subicpilot

Chainsaw, LJ, etc...again, you guys are missing the point. Nobody has the right to see your calendar. You can choose to allow others to see it or not. That is your right. This is not up for debate. What I started this thread for, was to hear reasons why pilots choose not to allow access to their calendar. Chainsaw, do you allow access to your calendar? If not, why not?

It seems to me that we do a lot to govern our collective behavior, and allowing our peers to see our schedules makes that task easier. It helps us determine if the schedulers are doing their job properly, as well as spot inappropriate behavior in our peers. There are many professional reasons already listed in this thread, as well as social reasons for wanting to see someone's calendar.

There are many good reasons to allow access. There are many reasons to not allow access, although most of those reasons have never made good sense to me. Ptarmigan brought up a good one about a possible stalker scenario...you can read about that earlier in this thread.

Food for thought...If you get defensive about this subject, you should be asking yourself why. Those that allow access to their calendar don't mind at all if you ask them why they allow access.

Also, denying access because you can isn't a reason for denying access. I want to know WHY people make the choice, not WHAT enables them to make it.

BTW, you can deny access to your calendar, but anyone with a little more than basic knowledge of the system can quickly find out anyone's monthly schedule, whether they hide their calendar or not. All you do by hiding your schedule is highlight yourself.

Chainsaw

WHAT? Who's really on "OUR" team? Whoa, listen to yourself. This is de-generating from just Calendar Troll Creepy to outright Grassy Knoll Freakshow. Don't worry Tony, I will give you the secret handshake in the Lobby at 5pm to let you know I'm on YOUR TEAM. wink, wink. Sheez.

TonyC

Wow, somebody touch a nerve?



Is that 5pm local, or 5pm Elvis time? 5 minute rule?

I'm not sure I'll fit in without a leather jacket and the Capt Mahvelous nametag.






.

Chainsaw

Subicpilot, to answer your question historically I have never blocked my calendar as a rule. The reason, I just don't care. Second, why is it your job to monitor the schedulers to see if they are "DOING THEIR JOB PROPERLY" and what does that even mean? I thought your job at this company was to move freight, not police schedulers?

I am not defensive about any subject, just shocked at the fact (obviously) of what some of our pilots spend an incredible amount of their time doing, i.e. looking at other peoples schedules. Get a life!

A large part of their motivation to look at someone else's schedule isn't crew management, but just to see if someone got a bigger sucker than they did and complain about it to some other clown.

The really sad part of this story is that you and others spent even more time decoding/manipulating VIPS to figure out the content of someone's schedule that did block their calendar. Really? What a waste of time and energy. I could care less what other pilots do at this company. If someone is selling back airline tickets, forging travel vouchers or doing something inappropriate, it will catch up to them eventually. Period.

Go play with your children or work at a homeless shelter. Do something productive with your time besides trolling another employees work schedule. Even, if you played video games your time would be more productive, at least there is some entertainment value in that endeavor. But now that you mention it, I think I will go block my calendar just to give you something to talk about over coffee tomorrow night.

FlyByNyte

yeah...those Male flight attendants must have been quite a pain huh?

Chainsaw

Tony, it's called humor. Look into it. And if you have to ask about the 5pm rule, I really can't help you.

Chainsaw

NEWSFLASH!!! Calendar Blockers=LEPERS!!!! LOL!

subicpilot

Wow.

Looking at everything you've posted on this thread, this is obviously a sore subject for you. Let me see if I can clarify things a bit.

Schedulers aren't perfect...they make mistakes sometimes. There have been times where I was able to determine that the contract language was violated (ie: reserve assignment out of leveling order, draft or volunteer awarded out of seniority etc.) by checking the calendars of those involved. Being able to see what is going on around us helps all of us to help keep the system working as it should.

I should point out that it is by far the norm to allow access to ones calendar. Most of us recognize the benefit it it, but we accept that it is an individual choice. Some of us have built habits using this feature, like checking the calendar of your crew to see if they have flown recently or do a lot of international flying, for example. Using this capability doesn't mean you don't have a life. Yes there are people who spend hours digging around just to snoop. And yes, those people need to get a life. But if you truly don't care who sees your calendar, then this is a non-issue...right?

