(Mini news story: On WebCorp’s website, NewCars (which was previously listed for sale at 500000 USD) is no longer for sale. In addition, the logo for NewCars has changed on the home page.)

For whoever inherits Debate Fans, I want to wish you good luck. It isn’t an easy job managing a site like this, but I hope it will bring you the same joy it did for me while it lasted. Here are some pointers:

1) Don’t delete non-abusive comments. I had to learn this one the hard way. In anger, Josh’s comments were deleted, and, when askbob demanded his I.P, I was unable to give it to him. Subsequently, askbob threatened to hack this site.

2) Do your homework. This means check the WebCorp website daily. Also check other important pages routinely (e.g. Phil’s userpage, the “About” and “Help” pages, et cetera). This will help you get the good juicy details. I should probably reveal now that this article was all done by me.

3) Don’t overextend. Don’t make this fan site what it can’t be. Doing so will mean disaster. Only add a feature if you are absolutely sure it can sustain itself. Remember, the fan site is a supplement to DDO, not a competitor.

4) Don’t be afraid to use quotes. At the same time, don’t overuse quotes. Paraphrase and summarize, too. In short, write well.

5) Remember that this is a fan site. It should be biased for the site. While it may be occasionally OK to write a negative article, try to stay positive. :D

6) A lot of you wondered how I was able to get into contact with Phil so often. All I have to say is be nice and courteous. Don’t bash him all the time, because it’s really not cool. I will expound on this point more once I find out who the main writers will be on the new fan site.

7) Have fun. Writing is creative. It is art.

See you guys later!

Tags: tips — written by PoeJoe @ 11:11 pm

The site will be taken down on 1 August 2009 12:01AM.

In the meantime, I henceforth release all materials on this website to the public domain. Feel free to redistribute, modify, and/or remix these materials for any purpose. Attribution is not required.

Tags: I'll miss you guys — written by PoeJoe @ 9:44 pm

Despite a surging uproar for reform, any such reform may be postponed.

In an exclusive conversation with Debate Fans, Phil spoke the following regarding the future of DDO and the (lack of) attention payed to it.

I still haven’t decided if I’m going to display the usernames and photos [to show every vote cast on every debate and who voted for whom], or keep it hidden in the voting system. I read the forum topic regarding the matter. I’ll probably make a decision and build it in May. . . .

Like I’ve said in the past, until Debate.org starts to get some more traction, I’m unable to put additional resources into it because I have to focus my time on more productive projects. Based on my previous sites, Debate.org will likely be at that point next year.

So gather ’round the fire, DDO gang! Keep yourselves warm, and grab a book, and hug a mate, and sing along to our songs. This unproductive winter may last some time.

Tags: features — written by PoeJoe @ 7:40 pm

At around Tuesday March 03 2:00 am, debate.org’s administrator (casually referred to as Phil) decided to put an end to joshandr once and for all. His exact comments on the matter were made in private thus shall not be revealed specifically. However, to give a general idea of what was said, 30 confirmed accounts were closed and if joshandr attempts this once more, this matter shall be taken to court. This reporter is of the mindset that justice has been served and will only further be served if this constant website abuse elevates into a legal issue.

As of now, all users affected by joshandr’s trolling have had their win ratios normalized and by sometime tomorrow, anonymous voting shall be abandoned and users shall be able to see who voted for whom. Many users believe this is what debate.org needs whereas other users have protested against this in claiming that public voting shall only encourage friends to vote for one another, hence being detrimental to the voting system. Only time will tell.

Hopefully, debate.org’s resident troll gets a new hobby (and perhaps a life he is at it) as Phil has confirmed that he shall now be able to fix problems like these with the push of a button.

“I do hereby declare, that from this day forward, all members whose accounts are closed by Customer Support for violating the sacred Terms of Use, shall forthwith have all of their votes permanently deleted, so they will no longer be able to affect the good and loyal members of Debate.org and their statistics” (source)!

Tags: josh, Phil, vote bomb, win ratio — written by Logical-Master @ 4:08 am