News

Huffman: Store birthday reminders in the cloud

By Lynn Huffman, Published: March 6, 2013

We all forget birthdays and feel guilty for not sending a card on time to a niece or uncle.

We all schedule social activities, tell our significant others, and then are disappointed when they forget and schedule something else. Sharing common calendars takes a little bit of time to set up, but will provide immeasurable benefits for years to come.
I recommend using Google calendars because it is stored "in the cloud" and can be shared with anyone who has a Google/Gmail account. Since Google calendars is an internet-based program, it will work on all smartphones, tablets and computers, no matter what brand.
With Google calendars you can create multiple calendars and privately share your calendars with others. Here are some examples for sharing Google calendars:
• a family birthday calendar
• a social group or club calendar that other members can edit
• a common family calendar for vacations and special occasions
• a work schedule calendar
For every event you schedule on your calendars, you have the option of setting up reminders. Imagine receiving an email a week before your sister's birthday to remind you to send a card or gift so that it arrives on time. Or a text message thirty minutes before an appointment. If you're really forgetful, you can even set up multiple reminders for yourself.
Scheduled events in Google calendars can be enhanced with attachments, Google map locations and emailed invitations to individuals or groups. For recurring events such as birthdays, anniversaries and regular meetings, you can select to repeat them annually, monthly, weekly, etc.
Go to www.liberateyourtime.com/lightning for simple, easy-to-follow instructions for creating and sharing Google calendars (remember that Morris Broadband email addresses work too!).