I was shown years ago in about 10 minutes how to find out what any pilot is doing in a given month. It doesn't require much effort or time. If my life is being negatively impacted through the inappropriate behavior of other pilots, I would certainly want to know about it. Ninety-five percent of the time, I don't need to or want to look...I only look when there is a specific reason to do so. If my first look turns up a calendar blocker, naturally, my suspicions rise and I look deeper to see if I can find an answer to my question or problem...which is why I started to look in the first place. And I agree with you...Karma eventually catches up with everyone.

So now you do care? Or don't you? I'm confused.

Block your calendar if you wish. It is your right. But doing so simply to counter the 1% busybodies out there seems misguided to me. I'd rather accept that some of those gossipy busybodies may look at my schedule as collateral damage, rather than deny those who might have more noble motives for wanting to look. I kinda view it as an industry standard form of mutual respect.

I have a very good friend who blocks his calendar. I know why he does it and so does he. And so does everyone who knows him. I wish he wouldn't do it, but more importantly, I wish he would change the underlying behavior that makes him want to hide his schedule.

So far, Ptarmigan is the only one who has given me a solid, reasonable answer...my opinion of course.

Chainsaw

Wow. Can you read? I've repeatedly wrote that I don't care about your behavior or any other pilot's behavior or calendar blocking in general. The level of my postings is no measure of whether this is a "sore subject for me", either. I'm just having fun during one of my post trip insomnia bouts.

I also find it humorous the analogies made with these practice of calendar blocking (CB) discussions. Calendar blocking equals non-member, CB = DP flyer, CB = unloyal pilot?, CB = someone trying to hide something, CB = draft flyer, CB = someone to avoid in AOC, CB = pilot I won't speak to, CB = pilot who immediately arouses my suspicions?, CB = pilot who demands further investigation?, CB=pilot slowing my ability to BIG BROTHER, CB = criminal behavior, CB = wears clown suit in sauna late at night in layover hotels, CB= convicted child molester etc. etc.

I never realized a pilot who calendar blocks reveals so much about their personality and behavioral traits. Your insight to the pilot psyche via their VIPS choices and selections is astonishing.

I'm also glad that you have honed your VIPS hacking skills to such a high level it doesn't impact your time to accomplish your other more humanitarian efforts. I can only guess at what those are. Regardless, good luck in monitoring our schedulers, castigating your fellow pilots and isolating the 3% calendar blockers that so obviously vex your existence on a daily basis.

I will continue to ignore who does and doesn't calendar block and not lose any sleep over this issue one way or the other. Speaking of sleep, all this typing has worn me out. I am going to bed. Goodnight sweet prince.

P.S. I am contacting all my scheduling buddies and let them know you are keeping an eye on them, so they had better tow the line!!!

subicpilot

For someone who doesn't care, you seem to have taken a fairly aggressive stance on this issue. All I wanted to do was find out why guys block their calendar. I thought maybe if there was a good reason I didn't know about, maybe I should be blocking mine too. You've taken this opportunity to lash out at all those who look at other's calendars. Painting everyone with a broad brush as trolls with no life who spend all their time hacking VIPS. Yeah, there might be a few guys like this, but I would think this is a very small number not representative at all of the vast majority who use this feature for beneficial reasons. And if you really don't care, then why are you so outspoken on this?

The existing stereotype of a calendar blocker is there for a reason. I didn't invent it. I was hoping some of those people would step forward and help disspel that stereotype by showing that there are some decent, as in "conforming with generally accepted standards of respectable or moral behavior", reasons for doing so. Ptarmigan provided a good one.

I'm not the one typing in all caps, bold letters and using lots of exclamation points and colorful expressions like "Calendar Troll Creepy". By reading what you've posted, I don't think I was unreasonable in assuming that this was a sore subject for you. All I can go by is what you type. Your gross exaggerations do nothing to support your position. I've never heard anyone equate calendar blocking with child molesting, and calendar blocking doesn't vex my existence on a daily basis.

In the same way that not providing your birth certificate when you are running for President, or not making your tax returns public when running for office makes people suspicious, so does hiding your calendar when it is the industry standard (and default setting in VIPS) to make your calendar public. It is human nature to be curious and suspicious when something is hidden. I respect the choice, but I can not control the underlying feeling of suspicion. Why would you hide your schedule unless you were hiding something? I'm just trying to understand the motive.