The debates of the future

By Liz Tjaden

Last week, just in time for the Presidential debates, MSNBC.com revealed a new way to view video online. The new Debate Video Player is now up and running and will give viewers the opportunity to watch past and future debates.

The new program allows viewers to watch the entire debate from beginning to end, search the debate according to key words or topics and skip ahead to those certain points. (While also being able to skip the boring parts in the middle!) The dialogue is also color coated. If a viewer would like to hear what McCain had to say about health care, it is now easy to find. Everything he said in the debate held on Sept. 25 is in red, while Obama’s segments are in blue.

This is just another example of how online news is becoming bigger than other media sources. This new way to consume footage will allow viewers to watch, analyze and discuss instead of trying to tape the debate or remember all the details. By searching for a particular topic makes it easier for people to find what they want.

The rest of the page has neat features too. An interactive map that shows which candidate is predicted to win each state, another interactive map that lists where each candidate will be on a specific date and also a few polls where viewers can express their feelings on different topics.

The Web site is really easy to use and I encourage anyone who is even semi-interested in politics to check it out.