Research event data storage options

[builderpepc]

Initially, it seemed that most events would be stored on Eventbrite. However, it turns out that only the 30 Minute Skills sessions are published there, and only within the last year or two, so older sessions are not included. For events listed on Eventbrite, we can retrieve thumbnails, date/time information, Zoom links, and physical locations (if applicable). Event descriptions are available but generally less detailed than what’s found on YouTube.

Link to doc with event details on the current NEFAC website: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19sKNCOlYptq48DSeRTkziMY2z0N2M5gZOKwPtXayfw8/edit?usp=sharing

Simultaneously, many program recordings are available on YouTube (organized into playlists), but the videos themselves do not include metadata indicating when the events occurred. Also, YouTube only includes past events, not upcoming ones. That said, the YouTube descriptions are often very detailed and could be useful for display on the website.

The client is open to creating a new centralized calendar and updating it retroactively with past events. This would allow us to pull structured data for use on different pages (e.g., the homepage and program-specific subpages).

Considerations:

• Recordings of past events will likely always be published on YouTube.
• 30 Minute Skills will probably continue to be posted on Eventbrite, as that’s where the audience currently expects to find them.
• In some cases, event descriptions contain formatted text like named links, bulleted lists, bold/italic text, and more (example).
• With this in mind, we should consider a solution that allows the client to:
  • Automatically import selected events to Eventbrite (either natively or through some custom automation).
  • Retroactively attach YouTube recording links in a programmatically accessible way.
  • Write and store free-form, preferably formattable text/HTML descriptions

One potential solution is using Google Calendar. This seems viable, but certain metadata (like recording URLs) would need to be included manually in the event description. We’d need to ask the client to follow a consistent format so we can reliably extract key data like video URLs. While workable, this approach has limitations and feels a bit fragile.

Questions:

• Are there ways to include custom metadata in Google Calendar events beyond the description field?
• If not, is there a better tool or service (other than Google Calendar or traditional calendar systems) that we should consider using for this?

[builderpepc]

Eventbrite is off the table for central event storage, as the client has reminded us that there are private events which should still be shown on the website even if people cannot register for them. Eventbrite is designed for event registration, so it wouldn't make sense to use that, although we should still be able to import events into Eventbrite if desired.

[builderpepc]

List of examples of how events are displayed on various pages, compiled by @lyannne - https://docs.google.com/document/d/19sKNCOlYptq48DSeRTkziMY2z0N2M5gZOKwPtXayfw8/edit?tab=t.0

Use this to inform decisions about what kind of data we need to store