Date Format and Newbie Boat Choice Thread

[Adelie]

I am curious about date formats for posts. Can I change how dates display? Currently, my account displays dates in the European format, d-m-y which is distracting when I always have to stop, remember date is goofy and think it thru. I checked the Time&Date portion of the EditOptions on the control panel, no joy. Is there some other place I can change the date format or is it set forum-wide. If it is set forum-wide was there a rational for picking the European format over NorthAmerican (m-d-y) or Internet (y-m-d)?

Since newbies regularly ask the question about what the best boat to choose is, it seems to me that it would be advantageous to create a 'Newbie Boat Choice' forum in 'The Fleet' grouping to make easier for them to find before they start a new thread and to collect all of them in one place so they don't have to go thru as many threads that don't address any of their questions. How do people feel about this?

[TaoJones]

These are both fair points, Adelie. On the date format question, this is something we've discussed at length, previously. The company that produces vBulletin (the software that runs this Forum) is based in the UK. I know there is no user choice it setting your own format, and if you think about it, you wouldn't want it to be selectable. If members posts display personal preferences in date format, it makes the date format a source of confusion rather than solid information.

The software orders all posts by date and time, so there can only be one choice. Americans, of course, would prefer that October 2, 2010 be numbered 10-2-2010, but this is a website with worldwide appeal and members from probably all of the world's developed nations, and many non-American members would find the American way confusing.

The moderators came to the conclusion that the best format to eliminate all confusion is 02 Oct 2010, but I don't think there's a way to make that the chosen format.

Your idea of having a Forum dedicated to "Newbie Boat Choice" is probably less valid, IMO, unless the thought is that it could be a convenient place to segregate that type of post. I guess I don't see that doing it for that reason is sufficient justification.

There is no answer to the "what is the right boat" question, whether it's from a newbie or an experienced old salt, unless that answer is "it all depends."

Hope that helps, Adelie.

TaoJones

[Adelie]

[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

These are both fair points, Adelie. On the date format question, this is something we've discussed at length, previously. The company that produces vBulletin (the software that runs this Forum) is based in the UK. I know there is no user choice it setting your own format, and if you think about it, you wouldn't want it to be selectable. If members posts display personal preferences in date format, it makes the date format a source of confusion rather than solid information.
The software orders all posts by date and time, so there can only be one choice.

I disagree. There is only one time and date for every post and that is universal. However, there are multiple ways to display that info. If the software can keep track of my time zone and adjust the time/date info to reflect my time zone as it displays it to me (which it does) the software could also keep track of my format preferences. This would not be a confusion to anyone since each person would be seeing the same time and date adjusted to their time zone and displayed in their preferred format.

That said it doesn't sound like the software supports individual accounts controlling date format for its user so the question about where to find the control is moot.

Originally Posted by TaoJones

Americans, of course, would prefer that October 2, 2010 be numbered 10-2-2010, but this is a website with worldwide appeal and members from probably all of the world's developed nations, and many non-American members would find the American way confusing.

The moderators came to the conclusion that the best format to eliminate all confusion is 02 Oct 2010, but I don't think there's a way to make that the chosen format.

I agree that a text month would be the best format, but apparently that isn't supported by the software.

Also, I agree that if everyone has to use the same date format, the US format is a non-starter, basically it's only used in the US, Canada, the Philipines and Kenya, and the US is the only one where it's universal.

On the other hand, the internet format (y-m-d) is used across a number of countries, the US military and is even an ISO so it would be commonly, if not universally, known in Europe. Since this is an internet based forum I would expect most users to know of the format. Given that there is no place that y-d-m is used I would argue that it is the least confusing format, anyone seeing the year first would know what the order is.

Once again, if the software doesn't support the internet format and the only options are US or European, then the European is the way to go.

I didn't ask this question to stir things up but to find out if there were other options available to me via my account controls or to the whole forum.

Originally Posted by TaoJones

Your idea of having a Forum dedicated to "Newbie Boat Choice" is probably less valid, IMO, unless the thought is that it could be a convenient place to segregate that type of post. I guess I don't see that doing it for that reason is sufficient justification.

There is no answer to the "what is the right boat" question, whether it's from a newbie or an experienced old salt, unless that answer is "it all depends."

Hope that helps, Adelie.

TaoJones

It was a convenience suggestion. I occasionally see replies to Newbie Boat Choice threads indicating they should go read previous threads on this topic. Generally I feel that the response is kind of rude, like telling a new member in a club to go read the last several years of meeting minutes before they start asking questions.

