SIMPLE CALENDAR PRO ADDON GOOGLE CALENDAR PLUGIN

Nobody maintains two calendars, so the website one is always wrong

It is a pattern repeated so often it can be treated as law. The organisation has its Google Calendar, where it genuinely lives: that is where the meetings, rehearsals, matches, classes and concerts get entered. And separately it has a calendar on the website, which somebody filled in during the first month.

The event moves, it gets changed in Google because that is where everybody looks, and the website keeps the old time. Within a few weeks the website calendar is published misinformation, which is worse than having no calendar.

Simple Calendar solves that directly: it does not create a calendar, it shows the one you already have. And since there are not two, there is nothing to fall out of sync.

What the paid version adds

• Private calendars as well as public ones, which is what allows using the working calendar for real.
• Colours inherited from Google, so the colour coding you already use carries over to the site.
• Attendees with name, avatar and RSVP status.
• Event organiser information.
• Attachments, with links to their source.
• Secure connection through OAuth, the authorisation standard.
• Works with the FullCalendar add-on for month, week and day views.

The important warning: private calendars carry people's data

It is the product's most powerful feature and the one to configure with your head switched on.

Being able to show a private calendar means the site can publish attendees' names, avatars and RSVP status. In a sports club or an association that may be perfectly fine. In a medical practice, a law firm or a group therapy setting, publishing who has confirmed attendance at what is a serious problem, even though nobody did it deliberately.

And there is a quieter case: the event titles. A private calendar usually holds entries like "review with Ana Pérez" or "dismissal meeting". Simply showing that calendar on a public page is enough for those titles to appear.

The sensible way of building it is always the same: a separate calendar just for what will be public, fed from the main one if needed. It takes five minutes and avoids the unpleasantness.

Who it fits especially well

Any organisation already living in Google Calendar that needs to show part of its diary: a club with a fixture list, a venue with its programme, a school with its term, a parish, an association, a shared workspace with its workshops.

Where it does not fit: if what you need is people booking a slot. That is something else entirely. A calendar displays; a booking diary checks availability, blocks the slot and takes payment. Confusing the two is the usual mistake with this kind of product.

Requirements

It needs WordPress, the base plugin and a Google account holding the calendar you will show. The connection gets authorised through OAuth.

Alternatives in the catalogue

If what you need is people booking rather than only looking, the territory is diaries: Simply Schedule Appointments is the catalogue's most used, and Amelia and BookingPress add teams, advance payment and reminders.

If your project is events with tickets, capacity and speakers, that is not a calendar either: The Events Calendar Pro manages genuine events, and for conferences there are complete themes such as Exhibz or ITConf.

And if what you want is a grid timetable, the class schedule or broadcast listings kind, Timetable is built for that and reads far better than a monthly calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Does it create a new calendar?
No, and that is its advantage: it shows the Google one you already maintain, so there are not two to sync.

Can it show private calendars?
Yes, that is what the paid version adds, with the connection authorised through OAuth.

Are attendees visible?
It can show name, avatar and RSVP status. Worth thinking about before publishing it.

Is it for booking appointments?
No. A calendar displays; booking needs a diary with availability and payment.

Does it keep Google's colours?
Yes, it inherits whatever colour coding you have assigned.

How do I avoid publishing private things?
With a separate calendar just for what is public. It is the setup that causes no problems.