PTS: Politics Head-2-Head Is Here!

At long last, we're kicking off the Politics Head-2-Head debate forum.

This new forum was first announced by SkepticOverlord back in July, but as Kermit the Frog so memorably put it: �Time's fun when you're having flies.�

Politics Head-2-Head offers a new approach to debates that's unique to PTS, and I think you'll like it.

The basic debate format in H2H is a �contract model�, in which the participants agree up front on the terms they want and have a great deal of freedom to decide how they want to battle it out.

How To Get Started

1. Find a fellow member who is willing to debate you over a political topic.

2. Choose a topic to debate. For the purposes of an H2H debate, a political topic is any topic which involves politics in some way. That can include political conspiracies, New World Order politics and even alien politics. As long as politics are involved (and an H2H staff member approves), you're legal.

3. Agree on terms for the debate, such as how many rounds, time limits, how to end it, forfeiture, etc. If you're not sure what rules you want, we'll soon be posting H2H Debate Templates which you can use as-is or with modifications.

4. Once you and your opponent have agreed on the terms of your debate (U2Us recommended for this), sign up in this thread:

Politics Head-2-Head Sign-Up Thread

After You Sign Up

1. An H2H Moderator will review your debate application and, if needed, work out any issues with you via U2U before starting the debate.

2. Fighter status (necessary for posting to the H2H forum) will be granted to any participant who needs it.

3. Once the H2H mod is satisfied the debate terms are feasible, a new thread will be started in the Politics Head-2-Head forum.

4. The original post (OP) of that thread will specify the terms of the debate, which will be binding on the participants. Participants may request changes to the OP and debate terms prior to beginning the debate, but once the debate starts, no changes will be made.

5. As with ATS Debates, edits to debate posts will not be permitted and will disqualify the post, since changes to debate posts can invalidate a response.

6. H2H debate forum rules and guidelines are subject to change without notice. In cases of problems or disputes of any kind, the decisions of the Politics Head-2-Head forum staff will be binding.

Other than that, however, and subject to T&C compliance (of course), we actively encourage members to be creative in choosing their debate formats.

After all, that's part of the fun.

Judging

By default, H2H debates are not formally judged.

However, members are welcome to specify judges or judgment terms if they want. That's up to members to arrange and subject to staff approval, but again, we encourage members to be creative and choose the style of debate they want.

Judging for contests will, as always, be arranged and managed by the PTS staff.



[edit on 12/14/2006 by Majic]

About H2H Contests

SkepticOverlord gave some ground rules for our first contest, but we're still working out the details, which will be announced later when the contest formally begins.

However, here's the cool part:

1. All Head-2-Head debates completed before the contest deadline will automatically be entered in the contest.

2. Contestants are not restricted to a single entry, and can debate as many times as they like (within reason). So if one debate falls through (it happens), not to worry, just start another one.

3. The best debate will win, and both participants in a winning thread will share the prizes equally between them. Only one thread will win first prize, but there will be many sweet perquisites for runners-up and entrants.

4. The H2H forum is open to staff applause. That's right! Any post in any H2H thread may receive applause at 1500 PTS Points a pop � provided it impresses somebody with an applause button, of course. As always, applauses are awarded privately, and will not be considered in contest judging.

5. Staff members may participate in H2H debates and yes, even the contest. However, staff members who participate in debates will obviously not be eligible to judge the contest.

6. Contest details will probably be finalized and announced on or about January 1, 2007. Contest terms, prizes (none of which will be monetary in nature) and the judging scheme (we'll probably go with secret non-staff judges) will be subject to the approval of the management of AboveTopSecret.com, LLP. All disclaimers apply, details subject to change without notice, may not be valid in all jurisdictions, see dealer for details, your mileage may vary, yada yada yada.

The Bottom Line: There's no reason not to get started today!



I welcome your questions and comments in this thread.




[edit on 12/14/2006 by Majic]

Door Prizes

There's a LOT to cover as we bootstrap H2H into existence, and I realize it can be somewhat overwhelming trying to read through all this, so I kind of forgot to mention some of the additional incentives that go with helping to get the H2H forum started.

I do like to make things interesting.

As an example, chissler and lombozo have been wanting to debate this topic for months, and are now making history as our first H2H contestants.

Head-2-Head: Should Capital Punishment Exist?

In recognition of their dedication and the importance of this groundbreaking debate, I have awarded each of them 5000 PTS Points just for getting started.

They are also subject to receiving additional point awards via applause and other bonuses, and this thread is automatically entered in the upcoming H2H contest.

Also, at the request of the participants, I have agreed to judge the thread and will render an opinion at the end of the debate.

It Takes Good Timing

I'm reluctant to announce specific door prizes just yet because I'm going to be leaving for a long weekend starting tomorrow. I'll probably be back Tuesday, December 19 or so, but like H2H, my plans are somewhat free-form.

Please bear with me since I'll have limited access to ATS/PTS/H2H during my absence.

However, upon my return, I'll be looking at how things are going in the H2H forum, and plan to award points to early adopters as I see fit.

As I said, I do like to make things interesting.

As a CM, I feel obliged to volunteer for this. Anyone who wants to spar with me, drop a note and we will talk.

No takers? Okay, then. I'm off to an undisclosed location. Happy holidays to one and all.

The creation of the H2H forum is a positive step. Personally I find that any of the issues that are worth debating or resolving in a constructive manner occurs on the thread in question. I support any members who choose to take part in the H2H forum.

If a fellow member dose want to debate me I am open to the idea and any reasonable topic that I and the other member feel strongly enough about.

What happens if I have a topic in mind but I need a member to debate with ?
Is there a thread I can post the topic in ?

[edit on 21-12-2006 by xpert11]

[edit on 21-12-2006 by xpert11]

I am always available to debate the more "Frothing at the Mouth" Conservative view point.. (As you all know I have...LOL)

I am working a VERY time consuming case right now, but manage to make it here at least once a day or so...

So....

Any Liberals up for a good match???

Semper