The international social network, MySpace (News - Alert), is finding its own space in the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates.

 

MySpace and the Commission on Presidential Debates (CDP) are announcing a landmark partnership for the debate series. In support of it, they will launch ‘MyDebates.org,’ a new website that will offer a host of interactive tools for viewers to virally engage in the political process.

 

“MySpace is a platform that promotes social and political engagement at every level. From the candidate profiles on MySpace to the viral fundraising by our community – we are committed to creating an environment that creates higher levels of civic engagement, said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace. “For the first time in American history, viewers of the debates will be empowered to watch the event in real time online and review candidate responses on demand. We’re honored to be part of such an historic shift in how Americans engage in the democratic process.”

The debates, which include three presidential and one vice presidential, will kick off in late September with a broadcast on all major national television networks. Each event captures more than 36 million viewers worldwide and will include a new audience online, able to watch via live web stream.

 

“Our educational partnership with MySpace builds on the unique power of digital media to further engage voters on the issues and help ensure their voices are heard in new and effective ways,” said Janet Brown, executive director of the PDC. “I’m confident that this is the best way for new media to intersect with the general election presidential debates.”

 

MyDebates.org will house tools to promote deeper levels of political engagement, such as downloading a personalized application that will stream the event live from the embed location. It will also provide users with an on-demand playback functionality as well as issue-based tracking, allowing them to track a candidate’s stance on certain issues.

The website will feature high-quality video streaming and, as candidates are speaking, “issue icons” will light up as they discuss main topics. Users will be polled throughout the debates with short questions and multiple choice answers.

 

MyDebates.org will house videos of the debates, available for viewing anytime. Videos will be “bookmarked” to allow users to jump to important issues and will be searchable and tagged by event, candidate, issues and questions asked. 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 full functionality will be available in the days leading up to the first presidential debate on Friday, Sept. 26. It will be followed by a vice presidential debate on Thursday, Oct. 2. The second presidential debate will take place Tuesday, Oct. 7 and the third will be Wednesday, Oct. 15. The second debate is in Town Hall format and MyDebates.org will provide the Web platform through which Americans will submit questions which may be presented to the candidates during the event.

 

“Exit polls have consistently found that the general election debates are the No. 1 factor in shaping voter choice,” said Lee Brenner, director of MySpace’s Impact program. “In an era of information overload, ‘MyDebates.org’ will enable Americans to make the most of information presented during the debates, and even personalize their experience by honing in on the issues that are most important to them.”

 

MySpace is a lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture and making an impact. It has created a connected global community by integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, videos, photo galleries and more. Its international network includes more than 20 localized community sites in the U.S. and worldwide. This is its first partnership with the CDP, an organization established in 1987 to ensure that debates, as a part of every general election, provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners.