Real life is full of arguments and debates, so why not the web? That’s the idea behind ConvinceMe, which is a new website and community that makes it possible for people to debate, argue, and vote over things incorporating the traditional debating model with a Web 2.0-like feel.
There are three types of debates at ConvinceMe; an open debate, a competitive debate, and king of the hill. An open debate is ongoing and any registered member can participate. The topics are preset and individuals argue their point convincing other users to vote on the side they are arguing for. In a competitive debate, users create and accept challenges. After enough users have voted and a side has reached the set number of votes to win, the debate is closed and the challenger is rewarded points. Lastly, users battle it off in King of the Hill and the first person to reach 100 convinces is crowned so.
Overall, I really love what Convince Me is trying to do. I registered, login, and started voting within seconds. With debates like ‘Ninjas or Pirates,’ ‘Firefox or IE,’ and ‘Star Wars vs. LOTR,’ it’s hard not to pick a side and argue your point, especially given the number of convincing people and arguments that are already present at the service. While I have to admit it does take a lot of effort to actually debate and I’m really one of those lurker-types, it’s still interesting to have a viewpoint and express it through a service like such.
[tags]ConvinceMe, Debate, Debating, Social Networks[/tags]
