Note to group leaders...
It's the time of year to review your group's programme of meetings/events on the HIU3A web site.
It's important to maintain the programme in the web site so:
- Members can refer to it if they are unsure of meeting dates
- We automatically populate members' electronic diaries with the right information (see here for more details)
- Group leaders looking for gaps in the monthly schedule to set up their meetings are aware of your group and can avoid unnecessary clashes
- Prospective new members get a good idea of the range of our activities
- People looking to join activities on particular days of the week, get to know about your group
I presented the new event update service at the last group meeting, and I'm pleased that some of you have already used it to update your programme for the new year. Thank you.
As promised here is a summary of how to use the new service. The following notes apply to the large majority of groups that use a single recurring event to list all their events. I describe the procedure for one group, the process is the same for each group you lead. I address some exceptions afterwards.
Update a recurring event
To make any changes on the web site, you need to log in first. If you are already on your group page there's a quick way to do that: you'll see a 'Log in & return to this page' link at the foot of every page.
Start by finding your recurring event. If you haven't had your March meeting yet, you'll see it under 'Forthcoming events' in your group page - click/tap that link. Otherwise, you can find your most recent meeting in your calendar - click the meeting link. Either way you will see a page subtitled 'Event Details' listing any remaining meeting dates:
- Click/tap the 'Update or delete' button towards the top of the page.
- Depending on whether you have remaining meetings, or not click/tap 'Replace future dates, all other details unchanged' or 'Add a new set of dates all other details unchanged'.
- Click/tap 'Select' to see a box asking 'When does your event occur?'
- Select the appropriate option. Most groups use the 'Nth ~day of each month' option; for example: Second Tuesday of each month'.
- You will then be asked for extra information depending on the selection you made:
- If you selected 'Nth ~day of each month' or 'Last ~day of each month' you are asked for the day. You are also asked for the first month: leave it at March 2023, and last month: change it to March 2024.
- If you selected every week or every fortnight you are asked for the first date from a calendar: click/tap the date of your next meeting even if it is in March. Click/tap 31st March 2024 as the last date.
- Click/tap 'Calculate dates' to see a list of meeting dates calculated by the site.
- Review the dates and if any are inappropriate (for example around Christmas or new year), click/tap the box next to it to deselect it. To add an extra date, click/tap the 'Add new date' button which asks you to select the date from a calendar.
- When you are happy with the dates, click/tap 'Submit your change' to see an updated version of the 'Event Details' page confirming your new dates are in the system. You can also see them in 'Your calendar'.
That's it for another year.
Other types of event
If you have multiple meetings in the month other than weekly or fortnightly, you will have a recurring event for each one. Just implement the above change for each event. Make sure you pick the right day of the month for the event you are changing.
If you review your programme annually. No problem, you can use the above procedure any time of the year. Replace references to "March" with the month you are making your change.
If you create individual events for each meeting. You don't need to do anything different. The above procedure applies only to groups that use a single event to apply to multiple dates.
Review your group page
You might want to take the opportunity to review your group page. For example:
- Can you open your group to new members if you have some people that don't attend any more?
- Could your page be more informative to prospective members?
- Specifically, if you make a charge for attendance, you should say so to avoid unpleasant surprises.
More information
Click/tap here to find out more about adding or changing events and here to find out how to change your group page.
If you really can't face using the web site
If you have a member willing to make changes on your behalf, let me know their name and which group(s), and I'll authorise them to make changes for you.
Otherwise, send me a note letting me know about each group you lead:
- The group's name
- Confirmation how your meetings recur e.g. Third Thursday of each month
- Any exceptions e.g. dates around Christmas or new year
If I don't hear from you by the end of March, I will make a guess about the above, update your programme, and ask you to check it for me.
Andy Henderson
HIU3A web site editor