Email Conversation with David Crane

I had an email conversation with David Crane, founder of an Interesting startup called Debatewise. Here is the description about Debatewise from the founder.

The internet is a wonderful medium for research. The problem is there are so many different opinions and so many qualified commentators doing so can result in more questions than answers.

It all started, when there was a documentary, The Great Global Warming Swindle, which argued that C02 was not responsible for global warming. The programme makers trotted out various Nobel prize winning experts and presented all kinds of impressive looking graphs.

However, the experience was deeply dissatisfying because rather than settle things it left a whole host of questions hanging. What’s missing, where the big, gaping, hole lies, is the ability to see how one side responds to the seemingly solid argument of the other. Debatewise is designed to fix this.

Here is the rest of the conversation with David.

Tell us about yourself

I’ve started a variety of businesses over the last thirteen years. I founded NooMedia, one of the earliest UK web design businesses, in 1995 and have always been fascinated and impressed by the desire people have to share what they know.

Recent projects have included 23, a company which analysed the comments on forums and blogs and let organisations know what their customers say about them. Clients included Her Majesty’s Government and Channel 4’s Big Brother.

How does Debatewise compare against Q & A sites like Yahoo! answers?

I think the fundamental difference between us and other debating type sites is twofold; we allow responses to be collated into points and we divide the responses into For and Against.

At the moment if you want to find out about euthanasia you either need to go to a few different sites and hold the various positions in your head. Or you find one site and try and pick the gold from often long threads. Even then, it’s very frustrating when one side raised a point which goes unanswered by the other.

At Debatewise a debate about euthanasia is split into the arguments for and against. The case for each is strengthened by anyone who wishes to contribute and by so doing, a definitive argument evolves. People uncertain of their position can read both sides and make up their mind safe in the knowledge they have the best information to hand.

What do you think is the difference between startups in UK and in the Valley – in terms of exposure, funding, adoptation rate?

I think that Valley start-ups have some major in-built advantages; essentially those of a larger immediate audience and a more developed ecosystem with greater access to skilled staff and experienced investors.

But I also believe the UK has advantages too. We are incredibly creative in Britain, it’s one benefit of rubbish weather. We’re smart and we’ve got a rich and varied culture. London is probably the greatest world capital in terms of the sheer range of things it offers and the diversity of people here. All of which comes in very handy for a global medium.

And we have a point to prove too. I happen to think that London is really coming into its own and we’ll see a lot more companies like Last.FM and Bebo start to make their mark.

Any news on funding/feature updates and some scoop on the revenue model?

Lots of new features in the pipeline such as karma scores for contributors, more editing control over the debates, a (useful) Facebook app and plug-ins for forums and blogs. Fundamentally though we’ve put the site up in an imperfect state in order to learn more about our visitors. We’ll create the things they tell us they want.

We have a few different ideas for revenue streams but our fundamental desire is to build something great. If we do that I’m sure we can find a way of repaying investors.

Recently, people have started talking about the need for a new “wikipedia for data”. Your thoughts on this? Do you think debatewise is already on track for this?

My understanding is that a Wikipedia for data is a repository for code. Of which I am sure there is a need. Debatewise is designed to be a repository for opinion. Of which I really hope there is a need.

Any advice for first time entrepreneurs?

All you need is intelligence. The intelligence to believe in yourself. And the intelligence to work hard.

Thanks David for your time. On behalf of our readers, we wish you good luck with this new venture of yours.

Readers, what do you think about debatewise? Do give it a spin and let us know.