Chatroulette, that interweb fad, is turning heads

We hope that this person didn’t catch anybody naked when they were trying to do this. Then it might start to get a little weird. Well done, though.

Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

I was not sure whether I should tell the world who I am mainly because of the fact that I am under age. Now I think that it would be better to reveal myself.
Andrey Ternovskiy • Describing the popularity of his insane webcam-plus-anonymity service, which has taken off in recent weeks, enough that it gets featured in New York Magazine, Good Morning America and The New York Times. We still think it’s a fad, but it’s pretty cool that the Russian student came up with it. Regarding the use that’s become most prevalent – perverts showing off their junk – he notes that while he’s very against it, other people are doing “really unbelievable things I could never think of.” (In a good way.) He has more features planned, which is probably a good thing to extend its pop-culture currency. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

We remember IRC back in “the day.” Internet Relay Chat, as the nerds called it, was a dangerous place and you never knew quite what you were getting into. Warez? Porn? Malware? Some dude who pretended to be your Internet friend but was really a 50-year-old man? And Chatroulette, a webcam-plus-anonymity phenomenon starting to get mainstream attention, is the 2010 version of IRC. Which is why it’s a minor (and fairly disturbing) phenomenon that will soon be forgotten. Here’s why:

This is old-school Why, do you ask, is this old school? Because it takes all the adventure of the Internet, the risk and reward, and puts it on your screen. Back in 1996, this wasn’t the exception. This was the rule. This is the dangerous end of the Internet, the dark neighborhood at 2 a.m. It’s like Craigslist at its best.
Not Web 2.0 at all Chatroulette’s interface is simple, but ragged. It isn’t forgiving. Like HotOrNot, you get one chance to make an impression. You don’t start relationships here. You see people. Then you don’t. There’s no friendly face here. This is the opposite of social media. It’s antisocial. Just like IRC!
Oh, there’s nudity Perhaps the one factor which ruins Chatroulette’s chances of being anywhere near as popular as Facebook is that half the people on it are perverts. It’s not safe for work at all. Some people get a kick out of the anonymity, while others use it to be socially depraved. You’ve been warned. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2010 12:03