I had this forum idea and was told it was an excellent one Please post your feedback and questions and ideas, and I hope we can get this started! Here's how it would work (or some variation of these ideas)...

Debate topics/themes are suggested by any users. Every week (to start with -- daily is better), we choose one of the best or most fitting due to current events.

There would be a set scheduled start time for the debate, such as Saturday 1pm Pacific (or some weekday evening, or whatever). When that time rolls around, everyone has (up to) 10 minutes to post their opening arguments, taking whichever side/position they want I suppose. Then during the next hour, each entrant gets to make three rounds of arguments (20 minutes time limit per), based on what they read in the others' posts. Finally, closing arguments for 10 minutes.

Then, all users can vote on a winner (and runner up, and special awards for certain categories). There would be a suggested judging criteria, but everyone can use their own criteria. Besides the official result, it would be nice to see all the feedback on each argument/entrant. The winner would get a special trophy icon displayed along with all their posts (and at some point, maybe a small real prize).

I feel members should have a minimum number of posts and reputation in order to enter the debate "officially". Of course, anyone is welcome to make comments on anything posted, but I think we should try to keep it all organized. I guess that (?) debates should have a limit to number of entrants (to make reading an replying feasible) but I doubt we'd have a problem with having too many to start with. Perhaps entrants should be preapproved/selected in advance. I think there should be a variety, each debate can have slightly different rules. Some could even be with only 2 or 3 participants.

(The idea that comes to mind for organization is that we have a thread for suggested topics, one thread officially announcing the debate, and then each entrant has their own thread, and they make their posts in a larger font. Then others can comment within their thread, yet it's easy to see all their text and skip over other posts. But maybe it's confusing this way? Shouldn't be too bad if each entrant links to the other entrant's post along with quoting it manually. Normally when you're within the same thread, it's easy to quote it, but I think we can handle this manually... If that makes sense.)

Great idea. Sadly I don't qualify. I have a miniscule post count.

You don't qualify?

Let's see...

Do you type?

Can you provide a sound argument on any given political point?

As for your post count... there's one way to change that. Start posting now.

Good ideas one and all PF. I would like to help in some way.

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"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)

I'm having trouble invisioning how this will work. Would we be reading one page like a forum topic of people's posts or all people who start the debate would have a seperate page?

I guess it would be set up like tournaments with a # limit on the participants for each one.

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Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness ~Thomas Paine

Yeah, I was thinking the minimum required post count could be small, just 100 in my opinion, or even 50 since there is the reputation system that could keep people out too, if they were below maybe 15 points. (Not sure that the system is working right at the moment.)

Whether it's in one thread or one debate spans multiple threads... that is just a formatting issue. I wasn't sure which seemed best. Seems nice to every argument from an entrant on one thread, but keep others from commenting in that thread, we repost the arguments in a separate for-comment thread, so at least two threads for that reason? Plus third for voting? Maybe no need for each entrant to have their own thread.

Thanks Senax. I hope other mods want to help with this part too. Everyone just post your ideas and suggestions. Perhaps we'd be ready to try one next weekend?

Sorry but I can't see it.

The section title says 'contest' implying a test of debating skills but if a current event is used everyone will vote in accordance with their political leanings regardless of how well the advocates have performed.

You might as well hold a poll and you'd get pretty much the same thing but without the time constraints.

howevr if the debates were held over politically neutral topics (Blueberry muffin vs Jam doughnut) it could work but this is a political forum so who'd want to do that?

Maybe I'm missing something,

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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Marx (G.)

Oh Dear. The Roman games of political debate? High school all over again?

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"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)

I suggest pairs or teams. Set a topic and time, and let people sign up for the pro or con side.

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Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. It's a dumb question... skip it.

I was just thinking of some matchups and it occurred to me that it doesn't necessarily mean that one or two from either side debate each other. Sometimes the "sides" aren't very clear.

One thing I've learned fast by posting here is that there are lots of similarities and differences between people I previously thought I knew and understood, that just didn't turn out the way I percieved. (For example: I once accused PJ of being a liberal on the basis that he hated Bush. I couldn't have been more wrong.)

I was thinking how a debate between Sadistic-Savior and Catzmeow would go. (Both are great at making arguments) Or how about Great American and Matticus? (It would be hard to distinguish between the flags in their avatars but it would be very patriotic looking wouldn't it?

What about a debate between:

DuH and Blade?
JMS and Hard Driver?
Chesby and Zoe?
southwillrise and kaladrew?

I suppose to be fair, we should choose from a list of those who express an interest in debating in the first place. Two person teams would be fun too.

Just more random thoughts...

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"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)