Shel Holtz (of Holtz Communication + Technology) recently posted on his blog about "Keep dating your blog posts; it adds important context." I know this is a recent post because it is dated December 8, 2011! This is Holtz' point. Some bloggers feel if they don't date their posts, they get more views and more shares. I agree with Holtz that it is very nearly dishonest to NOT date a blog post. Readers reactions are determined, at least in great part, by the currency of what they are reading.
Holtz says, "Without dates, the credibility and validity of every post I see is suspect." I completely agree. How is a reader supposed to know if the post is current, valid or applicable if there is no date? I wouldn't cite a post that didn't have a date, because I believe it loses credibility.
There are six comments so far on Holtz' blog - all in agreement blog posts should have dates. One comment states, "The only reason(s) to have non-dated posts are selfish. They don't take the reader (today's or tomorrow's) into consideration." Amen to that. Readers have a right to know the timing of what's been written, to determine not just if the WANT to read it, but HOW they should read it. Without a date, there is very little context - and very little reason to read the post.
1 comment:
It also bugs me when I can't find last updated dates on web pages, either due to poor design or their omission....
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