Date syntax


Author(s):

Ben Clemens

 

In 140 characters:

Make it easier to parse date information in tweets by enclosing them in a colon & other diacritical: July 16, 2009.

 

Description:

The premise of Date syntax is that users want to be able to tweet dates for the benefit of others. This happens all the time in informal ways, but if appliances are to parse this from the Twitter (or other) real time stream, it is significantly and less error-prone if a more formal syntax is used.

 

Details and Use Cases:

In tweets, there will frequently be a need to refer to a date other than today. The use of a colon with a date is already a fairly natural part of writing out that information. Examples:

 

This syntax would formalize that usage, and require it for parsing a date as microsyntax. Specifically, date information would require three parts:

  1. A colon (:) immediately before date information starts
  2. Date information in GNU standard format
  3. A semicolon, or other ending diacritical of some kind, such as a slash, colon, end of tweet, etc., basically anything other than a space, period, letter, or digit. 

 

Examples:

 

I would like to ask you out on a date: Sept. 6th; check your sched?

A date that will live in infamy: December 9th!

Your mouth says: tonight; your body says: next week;

headed to /NYC: June 4/

I can't believe it, that was: today?

I gotta feeling that this photo was from: Jan. 4th #caturday

Which date is sexier: tomorrow; or: Nov 16?

I'll be having my nervous breakdown: May 3-4; we cool?