you can use the description area to insert additional necessary information.
  • Remember that the information you enter here will appear on the university’s public web pages. Accuracy, correct spelling, proper grammar, etc., will reflect the quality of your event. The Web Design and Development Team reserves the right to edit and/or delete any event listing that does not meet basic standards for good communications.
  • Once you submit your event, it goes into a queue to be approved by a member of the Web Design and Development team; it does not automatically post to the calendar. A staff member checks each event for accuracy, errors, etc., before approving it for the calendar. Please try to post your event 14 days in advance, so that there is plenty of time for the item to be approved.
  • Asterisked fields (*) are required.
  • Helpful hint: When using the drop down menus for event type, month, etc., make sure you “click” after selecting the item. If the item is still selected (showing in blue), you may inadvertently alter your selection as you scroll with your mouse.
  • Time-saving tip: If you are submitting a series of events with similar information, all at the same time, there is an option to re-use the form for subsequent entries. Be sure to change what needs changing for each entry.

Detailed directions

Title

Type the title for your event. Avoid using all capital letters (for aesthetic reasons) and special characters (such as #) which might cause errors within the program.

Category

Select the category that best describes your event. Users can search by category, so select with care.

Audience

Select the audience for whom your event is intended. Events for a “public” audience have first priority as “featured events” on the home page.

Date & time

At Date & Time, you must determine which type of event you are offering and click on the appropriate button:

  • Is your event a single occurrence? Select this button, then select the month, day and beginning (from) and ending times (to) for your event, using the drop-down menus provided. If you don’t know the exact time your event will end, make a reasonable estimate.
  • Will your event occur more than once in a specific pattern? Choose recurring. Select the month and day of your event’s first occurrence and last occurrence dates. Then select a time span (every) if appropriate and select from and to times.
  • If you are entering an event such as a play that runs across more than one weekend with varying evening and matinee times, you may want to make several single or recurring entries, with the "re-use form" option (available after you’ve submitted the first event). Then you can re-use the information that’s common to every performance while changing the days and times as needed.
  • Is your event ongoing, such as a sale that runs across several days? Select ongoing. Enter the start and end dates. If you need to enter additional information about times, use the description space below.

Location

Next, enter the location, being as specific about the building, the room, and the parking lot as possible within the 50 character limit of this field. If you don’t have enough space here, use some of the description space below.

MapQuest

"Map It" is helpful if your audience might need directions to your event location. Enter an accurate address for your event location, so MapQuest can perform its search.

Admission

The default is for a free event. If your event isn’t free, be sure to click the second button and enter the cost here. A dollar sign followed by numerals (for example, $10) is the typical entry. For events with more complicated pricing options, you have 30 characters of space here. For example, you could enter “$3/$5/$7” and explain the pricing categories in detail in the description area below, or you could enter “see description” and then enter the information in the description field.

Sponsored by

Information about the event’s sponsor assures us that you’re submitting information for a legitimate university event. While not required, failure to provide this information may result in failure to have an event listed.

Contact

Provide accurate contact information. This will be included in the calendar listing. The only acceptable phone number format is xxx-xxx-xxxx for the area code and phone number. For example: 508-555-0000.

Description

Enter more details about the event at the description. This space is 4000 characters long and is automatically shortened, from the end, to fit that size limit.

If you paste a description from Word, the form may not be able to read special characters such as quotation marks. Be sure to review and edit your description before submitting the event.

Optional image

Enter the URL of an image page on the web. Be sure to enter the entire address, including http:// (If the image is a part of a larger web page, enter the URL below at Additional Information.)

Otherwise, select Browse to find an image file stored on your own computer and upload it to this form.

The size of the image is fixed to 250 pixels wide and 300 pixels high. Please size your image accordingly before you upload it; otherwise, your image might be distorted. The file name should be all lowercase and have the appropriate file extension, for example: jpg or gif.

The Web Design and Development Team reserves the right to delete a distorted or poorly-sized image from the listing.

Additional Info

At Additional Info/Web Address, enter the Internet address of a web page with information related to the event, if available. Be sure to enter the entire address, including http://

If you enter a URL at Web Address, you can enter the name of that page or site at Link Text. For example, if you entered http://www.umassd.edu/wrc for the Web Address, you could enter Women’s Resource Center for the Link Text.

Publication

Check the box to request publication of this event to the marquee at the university's entrance. Publication to the marquee is not guaranteed, due to space and time limitations. For more information, contact the Public Affairs Office at 508.999.8015. To request that your event be displayed on campus cable channel 77 (after you complete the web cal form), please submit your own PowerPoint slide using the Video Display Request form or send details to the Office of Student Engagement & Leadership (OSEL). This is a good way to inform students about your event.

Proceed

Before you click Proceed, verify that all your information is correct. Then click Proceed to view your event listing as it will appear on the calendar. If you have omitted any of the required fields, you’ll receive a reminder to enter that information.

Check your entry carefully for typographical errors, omissions and automatic shortening of your information in any fields with space limits. (You may have to rephrase your information.) To make changes, click on the Edit button near that bit of information.

Once you’ve made any necessary changes to your entry, click on Verify again to review your entry again. Use Undo Changes to undo the most recent changes you’ve made to the information, if necessary.

Repeat the Edit process if necessary. When all is correct, click the Submit Event button. Your event has now been submitted to the Web Calendar office. Once it has been approved, you will receive an email notice from the university’s Web Master.

If, after the submission process, you notice an error or omission in your entry, you must contact the Web Master to address the problem. When contacting the Web Master, please be specific as to date/time/title of your event and what needs changing.

If you have any questions about working with the Web Calendar tool, contact calendar@umassd.edu.