Posting on the MSU Extension Events Calendar

February 24, 2021

The MSU Extension events calendar serves as the primary resource for anyone looking for MSU Extension events and activities.

The MSU Extension events calendar serves as the primary resource for anyone looking for MSU Extension events and activities. Events also populate county pages and websites throughout the Extension site, as well as serve as a data source for outgoing news digests, newsletters, social media and more. As such, it is essential that all MSU Extension staff strive to ensure all MSU Extension events and activities are posted on this calendar in a timely fashion.

Tips for Posting

Anyone with an MSU Net ID (Note: This is your MSU credentials, not your ANR credentials) and password can post an event on the calendar via dotCMS. There are a number of helpful training resources available to help teach users how to do this. If you do not have access to dotCMS, contact the communicator assigned to your institute.

If viewing training resources simultaneously as to when posting an event, view training resources in a web browser in which you are not logged into dotCMS.

Add your event to the calendar as soon as a program name, date and location have been identified; you do not need to have all the event details together in order to post. Simply make note in the description of the event that more information and registration will be added closer to the event date. Then, remember to update your event as more information is determined (e.g., speakers, breakout sessions).
Tags (not relationships) are critical to helping to accurately promote your event. If you are not sure what tags to use, refer to the Tagging Recommendations article. Once you have entered several events, you will likely have your own list of common tags to frequently use. If you’re part of an Extension team, then your team may also have a list of tags you can use. See the Website Content and Tagging Strategy for more information on tags.

Make sure to always tag your event “MSU Extension” as well as the tag(s) associated with the website folder(s) in which you are posting your event.
Although this list is not exhaustive, here are a few commonly used tags:

Virtual - online learning opportunities that run between 1-5 consecutive days (no longer).
Ongoing virtual - online learning opportunities that run longer than 5 days.
Virtual youth - Online learning opportunities for youth (to be used in addition to virtual or ongoing virtual).
4-H - any event or activity for 4-H audiences.
Agriculture - any event that relates to agriculture or AABI.
Food & Health - any event that relates to HNI

Ongoing events (such as an ongoing class or SPIN club) that occur over a period of time (e.g., every Tuesday for six weeks or once a month for six months) should have a new event posted for each occurrence, and not one general event for the entire series. To create multiple events in a series, you can easily copy the first event in the series by hovering over the event name in dotCMS, right clicking and selecting “copy” from the menu that appears. Then, open the newly copied event (it will appear at the top of your event entries) and update the title, URL title, date and other relevant information for each subsequent event. For more information, see training resources for how to copy an event.

The exception to this practice would be for events that do not accept new participants after a date in the series has passed. In this instance, create one event in the calendar and set the expiration date (on the “Date” tab of the entry) to the day after the last opportunity to join the event.

If an event has been posted to the calendar in previous months or years (i.e., a camp or program that happens every year), it is recommended that you update the previous event with the new event information, as opposed to creating a brand new event. Simply find the event in your list of entries, update it with the new information (including the event expiration date on the “Date” tab, which should be set to one month after your event date), and submit for approval. Additionally, make sure that the URL title doesn’t include date-related information like the year or day of the month as this info will change. Note: if you do not have access to the event you would like to update, ask the communicator assigned to your institute to provide you with permissions to edit the previous event listing.

What types of events should be posted on the calendar?

Events that use registration systems, such as the ANR Events Management System, Zoom, or Google Forms.
Events hosted/organized by an MSU Extension staff member. This includes in-person events and online trainings, as well as events open to the public or those only open to particular audiences (e.g.,. commodity growers, elected officials, etc.). If only open to a particular audience, put the intended audience in the description and ask viewers to follow up with a staff member if they have questions about who should attend.
Community events where MSU Extension is taking part and inviting their constituents to participate. An example would be a farmers market or a community clean-up day.
Events where MSU Extension is not the sponsoring organization but MSU Extension staff are presenting. For example, a local commodity meeting where educators are hosting a session.
Events/dates of importance for participants in MSU Extension programs. Examples include fair dates and 4-H enrollment dates.
Events with a particular intended audience that requires pre-screening. Simply put the intended audience in the description and ask viewers to follow up with a staff member for more information regarding attendance.