Calendar Invites

You have almost certainly received calendar Invites in the past.  They come as an email giving the date of an event and asking if you are attending.  It may have an option to ask if you are attending, or a link to add to your calendar.  You can click to create a calendar item for that time and day.

It Works Across Platforms

Calendaring works bets internally or with other gmail users.  However, the ICS format is pretty universal.  If you invite others using other calendaring systems, they should get an email notice that allows them to add the appointment to their calendar with a single click.

Of course, if you are not certain what system an outside party may use, you may want to send an email the first time you send a calendar invite, just to make sure they got it.  Most people will get the invite, but it pays to be safe. Once confident they are receiving the invite, you can dispense with emails.

Better Than Email

You may ask, why is it better to send an invite than simply email people about a date?  Well, it makes it easier for the recipient to add to his or her calendar.  The recipient need only click on "yes" to add the event to his or her calendar.  The recipient need not cut and paste or retype information from the email to a calendar.

A calendar invite also makes things easier for the sender.  Especially if multiple people are involved.  Recipients need not email back replies.  They can simply click on "yes" for attending and that information gets added to the sender's list of who is attending.  This makes it much easier to keep track of who can or cannot attend, and avoids lengthy email chains in your inbox.

If the sender needs to change a date or time, all attendees receive notification of the change (unless the sender opts not to send notifications).

When used internally or with other gmail users, there are even more features.  You can permit users to invite others, or to change the details of the meeting.  The creator has the ability to restrict these permissions if desired.  Gmail users can also add a quick note to their decision to attend or not, which shows up in the calendar details.

How to Create an Invite

To create an invite simply open your Calendar and create an appointment like you would for any other calendar entry.  Once it is set up, on the right, you will see an option to "add guests" and three boxes regarding what level of control you want to give to guests.  Add the email addresses of those you want to attend,   Once saved, it will notify the guests.  If they are gmail users, the event  will appear automatically on their calendars.