The next stage on our Google Apps explorer tour was to set-up the Calendars. This is pretty easy to integrate. You can create as many calendars as you like and you can make them either private (only yourself have access), public within your domain (so you can share your calendars with your co-workers) or even public on the Internet.
Each of us has a private Calendar that we share within our domain. I still use Outlook where all my appointments are stored. I use GoogleCalendarSync to sync my Outlook with Google Calendar. Learn more about Google Calendar Sync
What’s really useful is the public calendars which you can embed into your website (like ours). If you want to announce an event on your website, you create a public event on your public Google calendar associated with your domain. It is then automatically displayed on your website. You can then also copy this event to the individual calendars of the user in your domain, so they have it in their personal Calendar as well.
Now that my Google Calendar syncs with Outlook via CalendarSync, I can also sync it with my mobile phone via Bluetooth. If I add an event to our Public Calendar, it is now displayed on our website, my Google Calendar, my Outlook Calendar and my mobile phone while the information is only managed in one place.
You can also set up sms notifications to your mobile. In theory you get a reminder sms to your mobile before an event is due. You must select your country first, then type in your phone number and select your local supplier. To initiate the service you receive an SMS text message with a verification code. It seems that you can use this service in countries like Afghanistan, Uganda or Liberia; unfortunately Chile is not listed. I have to keep the Bluetooth sync for a while and continue using Outlook.
Here is a list of related Youtube videos that explain how everything works in detail.
