LiveWhale Calendar is the platform you will use to create events that are automatically populated in the events feed row on your website and on your calendar page. We've outlined the steps to create an event on your UMKC LiveWhale calendar, but we also encourage you to read LiveWhale's introduction to the calendar.
Setting up
When you require an events feed and calendar page for your CMS site, MCOM will create a group for your site in LiveWhale Calendar. Your group will be named after your site's official name, but we can also add a nickname for the calendar url.
MCOM will also set you up with a username and password. Some groups share a username and password with other UMKC groups such as Academic Affairs, so you may see other group's calendars after you log in. If you need to reset your password, please contact web services so that other users can be informed.
Linking other calendars
LiveWhale Calendar has the ability to add some other calendars you may already be using. Events from these calendars sync automatically and invisibly, and are integrated seamlessly with the other events on your calendar.
If you list your events exclusively in RooGroups, MCOM will add the link from RooGroups to LiveWhale. That way your events will automatically feed from RooGroups to the events feed and calendar page on your site. You may link from more than one RooGroups group. You do not need to post in LiveWhale. Unfortunately, Handshake cannot be linked from LiveWhale at this time.
Logging in
The login page for a LiveWhale Calendar is the URL of the calendar site plus /livewhale/. The UMKC calendar is located at calendar.umkc.edu/livewhale/. This is where you log in using the username and password provided to you by MCOM.
Using the toolbar
The LiveWhale Calendar toolbar is your gateway to LiveWhale Calendar functions. This is where you select your calendar, view your calendar page and finds action shortcuts in the “Toolbox” section.
Selecting your group
You select your group's calendar by choosing it from the dropdown menu.
Viewing your calendar
You view your calendar by selecting the name of your group under "Group Calendar." Right-click on the link to open in a new tab or the calendar page will replace LiveWhale in your tab.
Using the Toolbox
In the Toolbox menu, you can find shortcuts to action items related to your events.
Adding an event
To create a new event, select "Your Events" in the Toolbox menu or from the tab on the main page. Select the "Add new" button.
This will bring up a form that will allow you to add a new event. You don't have to fill out all the fields in the form, but we recommend these items at minimum.
- Photo (upload from your computer or choose from shared images)
- Event title
- Date and time of the event (Date is a required field; time is optional. Select “All Day” for events that are in fact all-day events. You may set an ending date or time by checking the appropriate box. There are repeating options for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly events, with a range of options.)
- Event type (choose from list)
- Summary of the event
- Location of the event or link for virtual event
- Tags (choose from tag library or create new tag)
- Event details. Description of the event. You can add images and video to the event description as well. You can choose to link to another site for event information instead of adding the description here. The link from the event will then go to the linked page.
- RSVP, if needed
- Share your event with other UMKC LiveWhale groups
Going live
Events may be posted as Live or Hidden. Live events are viewable on public calendars. Hidden events don't show on public calendars, so this function is useful for events you’re working on but aren’t ready to promote yet.
Sorting by type
Select all event types that are appropriate for your event. This list is the same for all calendar users; make sure to check “Open to the Public” for events you want to promote outside campus.
Adding tags
Tags are descriptive keywords that help categorize your event. Tags are often used with event widgets, which populate the events feed on your site. Using tags can cut down on creating separate LiveWhale groups for departments or units that run multiple programs.
You can discuss your need for multiple feeds with your MCOM relationship manager or web services contact.
Adding photos
We strongly recommend adding a photo to your event. You can upload one or use one of the photos from the image library. When you upload your own photo, you must enter a caption to be used as alt text for screen readers or, for a photo that does not add context, mark as "Decoration only." Any photos you upload will be stored in your image library, searchable by keywords from the caption.
If you need to replace an old image with a new one, just click that “Replace this with a new file from your computer” button, choose a new image, and your image will be updated automatically sitewide.
Accessing shared images
Your images are organized by default into collections. Any images you’ve uploaded directly into events go into the All Images collection, but you can create new collections to organize them after you've used them. When uploading images, you can organize them into collections as well. The Images library, linked from the Toolbox, contains all the images you’ve posted to your events.
We've also added a collection of general UMKC photos that can be used for your events.
Adding an RSVP
If you're not linking your event to a form with an RSVP option, you can add the RSVP function in LiveWhale.
Sharing your event
Selecting the globe marks your event as shared with other UMKC LiveWhale groups.
When other groups share their events with you, they will show up in your Manage Events screen with the option to add to your own calendar or disregard.
Viewing your event
To view your event, select the "Save and Go To Event" button. This will take you to the synopsis of your event on your calendar page.
Here you can view your event in the context of your calendar. However, if you added a link instead of an event description, the page will redirect to the linked page.
Viewing your event
Select List All Upcoming Events to view all events on your calendar.
Deleting an event
Deleting your event removes the event from your calendar. Simply select "Delete event" from the event editing page and the event will be removed immediately from your calendar.
Canceling an event
If you want to remove an event from your calendar, simply delete it. However, if you want the event to show on the calendar as canceled, select the Cancel Event button at the top of the page. This will add “Canceled: ” to the beginning of the event title.
Managing your events
The Events List is the best way to see all your events at once. You can edit events, filter events by tag, date, or other criteria, as well as set options for several events at once.
Using the dropdown menu, you can also bulk edit your events, or perform other actions on individual events.
Learning more
View this 40-minute recording on how to use the calendar. Use password - 4X@260c0