However some posters are going to have that response, and some of the newbies are going to go looking for those older threads. If they are collected in one place it will make it easier for them to do so. What's the ratio of NBC threads to other threads even within say the Monohull forum? 5:1, 10:1? That's a lot of wading thru extraneous threads. With all the NBC threads collected, maybe the newbie reads more, learns more and comes back with better questions in their next thread.

This is strictly a convenience suggestion. I don't expect this idea to be implimented as would entail more work for the moderators and you guys/gals are volunteers.

Thanks for the info TJ
A

[daddle]

Cruisers should get used to that date format. You'll see it often as you travel outside of the USA. That and the metric system. CF should leave it the way it is. Think of it as a lesson of tolerance, cooperation and flexibility.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by Adelie

I disagree. There is only one time and date for every post and that is universal. However, there are multiple ways to display that info. If the software can keep track of my time zone and adjust the time/date info to reflect my time zone as it displays it to me (which it does) the software could also keep track of my format preferences. This would not be a confusion to anyone since each person would be seeing the same time and date adjusted to their time zone and displayed in their preferred format.

While what you're suggesting is, of course, possible, the reality is that the individuals who have written the vBulletin code (think twenty-something British programming geeks, down at the corner pub ) have not included that functionality in the latest version of vBulletin so it is, in fact, impossible. At this point, it's vaporware.

I also don't see how putting YYYY first would make it obvious to a casual website reader that the following numbers are MM-DD, and not DD-MM. I know there are those who do not know that the internet format is YYYY-MM-DD - I know that because I didn't know that. So, if I saw this string: 2010-10-02 I would not immediately know it wasn't last February 10th.

Of course, I may be the only one who wouldn't know that's October 2nd . . . :sigh:

TaoJones

[David_Old_Jersey]

Not a big one on creating special sections (end up with a squillion) - but some help for (new folks) would seem no bad thing. What about Tagging such threads (or at least the good ones) with something standard (and neutral!) like "Boat Choice".

Give the Mods something to do

So that rather than the "do a search" reply - folks can be pointed in the direction of relevent threads.........

[MarkJ]

I think there is only 6 countries in the world that uses the USA form of date. The other 188 countries use the other method. Actually lets pull that back a bit because some countires use a completely different callander! And is confusing!

The mm/dd/yy format is used in:
Belize
Canada
Federated States of Micronesia
Palau
Philippines
United States

Wikipaedia.

[sec906]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

I also don't see how putting YYYY first would make it obvious to a casual website reader that the following numbers are MM-DD, and not DD-MM.

You would know because the year is first, which indicates YYYY-MM-DD. I don't think YYYY-DD-MM is used anywhere.

-SEC

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I think there is only 6 countries in the world that uses the USA form of date. The other 188 countries use the other method. Actually lets pull that back a bit because some countires use a completely different callander! And is confusing!

Actually the other 188 don't use the 'European' format, there are a number of countries that use y-m-d, some exclusively and some mixed with other formats.

The ORIGINAL QUESTION HAS BECOME MOOT as it doesn't sound like the software will support either text month or International/internet format and US format is a non-starter for a global forum. Who knows, maybe next upgrade.

As far as the metric suggestion goes, yeah I'm all for it. Pity the french couldn't have been bothered to enact decimal time when they enacted the precursor to the SI. There was a resolution for it but they didn't enact it.

I note that while they did enact decimal angles too (gon) that didn't get adopted generally either.

Pity, I am comfortable with SI and would happily convert.

[Adelie]

Tonight's example of someone telling a new member to go trolling thru old threads: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post535495.

Collecting all these threads in one place would make that admonition a more reasonable task.

[Ozbullwinkle]

Hi Adelie,

It sounds like you may be referring to my very friendly & welcoming reply earlier today to the "Which Boat to buy" question from the new member. When I first joined the forum I did a lot of reading of past posts and it helped me a lot when someone told me abot the Google Search link as I did not know that it existed.

It seems like this new member may have appreciated this as well as in his most recent reply he said that he has appreciated the responses and will do some further research and then come back to us with some more questions.

I think your suggestion has merit as we all know that this same question comes up time and time again from new members so it may help them with their research then their question may not be as broad with a bit more info under their belt..

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Collecting all these threads in one place would make that admonition a more reasonable task.

yep, I reckon you have hit a great idea. One forum where the Mods could put all the 'which boat threads'.
Then ther store of inforu=mation can be found even more easily.

Some great information does come out


Mark