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An online debate is where one member challenges another to discuss a topic, pointing out facts and arguing points to support their side of the argument. Each debate is made up of 1-5 rounds in which each member can post their arguments and rebut the arguments made by their opponent. Once both sides have posted their arguments, the members of the community vote for the winner.

Every debate has four cycles:

1. The Challenge Period - During this period the Instigator begins the debate and either directly challenges another member or leaves it open for the first Contender to accept the challenge.
2. The Debating Period - During this period each of the two debaters take turns posting their arguments until all of the rounds have been completed.
3. The Voting Period - It's time for the community to place their vote and pick a winner.
4. The Post Voting Period - Now that the voting period has ended, a winner has been decided and each of the debater's stats have been updated accordingly.

The Instigator (the person who starts the debate) chooses the voting period.

The "Instigator" is the person who initially starts the debate, and the "Contender" is the person whom accepts the challenge to debate.

Yes, the Instigator is notified if the Contender refuses the challenge.

If no action is taken by the Contender, then the challenge is automatically cancelled 7 days after being issued, and the Instigator is notified. The Instigator may also change their opponent at anytime during the challenge period by clicking the Edit link on the debate's main page.

It's easy to start a new debate. Click the Start a New Debate under the Debates menu. Or, click here to start a new debate.

In order to vote, we require all members to complete at least 3 debates and verify their account via their mobile phone. This is done to protect the integrity of the debates by ensuring that each vote belongs to a single unique individual. Once you successfully complete 3 debates, you will have complete access to the voting features. Additionally, members are not allowed to vote on their own debates.

Using accurate information on your profile allows your friends to find you on Debate.org. In addition, people with differing opinions can find you for the purpose of challenging you to a debate. Or, people with similar opinions can find you and request to be friends or invite you to join a group where you share common interests and beliefs.

You should complete your profile so potential friends and debaters know where you stand on the issues.

You can either upload a personal picture, or choose from our avatars. Click here to add your picture.

Click here to invite your friends to join Debate.org. When your friends register, we will automatically send them a request to be friends. If they're already a member of Debate.org, we'll send them a request to be friends.

Icon	Percentile/Ranking
	90th or Higher
	80th to 89th
	70th to 79th
	60th to 69th
	50th to 59th
	40th to 49th
	30th to 39th
	20th to 29th
	10th to 19th
	Not Ranked or Lower than 10th Percentile

Percentiles & Rankings

Each member has a star next to their username which indicates their debating skills as designated by their percentile. Member percentiles are calculated using the number of debates and the win ratio for each member. The higher the percentile, the higher the ranking. For example, a member in the 75th percentile means that 75% of the other members have a lower rank. Members who have not yet debated, are considered 'Not Ranked'. Learn more about percentiles.

Genders and Online Status

Each member also has a gender icon which also indicates their online status. If the icon is gray, then the member is not online. If the icon is in color, then the member is online. There are also several different colored icons, each of which displays a different online status.

Gender	Away	Busy	Offline	Online
Female
Male

Examples

Here are several examples of members with different genders, rankings, and online status':