Respond is a web app for structured 1v1 debates. It tries to make online disagreement slower, fairer, and more focused: two people, one topic, equal turns, temporary anonymity, clear endings, and discussion only after the debate is over.
I built it around the idea that most online argument is shaped by bad incentives. Social feeds reward speed, status, outrage, and pile-ons. Respond goes in the other direction: no crowd interruptions during an active debate, no public identity pressure while arguments are being made, and no endless threads that never resolve.
How it works
- Start a debate with a topic, opening argument, tags, and time mode.
- Someone joins or is invited to take the other side.
- Both sides alternate turns under anonymous debate IDs.
- The debate ends by concession, draw, resignation, expiry, or walkover.
- After it ends, comments open for post-debate discussion.
What is implemented
The core product is mostly there. Debate creation, joining, turn progress, timers, endings, exploration, user profiles, invites, notifications, comments, ratings, and basic moderation are all implemented enough for basic use.
There is also an invite/challenge flow, a challenge lobby, debate and user explore pages, search, tag follows, user blocking, realtime updates, report handling, and admin moderation screens.
I stopped working on it because I lost the motivation to keep improving it, but the main product shape exists and works.
Screenshots
Homepage introducing the idea: disagree well, with structure instead of pile-ons.
The debate page keeps the active exchange focused on two sides taking turns.
Discussion opens after the debate concludes, so spectators do not interrupt the active debate.