While I still think it would probably be best to code a complete new event system that sat outside of the forum, there are some interesting features that can add a similar event calendar to Linden Lab's right into vBulletin here:

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=123416

While I continue to finish the code for the next round of features at SLHandbook, I'm certainly looking for suggestions on how to best bring as many community features as possible into one portal.

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A 3rd party events calendar has a lot of merit. There are features missing from the in-game calendar that are so far off on the horizon its almost futile to wish for them, and there are political debates about its use that Linden seems to be reluctant to get in the middle of.

Its a catch-22 however. Much like trying to start a forum, the calendar will hold minimal use unless people actually post events there. And folks wont be motivated to post events there unless they know people will look at it.

SLBoutique did something similar a while back. They had a pre-existing advantage because it was already a shopping-site destination. However even then, it's usage was not widespread, and SLBoutique had strict rules on what could or couldn't be on their calendar.

At the beginning of this year, Linden began encouraging the use of web-based event management service Eventful (more info on that here). Eventful has the big advantage of parsing the existing in-world events list. But still, I'm not sure it has widespread use. Personally, I found their interface a bit klunky.

If you're going to put an event calendar together, my advice would be:

-Don't have any restrictions on what folks can post - but provide robust filter/search capabilities so folks can seperate out their own definition of wheat from chaff

-You need to somehow parse the existing in-world events list, and include those events. If you don't, I think you'll have the startup issue I mentioned above.

-In-world reminders over IM/Dialog. (Like the in-world calendar has). You could do this easily with an in-world email-to-IM gateway. Name2Key lookup isn't as hard as it used to be these days

-You'll need to market it to the community so they know about it. If you provide something that's more meaningful than the in-world calendar, I think folks will use it if they know about it.

-Missing features, like the ability to post 'A month of Sundays' in just a few clicks, or the ability to duplicate recurring events, or to post on behalf of another approved host would definately draw me in.

I hope this materializes, Clubside - I think it could benefit a lot of folks

Eventful teaches us that you should not remove content from events lists, nor attempt to socially-engineer them.

They don't have silly rules like "you can only have five Tringos a day" or "you must be on 512 or more" or "you must be present at the event" or "you can't sell poseballs and call it an event". They let it be.

They expect people will find what they need.

I had the experience of talking to this guy at length -- he put the SL feed up there after meeting Philip at a party or something.

I told him about all the event list controversies. He seemed puzzled, and kept saying that with filters, people find what they need. You can't control the content. It has to have kids' soccer practice and yardsales and foreign ministers meeting around the General Assembly -- everything.

I'm glad to see that Travis appears to endorse this approach.

But inworld, you are evidently of the school of thought that says the Lindens should crack down on scofflaws who sell poses while MIA. I'm not. I'm for leaving it alone.

Good content will drive out bad content. Filters already exist. No one has to sully their eyes with poses or Tringo. Draw down "discussion" and get ONLY that.

I think we're in disagreement on how the event calendar should be handled in the interim before a replacement of some sort can be made. However, from a long term perspective, I can't think of much we disagree on. Restrictions are subjective, and not scaleable - agreed, a very bad combination.

My personal opinion is that a restriction-free calendar must have robust filters to be useful. In the absence of robust filters, we are left with no choice but to have some restrictions and rules until those useful filters can be put in place; that is - if we want some semblance of utility.

At the moment, we have relative anarchy. We do have filters, yes. But those filters are incredibly weak. The average event-goer doesn't or can't use them effectively, and as a result, the event calendar as a whole gets tuned out by many. Its bad for everyone, whether you're posting a 'Thinkers' event or a 'Yard Sale'. Target audiences of all types are tuning out.

Imagine if instead of Google, the only search engine we had on the web was a pull-down list of simple categories, and a basic keyword search. It would be nearly impossible to find anything of value out there, and much information would be overlooked.

In the absense of useful filters, yes, I advocate a much stricter definition of the word 'event'. But I don't believe that's a very good long-term approach either.