Uh Oh! The Internet is Angry About Calendly Links, Again

A recent tweet from a former Facebook product manager re-ignited an age-old debate about Calendly etiquette. Here's what happened.
Matthew Ritchie
Insights
March 22, 2022
4 minute read

(This post was originally published on nookcalendar.com. Want to try our new app? Download Bloks for free. )

“Is using Calendly rude?” It’s a question as old as time (or, at the very least, one that’s circled the internet ever since the meeting scheduling software was first introduced in 2010).

For some, Calendly’s scheduling software offers an easy way to book and schedule meetings.

For others, it’s an example of “the most expensive social capital negotiation out there” and the implicit power dynamics at play when scheduling a meeting in this day and age.

Wait, What?! All this because of scheduling software?

The quote above was written by former vice president of product management (and current partner at VC firm Slow Ventures) Sam Lessin, who, in a recent social media post, shared his thoughts on Calendly’s scheduling tool—sending Twitter into a tizzy.

“When someone sends you a calendly link and asks you to slot yourself in on their calendar, they are telling you that you are less important than them,” he wrote. “It is a ‘get in line’ move.”

For Sam, no one (except maybe the president of the United States) deserves a response to such an unjust solicitation.

“When a negotiation is totally nakedly one sided calendly is fine,” he states. “But just be clear about the social message I receive from you of your asserted sense of self worth when you send me that link.”

“who hurt you Sam”

Following Sam’s tweet, some jumped quickly to Calendly’s defense…

Or argued that the problem with Calendly was actually the reverse.

Others, not so much.

Some called Sam out for his supposed double standards…

While others wondered what happened to him…

And if it was all a joke.

Of course, this isn’t the first time someone has questioned if using Calendly is rude

In 2020, business consultant and advisor Andy Brown said in a LinkedIn post that, for some, sharing a Calendly link was akin to “chucking petrol on a bonfire,” but argued that sending back-and-forth emails to decide a time was far more frustrating.

In a separate blog post, venture capitalist and career coach Zak Slayback said he still wasn’t sold on the idea of using Calendly links.

“I know, you think you’re making life easier for the person you’re emailing,” he wrote on his blog. “You’re not.”

B2B sales trainer Mark McInnes was even more forthright in a LinkedIn Pulse post stretching back to 2018.

"When someone sends me one of those to choose a meeting time, I’m actually offended,” he wrote at the time.

An imperfect scheduling solution

To their credit, Calendly seems to understand not everyone loves their product and the power struggles associated with it—they’ve even written blog posts on proper meeting invite etiquette for people triggered by the tool.

“Instead of simply sending over your Calendly link and saying ‘Here ya go!’ you can ‘open the door’ for someone to first give their availability,” one post from November 2021 reads. “Then, once they have the opportunity to walk through the door first, you can follow by offering up your Calendly link.”

But that also seems a bit contrary to the whole purpose of the product—isn’t the point of it to… reduce the number of emails sent when scheduling a meeting?

Anyways, Sam, next time you get heated, take an ice bath. 😉

Whether you’re a sales superstar, in-demand consultant, busy recruiter, or someone who simply needs to schedule a lot of meetings, one thing’s for sure—you’ve probably booked a lot of them over the past two years.

Hybrid work has forced the majority of our meetings online, and while we appreciate being able to wear sweatpants during normal work hours, the time-consuming ballet that is sharing your availability, finding a time to meet, and adding it to your calendar isn’t quite as enjoyable. 

Speaking with everyone from solopreneurs to seasoned professionals, it seems like a lot of people find meeting scheduling software either costly, impersonal, or just plain boring. And Calendly and other alternatives don’t always cut it.

We hear you. 

Everyone is different, and so is how they work. Making good first impressions is important, and you shouldn’t have to pay a premium for them or basic customizations and integrations with your meeting booking system.

Nook Calendar’s meeting proposal feature is already used by tons of high-performing teams for selecting and proposing meeting times outside of their organization. 

Now, we’re making things even easier by letting you build personal pages with shareable calendar-booking links, right in Nook Calendar. Add them to your LinkedIn profile, email signature, website, or messages when finding a time to meet.

We think it’s the best meeting scheduling software out there, and we’re excited for you to give it a try, so let’s get started.

Here’s How to Set Up a Personal Booking Page in Nook Calendar

First off, if you’re new to Nook Calendar—hello! (If you’re already a Nook user, you can skip ahead.)

You’re going to start by syncing your calendar—either from Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook—and entering your work email address.

Once you approve any necessary permissions, you’ll set up your People Bar. Search for any connections and add the people you interact with the most when scheduling meetings.

From there, you can add any additional calendars you want to see (add your personal one, if you like, to further prevent any overlaps when scheduling meetings), integrate with Zoom (so you can launch calls straight from your calendar), and choose your preferred display setting—select Match OS, Light Mode, or Dark Mode.

Launch Nook Calendar, and you’re ready to set up your online meeting scheduler.

Now, the fun begins

You’re going to start by claiming your unique URL for sharing your meeting availability page. 

Your first name appears by default, but really, it can be anything. We recommend using your full name (e.g., /john-smith).

(You can always change your URL in the future, as long as it’s still available.)

From there, you want to complete your profile. 

Your profile pic is automatically pulled in from your Microsoft or GCal account.

But you can add your name, job title, welcome message, and links to social media profiles or professional website, so guests know a bit more about you when booking a meeting. 

Then, you can start setting your weekly availability.

Nook Calendar defaults to traditional time blocks—9–12 a.m. and 1–5 p.m. These are the hours someone can book a meeting from your personal page. Adjust them based on your availability. 

Your timezone is automatically set to your local time, but you can change it if you primarily work with people in a different timezone and it’s better to visualize that when setting your availability.

Choose which calendar you want to accept meetings in—it can only be booked in one, but Nook Calendar will automatically reference your availability in other calendars you’ve synced to prevent double-bookings when someone schedules a meeting.

Now, it’s time to set up some paramaters. 

You can set up your preferred meeting duration in either 15, 30, 45-minute or one-hour increments (or a custom time).

You can also add buffer time to give yourself a break between meetings, or set a lead time of up to 24 hours, so no one can book any last-minute meetings.

And you’re all set! You can preview what the page will look like, then share it with contacts or add it to your LinkedIn profile (we suggest adding it as a secondary URL), email signature, and anywhere else you do business.

Once someone books time in your calendar, you’ll receive an email and get a notification in the Pulse.

If you ever need to make any changes, you can access your personal meeting page in the bottom of the Magic Panel and make any adjustments—either to your weekly availability or personal information.

You can also remove your availability by simply creating events in Nook Calendar and marking them as Busy to block off time and prevent any bookings.

Nook Calendar’s new personal pages for sharing meeting availability are available on Web, iOS, and Android. 
If you have any questions or thoughts, we’d love to hear them. Hit us up in our Slack Community or contact us through Support.