First and foremost, welcome to The Floor is Yours! A little bit about me, my name is Jack and truth be told, I’m a little new to this. Probably not the most ringing endorsement I could have given, but nonetheless it is true! What I believe is also true, though, is that there is a need for a platform that caters for deep and detailed discussion, a forum which builds on that and one that allows both contributors and an audience to feel connected to what they are seeing. That may seem a little ‘visionary-esque’ for some, so I’m climb down from my soapbox and try to elaborate on that a bit more.

For the last few years, I’ve come to grow less and less fond of mainstream media. Before you ask: No, I’m not watching GB News 24/7, or glued to Piers Morgan Uncensored (having said that I think some of what both of these platforms do are worthwhile in the realm of debating). With corporations such as BBC and Sky, I struggle to understand the appeal of what it is I’m seeing on the channels we pay our TV Licence for. Granted, I am by my nature a little sceptical, and I’m almost certain that I’m not alone in this. The key issue, in my opinion, is that there is a lack of relatability. This is where I hope to offer something a little bit different with The Floor is Yours.

The name in and of itself, is the guiding principle of what it is I’m hoping to achieve. I want to be able to pass the preverbial microphone to somebody and offer them the chance to voice an opinion or concern. I think it’s a great chance to hear about issues that matter to people, and for those opinions to be shared with and discussed by people that can relate to it and contribute toward.

The second and arguably most importance element of what I want to achieve with The Floor is Yours is that this is long-form content. This is not TikTok, or a Facebook Reel. I won’t lie, I’ve been sucked into a blackhole of short reels from podcast clips, to silly pranks and everything in between. By its very nature, it’s designed to get you in the door and to keep you there! I’d be very interested to learn what the average time is between a user clicking on the first Facebook Reel to exiting and going back to the Main Feed on your Facebook page – I don’t think it would make for pleasant reading!

This may well turn out to be my own dose of self-help, however I genuinely believe there’s a need for us to stretch our conversations out and give ourselves the chance to talk about a topic in great detail, leaving little room for doubt about your position on that subject. You could fall on either side of an issue: Strongly For, Strongly Against, however the worst of all is the unknown. If something feels obscured and left to be desired, how can you expect people to be able to engage with it?

So to wrap up, The Floor Is Yours, let me try to gloss it up a little. If I was going down an escalator on the London Underground, what would a poster say? Maybe something like: Speaker’s Corner, but without the box. Question Time, but without the shouting. An opinion, owned by you and shared by you. Welcome to the community. What’s there left to say other than: The Floor is yours!