Rustling Behind The Curtain
For those wondering, among a *cough* few other things, I'm working out the ground rules for the PTS H2H Contest.
SO outlined the concept above, and now I'm working on making sure the format is fun, interesting for observers and showcases the New PTS Attitude.
As SO mentioned, these debates will be structured, but they won't be rigid, and the judging won't be based on "who won", but rather which pair of
opponents made the best overall showing.
So even if you "lose", but "lose" well, you may still win if you put up a good fight.
If anyone else is feeling brave, by all means throw your hat into the ring -- ideally by challenging an ideological opponent to a "duel".
In terms of timeframe, I'm thinking of kicking things off Friday, July 14. However, if there is a lot of interest and folks want to get hopping, we
can start sooner.
I'm thinking of having the contest period run for a week to allow flexibility for members with busy schedules, with prizes awarded promptly on
Sunday, July 23, 2006 (that gives two weekend days for final judging -- and NOTE: this is a tentative date. We may shift it depending on developments,
but it will be nailed down before the contest begins).
Getting Started
Contact a fellow member (preferably by U2U to make sure they're okay with it), choose a topic, and post it here with the names of the contestants.
Topics are not exclusive, so more than one pair of members can debate the same topic.
Be sure to check on things such as if they will be available between July 14 and July 21, and make sure you're both feeling up to going head to head
in a public debate.
Or, if you don't have an opponent yet, offer yourself here as an open contender, and we'll pair you up later.
We'll need at least ten pairs of members to get started, but more are welcome.
I encourage duelers to choose the topic they want -- and make it something you are passionate about. And it doesn't have to be strictly
"political".
PTS is focused on politics, but that's a
very broad aegis, as I hope will become clearer in the months ahead. Because I plan to have
"spectator threads" for each debate in their corresponding forum, however, I recommend choosing topics that fit an existing PTS forum.
Debates in the fields of global, national and even local politics are quite welcome, as well as just about any issue anyone feels strongly about, like
abortion, immigration, national security, geopolitics, poverty, human rights, feminism, economics, gun control, ideology (left/right), war (including
specific wars) -- pretty much anything that comes out of a politician's mouth is fair game.
Note that staff members are eligible to participate, but inside the arena they will be judged no differently, and all participants are promised a
level playing field.
This could be a great chance to show up that snippy mod who's always bugging you.
Bring it on!
P.S. Yes, PTS H2H is the place to "take your bidness out into the street" and challenge that longstanding rival of yours to put up or shut up. And
remember: you get to choose the topic, as long as there's a political angle to it (and we'll be pretty "liberal" about that). The watchword is
"fun!".
P.P.S. I'm still working out the specifics, and they are subject to change prior to the beginning of the contest, but all participants will be given
detailed rules and instructions up front. We can get started here, but once the details are hammered out and approved by the Amigos, I'll start a new
thread dedicated to the contest and move over the list of participants to the other thread. More to follow...
[edit on 7/8/2006 by Majic]
