TwoSides is a social debate platform that helps you see every side of an issue and meet like-minded people. It was born mainly out of our frustration finding balanced information, and we'd love your feedback so we can improve.
I like the idea. I definitely think there is a need for a site like this because the news no longer comes even close to cutting it when it comes to presenting "both sides of the coin."
There are a couple of things I would like to point out that you may already realize:
1) It is extremely important that for something like this to succeed you must concentrate on keeping the level of discourse as high as possible, not unlike HN. The minute I see someone posting "you're an idiot" without an actual argument that's going to turn me off.
2) I'm not a big fan of the two goals you have listed on the home page- "stand up for what you believe and meet like minded people." The reason I say this is because when I come to a site to learn about a political or social issue, I come to not only express my opinion but learn about others as well. "Without fully understanding your opponents argument, you can't fully understand your own." My goal is probably not going to be to find like minded people as that is who I have surrounded myself with on a day to day basis for the most part.
I agree with wallawe. This sector really needs some new resources. The hotspots for debate online are on facebook notes and quora. Both platforms are not conducive for debating.
My main feedback is that all of the information looks equally relevant on the page. I would suggest minimization of suggestions of other debates and focus the UI on debating the current issue you are looking at. It seems that you want people to debate rather than just vote. As of right now, I get lost in the three column layout.
Another shift to consider is having the evidence before the voting. If your goal is to educate and to encourage discuss over voting, the information on positions should be more readily available.
No doubt this vertical is hard to design for, ha ha
Looks pretty awesome so far. I'm not a big fan of all the different fonts and formatting. Like aginn mentioned, I don't know if Related Issues should have the same size as the currently focused issue. Love the landing page though.
Wow, the interface is very slick. I really like how you put focus on the viewpoints and how you collapse the details. Even though there's a lot of information it doesn't feel very cluttered to me.
I've been impressed with this idea and interface. Although there rarely are only 2 sides, I find myself checking in on issues. Also, I agree w/ xtra great landing page.
9 comments
[ 0.22 ms ] story [ 24.6 ms ] threadIf you want to sign up, here's a link for the first few hundred HNers: http://www.twosides.co/register/hackernews
Here's an example more related to the tech crowd: http://www.twosides.co/issues/22-the-best-tech-ceo-after-ste...
If you just want to learn more: http://www.twosides.co/
If you'd like to get in touch privately, just email hello@twosides.co
There are a couple of things I would like to point out that you may already realize:
1) It is extremely important that for something like this to succeed you must concentrate on keeping the level of discourse as high as possible, not unlike HN. The minute I see someone posting "you're an idiot" without an actual argument that's going to turn me off.
2) I'm not a big fan of the two goals you have listed on the home page- "stand up for what you believe and meet like minded people." The reason I say this is because when I come to a site to learn about a political or social issue, I come to not only express my opinion but learn about others as well. "Without fully understanding your opponents argument, you can't fully understand your own." My goal is probably not going to be to find like minded people as that is who I have surrounded myself with on a day to day basis for the most part.
Great idea though and good luck to you.
My main feedback is that all of the information looks equally relevant on the page. I would suggest minimization of suggestions of other debates and focus the UI on debating the current issue you are looking at. It seems that you want people to debate rather than just vote. As of right now, I get lost in the three column layout.
Another shift to consider is having the evidence before the voting. If your goal is to educate and to encourage discuss over voting, the information on positions should be more readily available.
No doubt this vertical is hard to design for, ha ha