Click on your emotions in the #RapplerDebate mood meter

MANILA, Philippines — Tonight, at the Rappler senatorial debates, voters who are online can express how they feel about a candidate’s position on a particular issues. You can let the 6 bets know if you are happy, inspired, angry, or annoyed about their answers through the #RapplerDebate mood meter. 

Exactly a month before the elections, 6 senatorial bets will battle it out in a public debate on Saturday night, April 13, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Quezon Memorial Circle. 

It’s the first media debate to be held in an open-air location in the 2013 elections. 

If you can’t make it to the debate, however, you can catch the proceedings in other ways and — most importantly — also participate. 

The debate will be live-streamed on the Rappler homepage, live blogged, and simulcast on 120 Radyo Natin stations all over the country. Rappler’s social media team will also hold a Google Hangout at 5 p.m. with the social media managers of the participating senatorial candidates. 

As the debate proceeds, you can let candidates know how you feel about their performance after every one of the 4 segments through the Rappler Senatorial Debate mood meter. 

Voting starts at 7 pm on Saturday and closes at the end of the debate. You can vote only once on each of the 4 segments on any internet capable device.  The voting page is intuitive: after you click on an emotion, the voting mechanism goes dark, and your emotion is high-lighted.  If you want to change your vote, you can click that highlighted emotion and your voting mechanism comes alive again.  This is to give you the ability to listen and react – and even change your mind if they surprise you.

At the venue, 50 selected members of the audience will be provided with mobile phones to allow them to vote on the mood meter. But no matter where you are, you can cast your votes as long as you have an internet connection. 

The two-hour debate will be divided into 4 segments: introduction, face-off, questions from the community, and closing. Candidates will be given the chance to deliver a 3-minute opening speech. Each candidate will also answer and field questions from fellow candidates, the audience on the ground, social media and radio listeners. At the end, they will answer a final question: what are 3 reasons why voters should choose you? 

Join the conversation, ask questions, and send comments! On Twitter, use the hashtag #RapplerDebate. You can also chime in via Rappler’s Facebook page. – Rappler.com