Thousands of people are set to rate Britain's first-ever televised leaders' debate in real time on Facebook. The social networking site's "dial test" will give a moment-by-moment snapshot of how voters react to the debate between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. Facebook users will be able to use a dial on the screen to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with what they are hearing. Their opinions will then be aggregated into a graph, charting the "peaks and troughs of national sentiment" as the debate progresses. Nearly 40,000 people have signed up as "fans" of the Democracy UK application of the website, in which the dial test is based. Richard Allan, Facebook's director of European public policy, said: "The first prime ministerial debates are a landmark moment in British politics, but the rigid rules mean that the voters themselves have a limited role. "The mass dial test changes that completely. The Facebook dial test enables millions of voters to say exactly what they think of the three leaders' performances and to wrest back control from politicians. "2010 is the UK's first ever social media election, and the dial test shows how voters can get involved on a scale never seen before." The opinion test will also track sub-groups of voters based on their voting intention and age. Source: orange news