The Finalsite iCal feed follows a standard spec for "floating" date and time.
We conform to Form#1 of the 4.3.5 Date-Time standard specification for iCal feeds. (A specification is a document that functions as a recipe for a function or feature that can be used by multiple services. iCal feeds, for example, can be used by Google, Finalsite, iOS devices, Windows devices, Android phones, and many more. All of the various corporations which own and operate those platforms agree - in theory - to abide by the rules and procedures spelled out in the specification. In fact, usually the specifications are written in the first place by representatives of various companies and other interested parties coming together in a committee.)
What does "floating" date and time mean?
This means that the same hour and minute value will be held for an event being pulled in through an iCal feed regardless of which time zone is currently being observed. For example, if you have an event that is at 10:00AM - 11:00AM every day, then no matter which time zone the person is in who is using the iCal feed, the event will still appear at 10:00AM - 11:00AM.
Why is Google Calendar different?
Unfortunately, Google does not seem to be following the standard iCal specs for "floating" date and time.
When Google interprets these iCal feeds it tries to accommodate for time zone but cannot do this successfully, causing undesirable results. There have been others (outside of Finalsite) that have reported this same issue to Google but as it stands currently, Google has not changed their format to follow the standard 4.3.5 Form#1 iCal feed specification.
Where will this feed work?
This feed will work correctly in iCal, Yahoo, Outlook, and other calendar programs that support iCal.
What do I do if I still want to use Google Calendar with iCal Feeds?
If you are going to continue to use Google Calendar for pulling in iCal feeds then please be sure to use the "Google iCal URL" menu item that Finalsite provides, instead of the standard iCal URL.
Comments
I used the Google iCal URL link as suggested, but it doesn't fix the times. Instead of 3pm - 5pm on an event, it says 3pm - 12am. I don't understand why it wouldn't reflect exactly what's in the Google calendar.
Hi Paige,
That's very strange! If the start time is showing up correctly and the end time isn't, I don't think that the Google iCal URL is the issue. I've submitted a Support ticket on your behalf so that the team can take a look and figure out what's going on. Please check your email for updates!
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