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Step-by-step: how each workflow works

The FAQ explains what each feature is. This page is the how — a short walkthrough for every workflow (do this → see this → here's why), plus a guide for which to use.

Which approach should I use?

Start here if you're not sure what to create.

Pick the TYPE by what you have:
  • • A claim people can take sides on (“X should be true”) → Proposition (a debate). Gets a Position Map + a credence slider.
  • • A factual claim to verify (“Crime rose 40% last year”) → Fact-check (a Proposition with truth bands).
  • • An open problem with no fixed answer (“How do we fix housing?”) → Question (a Solution Hub: proposals → voting → a plan).
  • • A thing to discuss (a coin, film, person, concept) → Subject (auto-fill from Wikipedia/CoinGecko/etc.).
  • • A live debate/town hall to broadcast → Event (links your stream; hosts the structured discussion).
Pick the SOURCE by where it starts:
  • • From scratch — you type the claim/question yourself.
  • • From an article — paste a URL; deb8 reads it and seats it as evidence.
  • • From a messy thread elsewhere (Reddit, a comment war) — use Import a debate; deb8's AI maps it into structure.
  • • From a known entity — search Wikipedia/CoinGecko/TMDb and pull it in (Subjects).

Rule of thumb: a statement → Proposition; a fact → Fact-check; a problem → Question; a thing → Subject; a broadcast → Event.

A1 · Open a debate (Proposition)

Goal
Put a contestable claim up so people can take sides, bring evidence, and possibly change minds.
When to use it
You have an opinion-claim with at least two defensible sides.
Steps
  1. + Start a debate (home hero or any category) → pick a category (grouped by realm).
  2. Choose Proposition (default). Write the claim as a statement, not a question — e.g. “Cities should abolish single-family zoning,” not “Should cities…”.
  3. (Optional) Bring a source — paste an article URL to seat as opening evidence, or pull an entity from the category's source.
  4. Post. deb8 seeds four stance bands (Strong Support → Strong Opposition) so the Position Map works immediately.
  5. Add your own opening argument; pick the stance you're arguing (optional but it powers cross-side signal).
Why it matters
The Position Map lets newcomers grok the whole landscape by viewpoint in ~60s instead of scrolling chaos.
Tips
State it neutrally and specifically; a sharp, falsifiable claim debates better than a vague one.

A2 · Fact-check a claim

Goal
Test whether a specific factual assertion holds up — adjudicated by evidence, not opinion.
When to use it
There's a checkable fact, statistic, or quote in dispute.
Steps
  1. 🔍 Fact-check a claim (home hero or category header).
  2. Rephrase to the precise factual claim (“Violent crime rose 40% in 2024”), not a vibe.
  3. (Recommended) paste the source the claim came from — it's seated as the first piece of evidence.
  4. Post. Instead of support/oppose, you get truth bands: Verified true → Mostly true → Misleading/missing context → False.
  5. People add sources for and against; the room weighs them.
Why it matters
deb8 does not rule on truth. The truth bands are reader-judged; the platform rewards bringing evidence, not declaring a verdict. This keeps deb8 out of the “arbiter of truth” trap while still rewarding rigor.
Tips
One claim per fact-check. Bundled claims (“X and also Y”) can't be cleanly judged.

A3 · Ask a Question (Solution Hub)

Goal
Turn an open problem into an actual plan, not just an argument.
When to use it
There's no fixed answer and you want solutions, not sides.
Steps
  1. Start a conversation → Question. Phrase it openly (“How do we ease the housing crisis in a growing city?”).
  2. Discussion happens normally; then anyone drafts a Proposal (a concrete plan).
  3. The community uses approval voting (no downvotes) — vote for every proposal you'd support.
  4. The most-supported proposal surfaces as the emerging action plan.
Why it matters
This is what makes deb8 solution-driven — the output is a living, owned plan, not “who won.”
Tips
Keep the question narrow enough to be answerable; “fix the economy” won't converge.

A4 · Create a Subject

Goal
A hub to discuss a thing (coin, film, person, concept) that can spawn debates and questions.
Steps
  1. Start a conversation → Subject → on a category with a data source, search and pull the entity (auto-fills title, summary, image, facts) or type it yourself.
Why it matters
Subjects are the on-ramp — discuss the thing, then branch off Propositions (“Is this coin a security?”) and Questions.
Tips
Entity-pull is available on a category page (where deb8 knows which source to use); on the category-agnostic /new it's off until you pick a category.

