Stop using Google Calendar and Google Groups for meetings organization

[derberg]

I want to suggest we stop using Google Calendar to manage all AsyncAPI meetings and Google Groups to manage a distribution list of users that we invite to the meeting.

What is wrong with current tools:

• We force our community to have Google account. There are many people in the industry that do not want to have anything to do with Google. Also, afaik Google is not allowed in all countries.
• Google Calendar when used as a calendar by folks without Google account is just terrible -> https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/[email protected]. No ICS file download
• We do not run discussions on Google Groups, we use it only as a mailing list.
• To invite Google Group to the meeting, you do it as a normal Gmail user. So the invite is sent by you. I got reports from many folks in the past that our stuff lands in SPAM. Probably because to many messages are sent from single normal user

Proposal:

1. We switch to use https://www.teamup.com/ instead of Google Calendar:

• we get something like this -> https://teamup.com/kspa89wmnfsierwmoe
• we can by default set it to run under UTC (no daylight saving time)
• ICS (iCalendar Feeds) are supported by default, so anyone can add the calendar to their calendars (Outlook, iCal, Google Calendar) if they want
• Nice and easy API -> https://apidocs.teamup.com/#create-event that we can easily integrate with existing workflow for events creation -> https://github.com/asyncapi/community/blob/master/EVENTS_ORGANIZATION.md
• We can use it for free -> https://www.teamup.com/pricing/
• We can finally think on embedding the calendar in the website https://teamup.com/embed because calendar feel and look is a bit customizable and it wont be as ugly as it would be with iframing Google Calendar

2. We remove asyncapi-users Google Group and instead we use Newsletter subscribers list on Mailchimp:

• we already have MailChimp account and maintain a list of folks subscribed to AsyncAPI Newsletter
• we move all emails that are part of asyncapi-users GG to MailChimp
• we create a CRON workflow that on Monday morning, collects the list of all the meetings that we have in a current week and sends a digest information to all subscribers with information what meetings we have and how people can connect

Let us improve community experience, reduce complexity and use tools that are available to anyone, no matter where you are at the globe

What do you think folks?

Related issue: #171

[jessemenning]

Wholeheartedly agree with this, would be great to have an ICS feed

[quetzalliwrites]

Sure! This seems like a logical solution for all parties, I think too.