Ask HN: Should I fake a blog posts published date/time?

3 points by throwawayHN378 4 years ago | 6 comments

I’ve been meaning to create a tech blog for a long time. Would it be unethical to fudge the published date on some blog posts I wrote but never publishe ( because I had no blog ). For example I wrote a post about my presentation at Oracle Open World in 2018…. But it would seem weird if I wrote about my 2018 presentation in 2022. What’s everyone’s thoughts on fudging the date on my blog ( IE say the post was written in 2018 )?

paskozdilar 4 years ago |

I wouldn't care much, as long as the content is interesting. Unless the date of writing really mattered to me for some reason.

> But it would seem weird if I wrote about my 2018 presentation in 2022.

Why do you think it would be weird?

throwawayHN378 4 years ago | |

Idk I guess just the time difference. It seems odd to write about it 4 years later. I don’t have any true rationale

timoteostewart 4 years ago |

If you post it unaltered, then date of writing seems fine to use as a date on your blog as the truth and as historical context. If you update it, then I think you can’t date it in the past.

You can always date it in the past and include an intro paragraph in italics that explains that this is an essay from the past that you are posting online for the first time now.

mettamage 4 years ago |

I think it'd be better to do 2018 in this case, if it's something you already wrote. IMO you're not even lying. A date can mean that it's published at a certain date, but it can also mean when it was written. I tend to use it in the second way when I want to know how old a blog post is.

labarilem 4 years ago |

With a pragmatic approach, you can first write the blog post and then worry about the date. When the post will be ready, there might be a slight chance you won't care anymore about the date issue?

Also a tip to get started: next time you start your pc, write only the _first_ line of your blog post.

brudgers 4 years ago |

I’ve been meaning to create a tech blog for a long time.

Your question seems an excuse to avoid doing so.

At best, in the world of Oracle and in the world of tech blogs, fudging dates doesn't enhance credibility.