Neo's Debate Hall [Debate 1 started -- Topic: FFN]

[Alex offline]

Right, somewhat ambitious idea I just thought up... and as Eternal Dream has a whopping eight members, I'll put it here as my second choice. [Shameless advert: Join my forum, Eternal Dream!]

Anyway, back on topic: Here in Neo's Debate Hall [the Hall for short], we will hold exciting debates on assorted issues and topics. It's here in BKO because... well... debates are known to get occasionally nasty. I will be the debate moderator; this does not give me forum moderation over this thread, it gives me power to keep the debates on track and from turning into fencing with pointy ends and without the armor. If someone goes a bit too far or blatantly breaks the rules I'm going to set later in this post, I will remove them from debates, which means their posts here are to be ignored until further notice.

As for the format I want to use: You're welcome to suggest another form, but here's how I see it: I'll pick a topic (but you're welcome to make a suggestion), then people can sign up for the debate on that topic. I think I'll limit each topic to three or four members, to keep things simple. Then, once we're ready to start, I'll post an unbiased bit about the topic at hand here in the Hall, and then the first (randomly selected) member who signed up gets to post. You may have, at MOST, 1000 words (not sure if this is a good limit or not). [Word has a Word Count feature; you could even submit a document to FFN to see how many words it contains.] You've got 72 hours to post your opinion before we skip you. Minor flaming and arguing is allowed (Ever seen a debate on TV? They're ruthless!) but keep it to a minimum. The Hall is NOT an excuse to flame others, though. Once the first person is done, the second goes, and so on, until everyone has taken one turn. Then everyone gets to go again, this time with only 500 words and 48 hours (a day less for half the words is fair, right?). After that, we can organize a vote on the issue at hand, and then we'll pick something else (possibly with an interval between) and do it all again. Oh, and if you're not in the current debate, I will ask (though probably not enforce) that you not post in the Hall while debate is going on.

The best way to learn is by example, so let's get started. Our first topic:

Should fanfiction writers use FanFiction.Net to post their work?

OK, signups are open for this debate. As much as I'd like to be in this one, I'll pass; if we don't get people, I may join in. Post to claim a slot. We'll take up to three people for this session.

1) AngelBolt
2) lyokolover
3) G-Force

Welcome to the Hall.

[Shi_Min_Xi offline]

This is a great idea Neodude...Unfortunaly I won't be able to join since I got mid-terms coming up...(I should study but besides the point) and since I don't know the system of FFN all that much...This should be interesting to read though...Can't wait untill the debates start.

[Overcaffeinated Sloth offline]

I would love to join!

And I'm especially good at debating and taking apart other's work.
That's My name! Jackie, Kie, Key, answer.

[Alex offline]

OK, AngelBolt, welcome to the Hall. You're in for the first debate.

[DarkestSoul X21 offline]

i will join

[Alex offline]

OK, we've got two for the FFN debate, which at this rate will start fairly soon. I need one more for us to get started.

[G-Force offline]

That's it, if it's about FF.net. You KNOW im in.

[Alex offline]

And G-Force sneaks in as the third and final entrant.

OK, to decide who goes first: I will roll 1d4; your number (from order of signup) represents you on this die, and 4 is a re-roll.

Rolling...

After one off the table and a four, we came up with G-Force presenting first, AngelBolt second, and lyokolover third. Audience, please take your seats. We're getting ready to roll with a debate here in Neo's Debate Hall. But first, a short piece on the topic:

FanFiction.Net is one of the first - and arguably best organized and largest - fanfiction archival sites on the Internet today. It has hundreds of thousands of stories published (a massive amount, over 220 thousand, in the Harry Potter section alone) and a fairly competent system for publishing works. That said, there are many controversies and anger-causing policy changes in FFN's history. Many authors left the site after it banned NC-17 works; another group left when review responses were axed; and a third bunch is out over the apparent banning of songfics containing published lyrics. That said, FFN has a huge user base, and reviews are fairly easy to give, plus e-mail alerts are a nice touch. But where should a newbie begin his/her quest for fame and prosperity?

Here, again, is the debate prompt: Should fanfiction writers use FanFiction.Net to post their work?

Each debate entrant gets 1000 words, with no more than 72 hours between posts. Let the debate begin!

