What is a Calendar?
A calendar is the central hub for viewing and managing your scheduled communications. It provides a visual representation of your communications across various channels and allows for easy adjustments to ensure everything is on track.
In the Communicate App, the Calendar is organized into rows (channels) and columns (dates), creating a grid where you can see all your communications at a glance. Each communication appears as a colored block in the grid, with the color matching its associated campaign.
Why Does Calendar Matter for Church Communications?
Calendar matters because it's where you do most of your day-to-day communication management. The Calendar view helps you:
- See everything at once: View all communications across all channels and dates in one place
- Schedule efficiently: Quickly add, move, or duplicate communications
- Identify conflicts: Spot scheduling gaps or overloads visually
- Manage details: Access and edit individual communications easily
Without a clear calendar view, managing church communications can become chaotic. The Calendar provides the structure and visibility needed to maintain an organized communication schedule.
How Does Calendar Work in Communicate?
In the Communicate App, the Calendar has two viewing modes:
Week Mode:
- Each column represents a full week (Monday to Sunday, or your preferred start day)
- Displays up to 8 weeks at a time
- Provides a broad overview of your schedule
Day Mode:
- Each column represents a single day
- Displays 7 days at a time
- Offers a more detailed view of daily communications
Key Features:
- Adding Communications: Click the "+" button in any calendar cell
- Moving Communications: Drag and drop to new dates or channels
- Duplicating: Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while dragging
- Filtering: Filter by Categories, Channels, and Campaigns
- Draft Toggle: Show or hide draft communications
- Collapsible Channels: Expand or collapse channel rows for easier navigation
Navigation:
- Scroll buttons to move forward or backward
- "Today" button to jump to the current date
- No limits on how far you can scroll in either direction
When Should You Use Calendar?
Use Calendar for:
- Daily scheduling: Adding and managing individual communications
- Detailed planning: Seeing specific dates and channels for communications
- Content management: Editing communication details, copy, and images
- Quick adjustments: Moving or duplicating communications as plans change
- Team coordination: Viewing what communications are scheduled when
The Calendar is your primary workspace for managing the tactical details of your communication schedule.
Related Terms
- Communication - The items displayed and managed in the Calendar
- Channel - The rows in the Calendar view
- Campaign - Communications are organized by campaign (shown by color)
- Timeline - A different view focused on campaigns rather than communications
- Category - Used for filtering in the Calendar view
- Draft Status - Communications can be shown or hidden based on draft status
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What's the difference between Week Mode and Day Mode?
A: Week Mode shows full weeks (8 weeks at a time), providing a broader overview. Day Mode shows individual days (7 days at a time), offering more detail. Choose based on whether you need a strategic view or detailed daily planning.
Q: Can I move a communication to a date outside its campaign's range?
A: No, communications cannot be moved outside their campaign's date range. If you attempt to do so, a warning will appear and the communication will remain in place. You'll need to extend the campaign dates first.
Q: How do I duplicate a communication?
A: Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while dragging a communication, then drop it on a new date or channel. This creates a copy that retains all content but can be edited independently.
Q: Can I change which day the week starts on?
A: Yes, go to User Settings → Calendar Preferences and select your preferred first weekday (Sunday or Monday). This affects both Week and Day modes.
Q: What happens when I filter the Calendar?
A: When you apply filters, communications matching the filter criteria are highlighted while others are grayed out. You can apply multiple filters simultaneously (e.g., a specific Category AND a specific Channel).
Q: How do I see draft communications?
A: Turn on the Drafts toggle in the Calendar. Draft communications appear grayed out with a "Draft" label. The toggle resets each time you navigate away from the Calendar and return.