03-22-2011, 03:00 AM
A debate section had been previously requested in 2009 by iHeartWindows, 2010 by Pineapple and as a "logic" section by Lord Scorch. There was a concern that debates could cause arguments, result in bad feelings spilling into the community, and distract from the main purpose of being a support community.
Suggesting debate "behaviour" seems to me a better idea, although I don't think there should be an official group since some opinions would seem to be "endorsed" as official, compared to others. I agree that there should be guidelines to ensure respectful debating, and that certain inflammatory topics (although potentially entertaining) should be avoided until a culture of debating has been established.
There is no need for a section until a certain number of weeks/threads has been accumulated. Members' posts in those threads will be the best evidence of whether this community is ready to regularly debate. At the end of each week, a summary and outcome of the debate can be posted to close the thread.
Suggesting debate "behaviour" seems to me a better idea, although I don't think there should be an official group since some opinions would seem to be "endorsed" as official, compared to others. I agree that there should be guidelines to ensure respectful debating, and that certain inflammatory topics (although potentially entertaining) should be avoided until a culture of debating has been established.
There is no need for a section until a certain number of weeks/threads has been accumulated. Members' posts in those threads will be the best evidence of whether this community is ready to regularly debate. At the end of each week, a summary and outcome of the debate can be posted to close the thread.