Googland

[G] Introducing appointment slots in Google Calendar

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:27 AM PDT

Official Gmail Blog: Introducing appointment slots in Google Calendar

Posted by Irene Chung, Software Engineer

Google Calendar has become indispensable for organizing my own time and sharing my schedule with friends and coworkers. But what about letting others know about my preferred availability? Likewise, when I look at my hairdresser's online calendar, I wonder why I can't just book the open slot instead of remembering to call during regular business hours. Now, with appointment slots in Google Calendar, any individual or business can manage appointment availability online 24/7.

Creating appointment slots

To get started, set up blocks of time you'd like to offer as appointment slots. Simply click anywhere on your calendar and then on "Appointment slots." From there, create a single block of time or automatically split a larger block of time into smaller appointment slots.

Every Google Calendar has its own personal appointments sign up page; you can embed it on your website or give the URL directly to friends and clients. You can find the URL for your appointment page at the top of the set-up page, which you can access via the Edit details link.

Signing up for an appointment slot

When someone visits your sign up page, their calendar is overlaid for convenience and they can sign up directly for any available appointment slot. When they sign up, Google Calendar conveniently creates a new shared event on both of your calendars.

At Google, many people are already using appointment slots to manage their office hours or even schedule appointments with on-site fitness instructors. We're starting to roll it out widely today, and appointment slots should be available for everyone within the next few days. I'm pretty excited to tell my hairdresser about it, and I can't wait to see all of you start to use it too.

URL: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/introducing-appointment-slots-in-google.html

[G] US gamers look out, E3 gaming expo is live on YouTube

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:36 AM PDT

YouTube Blog: US gamers look out, E3 gaming expo is live on YouTube

It's one of the most wonderful times of the year for gamers with the return of E3, the gaming industry's annual tradeshow in Los Angeles. The E3 YouTube channel will be carrying live streaming coverage from the gaming experts at IGN, starting with today's pre-E3 press conferences and through the first two days of the show.

For our casual and non-gaming readers, E3 is an annual showcase where gaming companies go all out to create buzz around their upcoming titles. You typically need to be connected to the games industry to attend, but as we continue to give you front row seats to local and world events, you can now share in the E3 excitement as it happens. Expect to see new game demos, developer interviews, expert analysis and more. Check the E3 channel for a daily schedule of events.

The E3 live stream is only available to US gamers, but there will be plenty of up-to-the-minute content posted on the channels of IGN and many other gaming-focused partners. If you've been waiting all year for E3, it's time to sit back and salivate, as gaming's big guns attempt to wow their way onto your holiday shopping list.

Mark Day, YouTube Gaming, recently watched "WipEout 2048 NGP: Wipeout Your Enemies Trailer."