How Do I Create a Community Submission Calendar on My Website?

These instructions walk you through adding a public-facing calendar to your website so your audience can submit events that automatically appear on your calendar. This approach uses third-party tools (Google Calendar, Google Forms, and Zapier). Because these are external services, their features and interfaces may change over time. SoCast cannot guarantee the stability or functionality of these third-party services.

Requirements

• A Google (Gmail) account
• Basic familiarity with Google Forms
• Page permissions within the SoCast Platform

Step-by-Step: Embed a Google Calendar on Your Webpage

1. Create a Google Account (we recommend using a dedicated account for community events).
2. Set your calendar’s visibility to public.
3. Customize your calendar settings as needed.
4. Open Google Calendar and go to your calendar settings.
5. Click the calendar name you want to display (for example, CSTest).
6. Click Integrate calendar.
7. Click Customize (beneath the embed iFrame code).
8. Set the width to 1100 pixels and the height to 900 pixels (ideal for a page without a sidebar). Adjust as needed for your layout.
9. Adjust the default view and other display options as desired.
10. Copy the HTML iFrame code from the top of the page.
11. Open your webpage in the SoCast Platform at admin.socastsrm.com.
12. Add a Raw HTML element to the page.
13. Paste the iFrame code into the element, save your changes, and publish or update the page.

Step-by-Step: Import Existing Calendar Events

1. Export any existing events from your previous calendar.
2. In Google Calendar, click the Settings (gear) icon.
3. Select Import & export.
4. Under Import, choose the file from your computer.
5. Click Import.

Step-by-Step: Create a Google Form for Event Submissions

1. Go to Google Forms.
2. Create a new form with the fields you want users to complete.
3. Click the Preview (eye) icon in the top right to view your form.
4. Test your form by submitting a response.
5. Return to the form builder and click Responses at the top to view submitted responses.

Step-by-Step: Use Zapier to Send Form Responses to Google Calendar

1. Log in to Zapier with your Google account (it must be the same account used for Google Calendar and Google Forms).
2. Select the Google Forms app and the Google Calendar app.
3. Scroll down and click Use this Zap for “Create Google Calendar Events from Google Forms Submissions.”
4. Click Create this Zap.
5. Click Continue.
6. Follow Zapier’s steps 1–4 on the screen, then click Continue.
7. Verify your Google Forms account is correct (it should be by default), then click Save + Continue.
8. Click the Spreadsheet dropdown and select the title of your Google Form. If you don’t see your form name, repeat the previous steps to ensure your form is set up correctly.
9. Click the Worksheet dropdown and select Form Responses 1 (usually the default).
10. Click Continue.
11. Click Continue again.
12. Click Fetch + Continue.
13. Click Continue.
14. For the Google Calendar action, click Continue.
15. Click Save + Continue.
16. In the Calendar dropdown, select your calendar (usually listed at the top).
17. For the Summary field, click the insert field icon and select the “eventtitle” field.
18. For the Description field, click the insert field icon and select the “description” field.
19. For Start Date & Time, click the insert field icon and select the “eventstartdate” field.
20. For End Date & Time, click the insert field icon and select the “eventenddate” field.
21. For Visibility, select Public from the dropdown.
22. For Reminders, select No from the dropdown.
23. Click Continue.
24. Click Send Test to Google Calendar.
25. Click Finish.
26. Toggle your Zap to On.

By following these steps, you’ll have a community submission calendar where your audience can submit events that automatically display on your website’s calendar. It’s a simple way to engage your community and keep listeners informed about upcoming events.