DISPLAY OF TIMES FOR INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eloise Lilydance on October 3, 2009 at 7:35pm

I'm really disappointmed that I have not had a response to my post in 3 weeks. Are members in other time zones outside of the US forgotten like this regularly? I thought my request quite a simple, yet a highy effective one. Are supposed to be kept in the dark and unable to fully participate?

Permalink Reply by Michael on October 3, 2009 at 10:17pm

I dont know GMT format but I'll look into that at least for class downtime. I don't know anything about blog talk radio so I cant answer there. The clock on most computers in the lower right will show what all CST covers. I'm not totally sure who all falls under that. (GMT-06:00) I think, but I don't understand that.

Permalink Reply by Michael on October 3, 2009 at 10:18pm

Also I haven't been on is a few weeks.

Permalink Reply by MaryAnn on October 3, 2009 at 11:09pm

There are many applications and widgets that you can put on your page to help with time conversion. WitchSchool has one on their profile page at http://www.witchschool.com/profile/WitchSchool?xg_source=profiles_m... This is just one of many that are available through ning application and widgets. There are also many websites with time conversions such as http://www.google.com/landing/searchtips/#time or http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Because WitchSchool is in CST, that is the time we use. I am sorry if you feel we are discriminating, but unfortunately, we have so many people from so many places it is impossible for us to post all time zones. And as Michael said, most computers now have a clock that can be set to your local time and other times as well for conversion.

As for classes being down, if we know in advance there is going to be down time, we announce it. But the last time it was a server emergency and was not anticipated by us. Sometimes the site going down is beyond our control. All websites at one time or another experience these down times. I see that Michael is looking into the GMT conversion for future announcements of downtime on the site. I can only apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Thanks for your understanding.

Permalink Reply by Eloise Lilydance on October 3, 2009 at 11:19pm

Hi Michael thanks for your reply. I'm not sure who you are in relation to this site, I am also unsure what planet you are from if you don't know what Greenwich Mean Time is! GMT is World Time and the basis of every world time zone which sets the time of day and is at the centre of the time zone map. GMT sets current time or official time around the globe. Most time changes are measured by GMT. GMT is widely regarded as the correct time for every international time zone. The Greenwich Meridian (Prime Meridian or Longitude Zero degrees) marks the starting point of every time zone in the World. GMT is Greenwich Mean (or Meridian) Time is the mean (average) time that the earth takes to rotate from noon-to-noon. The clock in the right hand side of computers in Australia (and probably most other countries) shows the time format in GMT. Sorry to sound cynical, but this is probably another demonstration that USA think they are the centre of the universe and control all and everyone has to conform to their perceived "norm". In Australia we can communicate with other Australians in EST (Eastern Standard Time), which is probably what your CST is equivalent to, but it is not appropraiate to use this term when dealing with others in the world, therefore we use the universally understood GMT.

Permalink Reply by Rev. SilentOwl on October 4, 2009 at 1:28am

Micheal is a nice and considerate person that works with the site and has had multiple jobs to work on for this site. At the time you centered on this time difference there was a emergency server shut down and Micheal was trying to keep this site and server up and not loose all the material that is important for teaching and communicating. NOT all of people in the United States think as you assume, and this site as I been informed is still forming for a world wide form of communication and that does take time on all people involved. And for Greenwich Meridian time and if I remember not all people are taught in school, as you may have been taught. CST is Central Standard Time in America, as you would have Eastern Standard Time in Sidney. Central Standard time is where the main temple is situated and that is Illinois, United States. I hope you can be understanding that there is much being done at this time for this site and other parts that are incorporated into this site. Here is a hint to help you it is UTC+11 hours difference from Chicago Illinois, UTC- Coordinated Universal Time - the international basis for other time zones. Same time as for GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
I see the Correllian family as a very supportive group that will help so much with polite asking, as I done myself. And you are part of this Family as I am and therefore their should be no anger as I hope in your part there isn't.
Many Blessings
RuthAnna

Permalink Reply by Eloise Lilydance on October 4, 2009 at 2:15am

No anger RuthAnna, just disappointment as stated in my second message. As you seem to be aware of UTC over there, perhaps that can be used on the site so all members in all nations can decipher what is going on at a particular time without having to download "applications and widgets"

Permalink Reply by Rev. SilentOwl on October 4, 2009 at 5:54am

I think that a widget would be much easier for all, hmm? Let me think about how to note it as a post. Just because of the fact that there is more than a few people outside of not only your area but also America. I know most people forget when typing out about a subject forget that this is international and they only see their time zone alas that shouldn't happen but it does. I also found a site that would help others to keep as a URL
http://www.worldtimezone.com/
This uses a map so that you can really see what really is happening for time zones, I hope this helps a bit.
RuthAnna

Permalink Reply by MaryAnn on October 4, 2009 at 10:18am

I have added a new page under FAQ section with world time zone map and also several links to other maps.

World Time Zone Map

Permalink Reply by Eloise Lilydance on October 4, 2009 at 8:07pm

Thanks everyone for their responses. Such a shame I had to make a fuss to get answers. But I don't want to have to download applications or "widgets" or having to plough through websites or FAQ sections to find something that should be a given. The whole point of my original post was to try to have something arranged so people wouldn't have to do those time consuming things. I asked the question in the first place because I was sick and tired of having to waste my time to try to decipher what times events were occurring, it does wear a bit thin after a while! You probably think I am being diffucult, but I am just trying to get you to see the purpose of my original post. International members here aren't stupid and can find all those downloads/websites for themselves and probably have been using them for as long as they have been members of Withschool, lets just make it easier and less time consuming? I'm tired of this converstation going around in circles - the answer is simple - when an event or notification is placed on the site, put the time in the universal language of UTC or GMT.

Permalink Reply by Michael on October 4, 2009 at 10:53pm

Like I said, I'll try to remember to post the GMT when I put up site announcements. Cant promise I'll always remember, but I will try. Three jobs and school so I may forget from time to time.

Also GMT isn't really taught in the little cornfield town in the middle of Illinois. Most people around here never even leave the state. So Not being rude but I just never occurred to me before about the time zone thing.

Also as for what I do. I program all of the non-social aspects of the WSI systems.

Mike