Telegraph Launches Debate2010 Community Discussion Site

I'm at the Telegraph's Victoria offices, at the launch of Debate2010, their new community initiative around the oncoming general election.

It's a platform for having what looks like a debate around particular policy areas in quite a structured format. You select a policy area and then a specific debate, and join in the discussion. Debates are time-limited (3 days - but this can be changed at will by the organisers), and you can vote for and against them and submit comments. The site's own description of its functionality.

The site requires a separate login from the rest of the site, as it's conceived as time-limited project. It will eventually be closed down and, by the side of it purged. Or go into "the next phase, whatever that may be". The intention is to create a "briefing" for the new government, a printed one by the sound of it.

It's certainly an interesting idea. The submit idea/vote/comment model allows some shaping of the direction of interaction, to keep it more policy rather than comment-focused - but the comment threads themselves could go any way. But the voting is a low barrier to participation, and that might encourage more use that a comment-only site.