Daily Candy : Dating etiquette

Attention to date formatting helps connect with local audiences.

The Site

Daily Candy, an online “hot and new” lifestyle newsletter, publishes daily editions for 11 cities, 10 in the US plus London. The date on the home page of the London edition is configured according to the European convention of day, month, year; the US editions are configured to the local convention of month, day, year.

The date tailoring is carried over into the multi-category Archives that are part of each edition’s web presence. A twelfth daily edition, Everywhere, follows the US convention, as do weekly Kids and Travel editions.

The Takeaway

Connecting with local audiences is rather obviously central to Daily Candy’s business plan, so taking care to follow the dating conventions in each of its markets is probably instinctive – though its thoroughness within local sites is worthy of note. This is a cultural issue that has been magnified by the ubiquity of the web (like foreign travel it brings people into contact who would never have met before) but getting the accent right on a local site is an easy way to send out reassurance of your local credentials.

There is a global standard formulated by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), but while its format of year, month, day works well enough if only numbers are used, it still seems awkward and unnatural in everyday situations.

First published on 31 October, 2006