Microsoft Outlook 2003
Shared Calendars: An Overview
One of the benefits of Outlook is the ability to share Calendars with others. Calendars can be shared to provide access for others to view but not make any changes. Access can also be provided for others to make appointments on your Calendar. Access is based on permissions established with appropriate department personnel.
General Etiquette Tips
The following etiquette tips are recommended when you are scheduling an appointment on someone else's Calendar. Individual departments may also have guidelines for creating appointments on someone else's Calendar.
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Set the time as tentative so the Calendar owner can tell at a glance that the Calendar has changed.
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Use the Appointment dialog box and include a brief note about the appointment (as you would in a phone message). Including contact information as part of this note may be appropriate if the Calendar owner needs to contact the person prior to the meeting.
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Sign the note with your initials or your name.
Sharing Options
Outlook supports three methods for sharing Calendars (and other Outlook resources). These include:
- sharing to a few users outside your department
- sharing to members of your department
- sharing to a wide group of users outside your department
Few Users Outside Your Department
If you are sharing to only a few users outside of your department, the best way to share your Calendar would be to establish the appropriate permissions on your calendar and then have the user use the Open » Other Users Folder command.
To allow others access to your Calendar through the Open » Other Users Folder command, you need to grant them access to your calendar.
Members of Your Department
When sharing Calendars within your department you can use the Open » Other Users Folder command; however, establishing a shared calendars folder on the department S: drive would be easier for accessing the Calendars. Permissions can still be set per user and not all members of the department have to be able to see the Calendar.
For instructions on how to setup and access shared Calendar, refer to Sharing Your Calendar with Department Members.
Wide Group of Users Outside Your Department
If you are sharing with several people outside your department, the easiest way to share your Calendar would be to use public folders, especially when you do not know the specific people that will need access. Like the other options, you can set permissions per user or for groups.
For instructions on how to setup and access public Calendars, refer to Creating a Public Calendar.
Appointments and Shared Calendars
When making an appointment on someone else's Calendar, the process is the same as making an appointment on your Calendar. It is recommended that you use the New Appointment dialog box so you can add a note about the appointment. When making an appointment on your Calendar, you can set it as private so others viewing your Calendar cannot see the details of the appointment. For more instruction on making appointments, refer to Scheduling Appointments.
