# Post date format **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [June 27, 2020, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341 "2020-06-27T04:34:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/1 "2020-06-27T04:34:27Z")
Could we change the date format on posts, please. It should show full day month and year. Preferably time, too. Here’s an example of the problem. This recently resurrected thread [Someone explain Kent Hovind](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-explain-kent-hovind/543723) originally from 2010. Early posts are dated as **Jun '10**. Recent posts are dated as **Jun 9** and **Jun 10**. It’s confusing. And let’s keep the month as a word, not a number. It avoids the usual ambiguity of day/month vs month/day. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/2 "2020-06-27T04:35:37Z")
I, too, would like that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/3 "2020-06-27T04:53:25Z")
Good point, and I absolutely agree. Sometimes that’s useful data. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2020, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/4 "2020-06-27T05:21:17Z")
Yes. I just opened a thread and all the posts until the end were just listed as “July 12.” No year given. Honestly with everything that’s been going on, I did think for a second “Wait… **is** it already July 12?” Please can it be changed so that they year shows up for posts older than the current year? ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/5 "2020-06-27T05:42:02Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Yes. I just opened a thread and all the posts until the end were just listed as “July 12.” No year given. Honestly with everything that’s been going on, I did think for a second “Wait… **is** it already July 12?” > > Please can it be changed so that they year shows up for posts older than the current year? I believe you may have that backwards - those posts weren’t from July the 12th, but from July 2012. The forum software seems to assume that since it was so long ago, the day doesn’t matter any more. Not completely unreasonable, but there are cases where that would be annoying. I agree that complete dates would work better, also for new posts. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/6 "2020-06-27T05:47:31Z")
Another vote for full date and time here. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/7 "2020-06-27T05:51:15Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > I believe you may have that backwards - those posts weren’t from July the 12th, but from July 2012. No, that IS the point of what he said. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/8 "2020-06-27T05:54:11Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > No, that IS the point of what he said. I beg to differ. He did say: > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Please can it be changed so that they year shows up for posts older than the current year? The year does show up. The day doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/9 "2020-06-27T06:05:50Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > I beg to differ Here’s what happened. 1. He saw a post dated Jul '12. 2. he thought for a moment ‘Is it July 12th already?’ 3. he quickly realized his mistake: the post was from July 2012. 4. he cited that as an example of why we should change the date format. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/10 "2020-06-27T06:10:11Z")
I’m not sure how you can read it that way, given the last paragraph > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Please can it be changed so that they year shows up for posts older than the current year? But anyway, it’s also kinda pointless for us to argue what someone else was saying. Maybe @Eyebrows_0f_Doom can clear that up for us? ---
**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:** [June 27, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/11 "2020-06-27T14:11:03Z")
The post was dated “July 12” meaning “July 12, 2019.” [https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-consider-living-with-someone-of-the-opposite-gender-as-roommates/836954](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-consider-living-with-someone-of-the-opposite-gender-as-roommates/836954) [image|281x499](https://boards.straightdope.com/uploads/short-url/sIs32ZTXlKr3nieR732I8fWI7JG.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/12 "2020-06-27T14:25:50Z")
Huh, what do you know, you’re absolutely right. IMHO, that’s a really stupid way to refer to a date, especially almost 12 months later. It seems to invite confusion - evidence: me. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/13 "2020-06-27T14:33:06Z")
I just discovered something - it’s even worse! It seems to be both versions at the same time. Posts older than a year show „Dec ‘18“, meaning December 2018. All that’s different about the two is the little ‘. Now, sure, if you know it and are aware, you can tell it apart, but there’s really no need for that kind of ambiguity. Please, full dates for all! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-date-format/913341/14 "2020-06-28T19:15:38Z")
Hear, hear!