# New guidelines on dates in thread titles (Cafe Society) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639 "2010-01-20T00:50:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/21 "2010-03-01T22:45:32Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’ve always denoted the date as Day Month Year; that way it’s smallest to largest. It makes sense in a possessive way too: First day _of_ March _of_ 2010. Yes, but when spoken, people say “March first, 2010.” Anyway, I don’t even see why what was stated in the OP is a problem. How does writing “March 1” mean Americans have to change how they write the date? Many people write the name of the month, it’s not some big changeover that will cause confusion. This whole thing is really trying to find problems where there are none. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/22 "2010-03-02T00:24:24Z")
Yep, great suggestion/request. Having to type out the month doesn’t hurt my little 'ol American brain one bit. Just doing my part for international cooperation you know. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/23 "2010-03-02T00:38:22Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Yes, but when spoken, people say “March first, 2010.” But, in case you haven’t been reading, ALL people don’t. To me the OP sounds eminently reasonable Why don’t we adapt CCYYMMDD format (e.g. 2010/03/02) which gives the advantage of all dates being in numerical order for most of the next 80,000 years ? :d&r: ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/24 "2010-03-02T01:10:11Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Does anyone think that 9/11 happened on November 9th? Perhaps not currently, but in ten years time when the event has bypassed a significant part of the population, they may very well be confused. I always thought the decision to reduce such a monumental event to three digits was a mistake. A date, “September 11th 2001” has more resonance than just numbers. > [@EllisDee](#): > > “A lot” is being generous. I’d be stunned if the internatioinal participation were more than 5%. I’d be stunned if it’s that low. I’d guess it more to be 30%, though maybe that’s aiming too high. It’s hard to judge, as most of the participants don’t put their actual location in their profile, including myself, or it’s not displayed for Guests. I think a lot of people assume that the default location of anybody is America until it is proven otherwise, which skews the guessed statistics. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Yes, but when spoken, people say “March first, 2010.” I don’t. Most often I say “1st of March, 2010,” and it’s for the same reason that you don’t; we arrange our dates in order of magnitude: day, month, year. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/25 "2010-03-02T01:23:31Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > “A lot” is being generous. I’d be stunned if the internatioinal participation were more than 5%.“Hassle” may not mean what you think it means. Asking 95% of the membership to change how they do things is more hassle than 5% being confused. And if it were made clear in the forum sticky that all dates in thread title will conform to American standard, it wouldn’t take that 5% very long to get acclimated. Instead, 100% of posters will now need to adopt a change. > > This really does seem to be a solution of most resistance. And it’s not that I’m not accepting the rule. I’m questioning the intelligence of the idea in the first place. If it bothers you, don’t do it - it was a request, not a forum rule. I’d appreciate it, but I’m certainly not going to whine if you elect not to. ---
**Author:** ![Tikster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@Tikster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikster)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/26 "2010-03-02T12:10:11Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I always thought the decision to reduce such a monumental event to three digits was a mistake. A date, “September 11th 2001” has more resonance than just numbers. That’s how we refer to it in Denmark - less confusion down the road! ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/27 "2010-03-02T12:47:25Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > It’s not a matter of adopting a different standard. It’s spelling out the month (or using the abbreviation). The staff is asking the userbase to change how they write dates in thread titles, yes? “Change how they write” = “adopt different standard.” > [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’d be stunned if it’s that low. I’d guess it more to be 30%, though maybe that’s aiming too high. 30% isn’t even remotely likely. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/28 "2010-03-02T13:05:45Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Yes, but when spoken, people say “March first, 2010.” Just Americans. You’re not paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/29 "2010-03-02T13:09:36Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > "30% isn’t even remotely likely. Americans make up 5% of the world population. Why would they be 95% of this messageboard? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/30 "2010-03-02T13:37:16Z")
Cause the board is based in Chicago? Because the column that spawned it is one that runs in US papers? Because Europeans have better things to do with their time? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/31 "2010-03-02T13:41:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Cause the board is based in Chicago? Because the column that spawned it is one that runs in US papers? Because Europeans have better things to do with their time? That points to Americans as the _majority_, which I accept. I just don’t believe, in my experience with this board since 1999, that it’s as extreme as a 95/5 split. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/32 "2010-03-02T14:38:31Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’d be stunned if it’s that low. I’d guess it more to be 30%, though maybe that’s aiming too high. Not too much, if [these stats](http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/boards.straightdope.com?p=tgraph&r=home_home) are accurate. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/33 "2010-03-02T14:48:54Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Not too much, if [these stats](http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/boards.straightdope.com?p=tgraph&r=home_home) are accurate. Curses, here I am, with a [poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=554282), and you come up with this far cooler stuff! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/34 "2010-03-02T14:49:44Z")
EDIT: Wait, I’m reading that wrong. EDIT 2: The SDMB has more participation from India than the UK? That’s lurkers. I’m talking about participants, ie posters. EDIT 3: Looks like 40% of visits are from google searches. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/35 "2010-03-02T15:58:58Z")
I also find it mind-boggling that something just to prevent misunderstanding and improves communication gets some people’s hackles up so much. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/36 "2010-03-02T16:33:28Z")
We’ve had attempts to track where Dopers come from before–I recall that **Idle Thoughts** did some work in this area some years ago. Maybe someone’s search-fu can find something more recent, but for now, [here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6678880&postcount=344) a list he or she compiled based on posters’ responses in 2005. It’s a little confusing at first, since duplicates appear–the list is based on place of birth, place of current and past residences, and so on. There are also many posters named in the results who no longer post. But I’d guess that the nationalities of those who leave and those who arrive probably don’t change much. It’s not like we lost all our European posters while gaining a multitude of Americans. At any rate, while the results show the majority of posters who responded to Idle Thoughts’ poll to be American, it also shows that there are a great number who aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/37 "2010-03-02T16:35:40Z")
I’m American, and I’m happy to follow this suggestion. Sheesh. But then I already write a ton of letters to India and always make sure to write out the month to avoid confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/38 "2010-03-02T19:28:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Just Americans. You’re not paying attention. Jeez, I didn’t think I needed to add a smiley in my post. That poster _is_ in America, according to his profile. My response was said in jest. (Although I honestly had no idea people in other countries actually \*spoke \*the order differently. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that even though I watch a lot of British TV. I thought it was just how it was written.) ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/39 "2010-03-02T19:54:39Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > It was too much to ask for an American message board to adopt the American standard for dates? Well we sure are sorry for putting you out so much, yessir. Especially when you is letting us play in your fancy message board an’all. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639/40 "2010-03-02T20:47:41Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > EDIT 2: The SDMB has more participation from India than the UK? That’s lurkers. I’m talking about participants, ie posters. No, what this thread is talking about are the readers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-guidelines-on-dates-in-thread-titles-cafe-society/525639.md?page=3)