A5 · Schedule a live Event / town hall

Goal
Host the structured discussion around a live broadcast (deb8 doesn't host video).
Steps
  1. Start a conversation → Event → set a start time and paste your stream link (YouTube/Twitch/X/Zoom) → choose Public(listed) or Unlisted (link-only).
  2. Where it shows: the Live page — Live now / Upcoming / Past.
Why it matters
Your audience watches on your stream and debates here, where contributions are reputation-weighted and fact-checked instead of a chat free-for-all.

A6 · Import a debate (from anywhere)

Goal
Turn a messy external thread or article into a clean, structured deb8 debate.
Steps
  1. 🗺️ Import a debate → paste a link (news article, blog, or a Reddit thread — r/changemyview-style works best).
  2. deb8's AI cartographer drafts a neutral proposition and steelmans every side, seating the source as evidence. It maps the argument; it never rules who's right.
  3. You review and edit the framing/proposition/summary, pick a vertical, and publish.
  4. Bookmarklet: drag “deb8 this page” to your bookmarks bar; click it on any article/thread (works even where our server can't reach — paywalled-but-open tabs, intranet). Highlight the part you want mapped first for a sharper result.
Why it matters
Original authors are credited by attribution + backlink, never impersonated; provenance is recorded on the topic.

A7 · Steelman someone (the Bridge-moment loop) — deb8's signature move

Goal
Prove you understand an opponent before you rebut — the highest-status action here.
Steps
  1. As the challenger: on a post you disagree with, click “🤝 Steelman their view.”
  2. Restate their argument in your own words, as fairly as you can.
  3. The original author is notified and decides: “Yes, that's fair” or “not quite.”
  4. A confirmed restatement is a 🌉 Bridge moment — celebrated on both posts, and it earns you reputation.
  5. As the author: you'll get a notification that a steelman is awaiting your judgment — confirm if it's fair (this is the loop; if you ignore it, it stalls).
Why it matters
If you steelman before rebutting, your rebuttal gets a small rank boost + an “engaged in good faith” marker. Never required — just rewarded. This is the mechanic that makes deb8 not-Twitter.

A8 · Set your credence & watch “minds moved”

Goal
Measure understanding — did the debate actually move you?
Steps
  1. On a Proposition, set “How likely is this true?” (0–100%) before you read. Read the arguments. Move it if your mind changes. The topic shows “N readers · M changed their mind · avg shift.”
Why it matters
deb8 measures understanding, not who won — nobody else reports this. Reading is free and anonymous; your view is saved (and tracked) once you sign in.
Tips
If your view moves materially, you can share an “I changed my mind” badge — intellectual honesty as a flex.

A9 · React & flag — when to use which

Goal
Send the right signal: positive reactions lift good contributions; constructive flags surface problems — neither is a like or a downvote.
Steps
  1. Reactions (positive signal): 🔄 Changed my view · 🤝 Fair point · 📎 Well-sourced · 💡 Clarifying. A reaction from someone on the opposing side counts 2.5× in ranking — cross-side respect is what rises.
  2. Flags (constructive only): ⚐ Off-topic · ⚐ Needs a source · ⚐ Strawman · ⚐ Conduct (attacking a person, not an idea). Flags from established members weigh more, so throwaways can't bury a good post.
Why it matters
These inputs are the Understanding Rank — every post shows its breakdown; it's not a black box.

A10 · Earn reputation & roles

Goal
Build standing through understanding-positive actions — not followers or popularity.
Steps
  1. How rep accrues: confirmed steelmans, evidence others mark accurate, clarity, mind-changing — shown as an itemized ledger on your profile (“+5 — confirmed steelman of @x”).
  2. Roles (earned, not given): Bridge Builder (repeated confirmed steelmans across different opponents) · Researcher (well-sourced) · Educator (clarifying/mind-changing) · Problem Solver (proposals that reach voting) · Diplomat (de-escalation).
Why it matters
Status here tracks whether you help people understand each other — the opposite of dunk-for-clout.

A11 · Share & embed

Goal
Take a debate beyond deb8 — as a share card or a live embedded map.
Steps
  1. Share: any topic/profile link generates a share card that leads with understanding stats.
  2. Embed: on a Proposition, “Embed this map” copies an <iframe> of the live Position Map (themable) with a backlink.
Why it matters
Every embed is a backlink and a funnel — the debate recruits its own audience.

Still stuck? The FAQ covers definitions and edge cases.