diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/formatter.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/formatter.js
index d9c3b2aa9eb..43082ddc75e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/formatter.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/formatter.js
@@ -98,11 +98,12 @@ Discourse.Formatter = (function(){
       break;
     }
 
-    return formatted;
+    return formatted || '&mdash';
   };
 
   relativeAgeMedium = function(date, options){
     var displayDate, fiveDaysAgo, oneMinuteAgo, fullReadable, leaveAgo, val;
+    var wrapInSpan = options.wrapInSpan ? true : false;
 
     leaveAgo = options.leaveAgo;
     var distance = Math.round((new Date() - date) / 1000);
@@ -116,7 +117,7 @@ Discourse.Formatter = (function(){
     fiveDaysAgo = 432000;
     oneMinuteAgo = 60;
 
-    if (distance >= 0 && distance < oneMinuteAgo) {
+    if (distance < oneMinuteAgo) {
       displayDate = Em.String.i18n("now");
     } else if (distance > fiveDaysAgo) {
       if ((new Date()).getFullYear() !== date.getFullYear()) {
@@ -127,7 +128,11 @@ Discourse.Formatter = (function(){
     } else {
       displayDate = relativeAgeMediumSpan(distance, leaveAgo);
     }
-    return "<span class='date' title='" + fullReadable + "'>" + displayDate + "</span>";
+    if(wrapInSpan) {
+      return "<span class='date' title='" + fullReadable + "'>" + displayDate + "</span>";
+    } else {
+      return displayDate;
+    }
   };
 
   // mostly lifted from rails with a few amendments
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
index 6e0af1f217e..79e51360ec5 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
@@ -210,14 +210,9 @@ Handlebars.registerHelper('unboundAge', function(property, options) {
   @for Handlebars
 **/
 Handlebars.registerHelper('editDate', function(property, options) {
-  var dt, yesterday;
-  dt = Date.create(Ember.Handlebars.get(this, property, options));
-  yesterday = new Date() - (60 * 60 * 24 * 1000);
-  if (yesterday > dt.getTime()) {
-    return dt.format("long");
-  } else {
-    return dt.relative();
-  }
+  // autoupdating this is going to be painful
+  var date = new Date(Ember.Handlebars.get(this, property, options));
+  return new Handlebars.SafeString(Discourse.Formatter.relativeAge(date, {format: 'medium', leaveAgo: true, wrapInSpan: false}));
 });
 
 /**