MySpace and the Commission on Presidential Debates Announce Launch of Interactive Toolset for MyDebates.org, the Landmark Internet Partnership for 2008 General Election Debates
Unique Features Include a Personalized Issue Scorecard, Polling, National Statistics in Real Time and Live Video Streaming
LOS ANGELES & WASHINGTON D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MySpace,
the world’s premier social network, and the
Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) today announced the launch of
its toolset for MyDebates.org, a new website that will house interactive
tools for viewers to virally engage in the political process, including
a personalized issue scorecard, polling, reportable national statistics,
live web streaming and much more. MyDebates.org is part of a landmark
partnership between MySpace and the CPD for the upcoming presidential
and vice presidential debate series. The partnership, conceived of by
media agency BBH NY, marks the first time that the CPD has paired with
an Internet property to include online functionality into the event
series and traditional debate format.
When visiting MyDebates.org, users will be prompted to take an “Issues
Quiz” that will assess their stance on 14
issues, including the economy, national security, the environment,
same-sex marriage, education and healthcare. Once they’ve
taken the quiz, users can see how their values line up with the
candidates and view a state-by-state breakdown of how other Americans
feel on the issues. Users will also have the option of downloading a
personalized application which can be embedded anywhere on the web, for
example on a blog, social networking site like MySpace, or another
website. The application will provide a summary of the user’s
stance on the issues, on-demand playback functionality and issue-based
tracking, allowing users to track a candidate’s
stance on issues they care about throughout the debate series.
The general election debates, a series that includes three separate
presidential debates and one debate featuring the candidates running for
vice president, will kick off on September 26 with a broadcast on all
the major national television networks. Each historic television event
captures more than 60 million worldwide viewers and will now include an
entirely new audience online able to watch each debate via live web
stream.
“We’re thrilled to
unveil the exciting toolset available now on MyDebates.org –
users will be able to select the issues that matter most to them and see
how they match up with the candidates as well as with other users across
the country,” said Lee Brenner, Director of
IMPACT and Executive Producer of Political Programming at MySpace. “MyDebates.org
will enable Americans to make the most of information presented during
the debates, and personalize their experience and engage with the
candidates and other voters in a groundbreaking manner.”
“The CPD believes that the Internet can be
used to personalize the debates in a way that allows for in-depth
examination by individual citizens and joint discussion with others,”
said Janet Brown, Executive Director of the Commission on Presidential
Debates. “Our partnership with MySpace is an
important step forward into integrating new media into the debate series.”
Additionally, MyDebates.org will feature high-quality video streaming
and as the candidates are speaking, “issue
icons” will light up as candidates discuss
specific main topics. Users will be polled periodically throughout the
debates with short questions, the results of which will be available for
viewing following each debate. This format will reduce distraction while
eliciting specific and valuable feedback. Media organizations are
encouraged to use MyDebates.org polling data in their coverage of the
debates.
Immediately following each debate, MyDebates.org will house videos of
the debates in their entirety, available for viewing at any time. Videos
will be “bookmarked”
to allow users to easily jump to their important issues, and will be
searchable and tagged by event, candidate, issues, and questions asked
of the candidates. Users can also “share,”
“comment” and “rate”
links in the Video Clip Player. MySpaceTV will host the debate clips
which will be accessible to anyone on the Internet.
“The unique toolset we created for
MyDebates.org is an exciting step for us in continuing to provide a
platform that promotes social and political engagement at every level,”
Tom Andrus, SVP of Product at MySpace. “We’re
thrilled to be part of shaping how Americans engage in the Democratic
process.”
MyDebates.org also includes a feature which will allow users to submit a
question that may be presented to the candidates during the second
presidential debate, a Town Hall format, moderated by Tom Brokaw on
Tuesday, October 7. The first presidential debate will take place on
Friday, September 26 and will be followed by a vice presidential debate
on Thursday, October 2. The third, and final, presidential debate will
take place on Wednesday, October 15.
About MySpace
MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle
portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and
making a positive impact on the world. MySpace has created a connected
global community by integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging,
e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified
listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums.
MySpace's international network includes more than 20 localized
community sites in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Latin America,
Mexico, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy,
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia,
India, Japan, and New Zealand. Fox Interactive Media is a division of
News Corp. (NYSE:NWS)
(NYSE:NWS.A)
(ASX:NWS)
(ASX:NWSLV).
(*) Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, August 2008.
For more information on comScore Networks, please go to http://www.comscore.com.
About the Commission on Presidential
Debates
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) was established in 1987 to
ensure that debates, as a permanent part of every general election,
provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners. Its
primary purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the United States
presidential and vice presidential candidates and to undertake research
and educational activities relating to the debates. The organization,
which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) corporation, sponsored all
the presidential debates in 1988,
1992,
1996,
2000,
and 2004.
MySpace
Nicole Bilodeau, 310-435-0643
nbilodeau@myspace.com
or
Commission
on Presidential Debates
Janet Brown, 202-872-1020
Scott
Warner, 703-231-6925
scott@warnerstrategies.com