From: Danny Wilson Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 13:36:55 -0800 Subject: ARTIST ITINERARY DATE CONVENTION
A few have asked why I have chosen to use the 00/00 date format for the Artist Itinerary list, rather than the accepted European format (i.e. 14 January 1998), and why I list it as month/day (01/14) rather than day/month (14/01). So that all are aware, here is the response I usually make, with the reasons given:
I depend on people around the world to submit the various itineraries to me - most come from the artists themselves or their agents, others I get from searching the various blues and entertainment papers and magazines, a few from POLLStar, and the balance from interested friends, who are kind enough to keep me posted.
Re: the date configuration - I understand the possible confusion arising among those in some parts of the world. And I have been approached by a few from England to change the format. However, the current format has proven to work the very best for all concerned the world around, after several variations.
The list is picked up by various other organizations, for reposting on the internet, or printing in publications, so the 00/00 format is used. However, using the 00/00 format, rather than 00/00/00, means I cannot post any dates beyond a 365-day calendar, which is fine anyway, because accepting dates beyond 12 months would only lengthen the list considerably, and possibly be more confusing. After all, the point of the list is to publish upcoming dates for the readers, to be aware primarily of dates in the near-immediate future.
Now to address the question: by listing the day first, followed by the month, may be all right for singular listings, but can you imagine the confusion caused by a list that shows day first, followed by month?
Case in point:
01/02 01/03 01/04 01/05 07/02 07/03 07/04
etc, etc. This configuration shows all the gigs appearing on the first day of the various months! Then all gigs on the seventh day, etc. When you start listing hundreds of dates, the result would be utter chaos. It would be grossly inconvenient to determine all the dates within a given time frame for a given artist.
No, the "American Way" in this case is well recognized and accepted the world over - 01/12 is January 12; 12/01 is December 1. Agreeably, 31/12 cannot be confused - it is 31 December - no argument. When the numbers are 13 or above, there can be no question they are designating days rather than months, but below 13 brings confusion the world over. I have received gig lists from England that were using the American configuration, because, as I later learned, some Brits are starting to conform to the world-recognized convention. But when I first started seeing this, I was confused, as when a list was short, and didn't include a day later than 12 in the month, I had no clue which format was being used.
So - a convention recognized the world over is necessary, and cannot be compromised for a few. This is offered in a spirit of understanding and concern for the many thousands of readers who use this service, and I am proud to be able to offer the service. Comments and suggestions are always welcome, and I appreciate hearing from everyone.
Danny - -- BassHarp / Danny Wilson - Santa Clarita, CA Email: bassha~arthlink.net / Fax 805-254-1020 BassHarp's Site: http://www.bassharp.com SPAH's Site: http://members.aol.com/harmonica Harmonica Gigs Site: http://www.island.net/~blues/dgigs.htm
