We would like to make all users aware of the latest information related to the Events Calendar plugin in WiscWeb:
Recap
To recap, the WiscWeb team will be discontinuing support of the Events Calendar plugin in the near future. This was a difficult decision that we do not take lightly. More information about this change is documented in a previous WiscWeb news article.
We are aware that users require events management options for their websites. In order to better understand the needs that exist, we have been weighing feedback from:
- The events management user survey
- Ran for 3 weeks in March
- Sent around to all WiscWeb users
- 80 respondents
- The March Lunch and Learn
- Users had the opportunity to weigh in on their events management needs
- Feedback was noted
- The Events Calendar usage audit
- The WiscWeb team reviewed existing sites using Events Calendar
- Roughly 300 sites total
- We took note of:
- Complexity of events
- Features in use
- How many events existed
- Etc.
Decision
After assessing themes from the survey, audit, and user feedback, we have decided to build a plugin to support the major needs of our users. A new custom plugin called “UW Events” will be provided to WiscWeb users for this purpose. At this time, it will not be made available to users outside of WiscWeb.
For more details about this decision and the data collected via the user survey, please view our recording of the April Lunch and Learn or view the presentation slides.
UW Events Plugin
As mentioned, we have opted for a custom built plugin for events management. Doing so provides the following advantages:
- Integration with site (i.e. branded)
- Can include:
- Short and long descriptions
- Imagery
- Buttons/hyperlinks
- Maps
- Embedded content
- Can set categories and display on different pages based on category
- Includes a page element for displaying as a list (i.e., no more shortcodes!)
Users should be aware that no solution can meet all of the needs identified on campus. Some features were challenging to support with a custom plugin approach and/or were not possible with existing technology. The following are some known needs that will not be accommodated by this plugin:
- Recurring events
- Sharing events between sites
- Registration
- Calendar view
Please note that the team hopes to iterate and improve on this plugin overtime as we learn more about user needs on campus.
Alternatives
If users are not interested in using the UW Events plugin, the following alternative events management options are available:
- Google Calendar
- Today.wisc.edu
- Creating events as Pages/Posts
- Linking out to an alternative tool like Eventbrite
Next Steps
Here are the next steps for this process:
- WiscWeb will demo the UW Events plugin in the May Lunch and Learn on May 11, 2023
- The UW Events plugin, as well as user documentation, will be made available that day
- Users should then begin rebuilding their events content in either UW Events or an alternative option
- WiscWeb will continue implementing bug fixes and improvements to the UW Events plugin overtime
- The WiscWeb team will decommission the Events Calendar plugin in the fall of 2023
Questions
If you have questions about this process, what is expected of you, what is changing, etc., please reach out via our Customer Support Form.