what characterset to use when i create my database

Question

So I am doing a lot of php tutorials and I always wonder when creating my different DBs...

What charset should I be using? Depending on what DB interface I use it seems to default to different options.

So what is the most common one I should use for basic programing... Or can someone point me to a good guide to charsets in MySql

Answer 1

Unless you've got a good reason not to, always default to UTF-8 (Unicode).

Answer 2

I always aim for UTF-8 or similar.