MySpace and the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) have launched MyDebates.org, a new Web site focused on the upcoming Presidential debates.
Visitors to MyDebates.org will be able to participate in an “Issues Quiz” that will determine their views on 14 issues, including the economy, national security, the environment, same-sex marriage, education and healthcare. After taking the quiz users can compare their stance on the issues with the candidates and view a state-by-state breakdown of how other Americans feel on the issues.
Users will have the option of downloading a personalized application that can be embedded on a blog, a social networking site like MySpace, or another Web site. The application will have a summary of the user’s stance on the issues, on-demand playback feature and issue-based tracking, allowing users to follow a candidate’s stance on the issues during the debate series.
MyDebates.org will also feature high-quality video streaming and as the candidates are speaking, an “issue icons” will light up as candidates mention specific topics. Videos of the debates will be housed on the site in their entirety. Videos will be bookmarked to allow users to go directly to the issues.
“The CPD believes that the Internet can be used to personalize the debates in a way that allows for in-depth examination by individual citizens and joint discussion with others,” said Janet Brown, Executive Director of the Commission on Presidential Debates.
“Our partnership with MySpace is an important step forward into integrating new media into the debate series.”
The first presidential debate will take place on Friday, September 26 and will be followed by a vice presidential debate on Thursday, October 2. The second presidential debate will take place on Tuesday, October 7 and the final debate will be on Wednesday, October 15.
