deborah, while all around you are in the Land of Nod don't forget that those of us from the 'Rest of the World' may be eating breakfast/supper/lunch, going to work, catching the late news on TV, mowing the lawn . . . even reader in transit may live in another US time zone.
It's all part of the rich tapestry that makes up this RP site.:-)

Too true-we never know where RIT is-the "intransit" part describes how RIT lives, moving a lot for work. I enjoy looking at the computer clock and thinking "oh, Vee, Dido and Martin are having their evening sit and read, Netla is probably just doing up the dishes, while I am beginning to think about what to make for dinner, and Cindy is just finishing lunch."

Here's my question-when I post, the time posted is correct for my time zone-is it that way for everyone through the magic of technology, or do people who don't live on the East Coast of the US have to do a mental add or subtract? Right now I'm seeing that Deborah posted at 3:18 a.m. my time, and Vee at 5:39 a.m. my time.

Well, seeing as I'm in the same timezone as ccrdmrbks, I see the same time-date stamp as she does!

It seems that my posts are time stamped for east coast time, because when I posted it was really 1:18 am for me here in California not 3:318.

Could it be that the time stamp is determined by the administrators of the forum? I am an administrator in a very small way on another blog, and I was able to select the time zone in which I live to be the one posted at the site.

I also enjoy thinking about the various time zones represented by various RPers, and am glad we are able to connect with each other no matter what the hands on the clock say.

cece I always have to remind myself that you and the other 'East coasters' are five hours behind us in the UK so I see your time, not mine, on the clock. Pop over the English Channel and add an hour. I'm not sure where they add on the next hour.
I usually check in here after breakfast at about 8.30 - 9am and suspect some folk assume I am a very early riser just off on my five mile jog through the sleeping streets. Not a chance!

Here is a link that might be useful: Time Zones

I, too, enjoy picturing Netla, for example, posting on the longest day in the year, in full sunshine, albeit it is midnight in Iceland. (I recall how fascinating I found my visit to the land of the midnight sun so many years ago: climbing a mountain at 11 p.m. in June, with almost an entire village population strolling the streets, in Norway and Sweden,most of the summer night.)

Mary, on recent clear nights (discounting recent pouring rain and gales) it would be possible to read outside here in Western-ish England, until after 10 at night and it is light by 4am, not that I'm up and about so early!

I'm glad you posted this as I have always thought the time shown was somehow magically changed (technologically challenged here) to reflect each poster's time zone.

I am in the Eastern zone, as well. Kentucky is split between the Eastern and Central zones, and Louisville was formerly Central. That was changed back in the 60s when our leaders got delusions of grandeur and thought our businesses should be on the same time as New York City, in spite of the fact that is doesn't get dark here in the summer until after 9:00 pm. (It is my secret belief that the golfers did it so that they could play longer after work.)

So - do most of us have a particular time of day that we check RP? For me, it's one of the first sites I check in the morning with my morning coffee at work and then I check it throughout the day to see what new posts have emerged.

I wonder if most of us are creatures of routine.

Yes, I have a routine of when I check my emails, etc. Since I am retired I realized awhile back that I still needed to have routine in my life or I didn't get anything done. I have tea and toast while checking my computer stuff, then I do light housework, then I reference my list of things to do for the day. As I have stated before I live in a very old house so I never run out of things to fix, repair, replace. Now that it is summer a bit gardening is included in my day. I think I actually work harder now that I am retired than I did when I worked. Any other retirees else feel that way?

Well, I'm not a retiree (but some people would beg to differ!) but I do have a morning routine: Wake up, coffee, check email, check RP .... I've got a home based business (kind of) so I sit in front of my computer pretty much the whole day -- I usually have RP open in a tab in my web browser throughout the day.

Of course, I usually check it as well throughout the night if I'm home and definitely before I go to bed at some usually ungodly hour.

I prefer to check RP in the a.m. when my mind is freshest. (I am very much a "morning person.")

I'm the odd one out, here. I read my e-mails and forums in the late afternoon. If there is a lot of really interesting stuff, it sometimes makes supper late.

During the summer, I make tea, feed the cats, and then open up tabs-email, a news site I like, RP, the library site (to see if any requests came in overnight)and the weather. Those tabs stay open all day, and I drift past quite often. During the school year, of course, I check emails quickly in the morning before school, then news and RP when I get home-sometimes on the laptop on the kitchen counter while making dinner. Which can lead to disasters. (burnt barbequed ribs, anyone?)

Deborah, I am retired too and I hate routine! Had enough of it when I was working. Being widowed, I do pretty much what I like when I like and rarely make appointments. Oh, blessed freedom! I log in on the net infrequently. I am on dial-up so my messages take a while to come through and I try to go on when my dog is asleep because she tends to dislodge the telephone cord which has to be stretched from the point to my laptop and across her path to the dog door.
It is such a pleasure to join in with discussions. Working most of my life and moving around the world, I did not form friendships so feel that here in Reader's Paradise I have found some like-minded people available at all hours.

Like Vee's computer, mine shows Eastern US time and I often just deduct 5 hours (6 hours in winter) to think of what you're doing - where you're likely to be. I like to look at RP earlyish in the morning because many postings were made when I was asleep (Well, not always asleep because I've got a heavy 'twitcher' for a partner so I've taken to sleeping around - the house, that is, of course - a bit like Goldilocks!). I haven't got Broadband (don't all look horrified at once. I haven't got one of those cameras, either, or an i-pod) so I have to do a callup every time I want to check stuff but I don't mind.

I'm late this morning - it's 09.55 here; but when I post this it'll say something different up top.

It never occurred to me that only the Eastern US time zone would show up, I figured with the magic of the internet, everyone would see the time zone where/when they logged in. I do keep in mind the time difference between England and Connecticut, and imagine all the UK posters having lunch while I'm still clearing up the breakfast dishes.

I usually check in right after the school bus leaves in the morning, then again at odd times during the day if I'm home, or in the evening if I'm not. Today is the last day of school here (finally!) so my schedule is toast for the rest of the summer, but I'm looking forward to it!

i only am on here when i am at work
SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH! don't tell nobody.

ok, you're secret is safe with us.....

Like Sheri, I also assumed computers in other time zones magically showed the pertinent time, not East Coast time. oh well, I'm east coast born and bred and always knew the world revolved around us. Guess this proves it.

I always knew the time wasn't mine but hadn't bothered to check which it was. I am, let's see, 14½ hours ahead of US eastern time (not allowing for daylight saving) - SA is one of the few places on a half hour time zone.

I don't usually check in until after dinner, so about 8pm my time during the week, but during the day on the weekends.

I'm an East Coast transplant, but my body would like to be on Central Time permanently, which is the time zone I grew up in. I think it periodically rebels against East Coast time.

I'm a creature of routine. I check-in usually from work before I get started on my daily projects, and during the lull while I'm waiting on others to get me information that I need to proceed with my daily tasks. I have a rather tedious job, and reading/posting helps me pass the hours sometimes. I often have to mentally warn myself that being bored and posting is a lethal combination.

GA Peach, That's funny. I sometimes find myself thinking, "Now, if I were in the Central Time Zone where I belong, and if it weren't Daylight Saving Time which is getting longer and longer, what time is it REALLY?