[EDIT] - Fixed a fact in the opening statement. Harry Potter IS popular.

[G-Force offline]

Fanfiction.net is one of the easiest ways a fanfic author can get their name and their stories out into the internet community. The site supports many widely used word programs and also has a fairly easy-to-use system for those of us who are not so well-versed in the realms of html coding.

The burden the affirmative places on the negative side is to prove why a new author, under no circumstances, should ever post their work on fanfiction.net.

First of all, by posting on fanfiction.net, your work becomes available to a much broader audience. As stated in the topic’s resolution, it is considered to be the largest websites on the internet that host fanfiction. A new author wants their story read, the to receive appropriate feedback on their work so improvements can be made on future instalments. To not utilize such a resource is counter productive. In a similar light, this is why companies pay so much money to have their product advertised on the Super Bowl. They want to reach as many people as possible.

Now here’s where the negative might try to argue that there are other websites that have a relatively large user base that are just as just as good thus rendering fanfiction.net useless. Here’s where the main argument comes into play. The resolution for the debate clearly states “Should fanfiction writers use FanFiction.Net to post their work?â€

[Alex offline]

Alert: AngelBolt, you're down to 24 hours to post. Hop to it!

[MY85 offline]

Alert: AngelBolt, you're down to 24 hours to post. Hop to it!

Read this. Sorry for butting in off-topic way.

[Alex offline]

[EDIT] OK, Angel. You can have more time.

[Overcaffeinated Sloth offline]

Hey! I'm not down yet! Just give me a bit to write it up please...

[Alex offline]

Sorry AB... week's gone by. 24 hours. I will note that G-Force didn't even come CLOSE to his 1000 words - he fell in about half. So don't feel compelled to use most of your words.

[Alex offline]

Apologies to AngelBolt, but even with the extra week I gave her......

Right, that leaves lyokolover. You've got 72 hours. Good luck.

[Alex offline]

...And 72 hours come and go. Tell you what all, policy change. If you want to enter the debate, just post.

Having said that, I can also join in... and I still might.

[Mewberries151]

...And 72 hours come and go. Tell you what all, policy change. If you want to enter the debate, just post.

Having said that, I can also join in... and I still might.

I don't usually pop in here, but I was rather intrigued by this thread. Is there any reason that it couldn't have been put where anyone could compete in the debate (GD, for example)? Alot of members here don't have BKO access and are fantastic debators that would probably have alot of interest in these topics. What say you, Neodude?

[Alex offline]

I say... well... I didn't know what kinda stuff would get in here. But seeing as how nothing's actually happened, sure, we can move it to GD.

[Mewberries151]

I say... well... I didn't know what kinda stuff would get in here. But seeing as how nothing's actually happened, sure, we can move it to GD.

Ah, I see what you mean. I'll ask X1 or Yizzy then, if they'll move this to GD.

[Stephen (x1)]

Moved.

And also, Neodude, don't triple post. If you need to post again some time later, copy the first post, delete it, and post it in a new post along with the new post. (If that made any sense)

[Mewberries151]

Thanks again, X1!

Incidentally, NeoDude...is this debate on FFN still going on? I'd be happy to participate in it.

[Alex offline]

No, it's not. Jump in if you have something to say on this topic.

And also, Neodude, don't triple post. If you need to post again some time later, copy the first post, delete it, and post it in a new post along with the new post. (If that made any sense)

It makes sense, but Erynn has left on the deletion time limit. So I can't exactly delete, but I still need my posts seen...

[MY85 offline]

I was gonna say something before when it was on BKO, but I restrained myself to do such thing since it could have been quite offensive (debating about fanfiction just sounds kinda boring, in lightier terms). Just pointing out that the Debate Hall of yours in a first impression sounded discriminatory to me since you only allowed three persons only to debate, especially on this forum, where people's opinions can change the forum or give a debate or subject another twist.

As for the fanfiction topic, after what I've read here, I can say that fanfiction writers have the choice to post their fanfics whereever they please to. And I think that fanfiction.net should have freestyle rates and they shouldn't have deleted the mature ratings. Or they should have made people put their age at ff.net and when they reach 18, they could view or post mature explicit fics.