Tonight marks the first of three presidential debates between President Barack Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney. It's the first time the two men will confront each other head-on about the rumors, issues and platforms from the campaign trail. But both men don't just have each other to fear -- they have the entire Twitterverse to answer to.
Social media has added a whole new, mammoth-sized layer to the way in which Obama and Romney field questions. Years ago, the candidates could fend off comments, re-interpret questions and captivate audiences until the newspapers hit the stands the next day, bringing to light the errs and oversights. With Twitter and the real-time web, it takes only seconds for each candidate's words to be poked, prodded and scrutinized.
If you're planning to keep the candidates honest as you watch the debates live, keep these websites and tools handy:
FactCheck.org: Associated with the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, this site will be updating on the web and Twitter constantly to analyze each candidate's statement.
PolitiFact.com: Run by the Tampa Bay Times, this site will scrutinize each point on the web, Twitter, and even via app -- Settle It! They will also have a Twitter widget on the website for easy live coverage.
The Fact Checker: This Washington Post blog will provide minute-to-minute information and analysis of the debates. Glenn Kessler, the WaPo columnist who runs the site can also be followed on Twitter for debate updates.
ABC News: Senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl will lead ABC news's factchecking team during all the debates. The site will feature a live blog that incorporates fact checking.
Snopes: This site is more of a rumor dispeller than a fact checker, but you can easily find out if anything is fishy here.
And make sure to visit Mashable during the debate at 9 p.m. Eastern Time for a Livestream of the event.