Chatroulette - it's your turn
Didn't our mothers tell us we should never talk to strangers?
The latest net fad may be Chatroulette, a website created by a 17-year-old which connects punters to a random stranger via a video and audio link - what they find there is anyone's guess.
It's a new twist on voyeurism and communication - random, visual, anonymous and very unpredictable - with the option to "next" someone at any time if you don't like what you see.
I logged on myself to see what all the fuss was about and in five minutes was confronted by an interesting barrage of experiences.
Full-frontal nudity, a crowded room of people laughing and drinking, dozens of young men looking for girls, a bi-sexual from Newcastle, a girl who asked me to smile and a man wearing a leotard, among other things.
I have to say I'm a little worried by the apparent lack of effective moderation or age-checks - there is an option to report an inappropriate feed and a minimum age warning, but who's going to listen to that?
But then again, I think a lot of people want to be shocked - that's the whole appeal of this site.
If you haven't had a look at Chatroulette yet, by all means give it a go (if you're over 16, that is), and let us know how you get on.
I hope your experience is as... random as mine was. I certainly found it to be a very addictive bandwidth-waster, and certainly worth a few laughs.
Have you given it a try? How did you find it? Is this going to take off? Does moderation need to be tightened up, or is that part of the fun?
Perhaps you could do a yfrog.com link and share a funny screenshot if you can, but remember to keep them clean!
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We tried this yesterday. Hilarious!
Hahaha... that was a strange experience! After about 50 strangers, I never saw one woman. The most memorable was the guy with a machine gun, claiming to be an ethiopian pirate and trying to sell me guns. Then there was the man "enjoying his own company" with great gusto right in front of the camera... eek! Will definitely go back... great for a laugh!
Yeah it's got fad written all over it. Certainly will attract those trawling for a cheap thrill. That's a freaky screen shot of you Luke.
Luke, this chatroulette is bizarre! I see how it can be addictive, for a while at least, although I also suspect the novelty wears off quickly... (especially if the bandwidth of the site isn't improved...)
I went on this last week, surprisingly addictive. Ended up spending hours on it, always wanting to see who I was going to be chatting with next. I even set my laptop up on the kitchen bench when I had to do the dishes, chatting to an american girl while I was cleaning the dishes. If your a male it's easier I think, because the male masterbaters on the site seem to only want to show-off to a female audience, so i've found they'll next past you quickly. I recommend it :-)
A bit behind the 8-ball there Luke... This are already other articles on Stuff regarding Chat-roulette. How many times do you think readers want the same story regurgitated? As for your trolling blog yesterday, let's not go there
I personally thought it was randomly hilarious.... but its no new fad for youngsters, as this is a breeding field for sexual predators!
I just had a look, I saw 3 different men masturbating, one topless girl, and a lot of horny teens! Funny, sick and ultimately not for me!
MillyS #7
I think he's well aware of the article, considering he's referenced it in this blog. Nothing wrong with that, he's just opening up discussion on it. Luke Appleby rulz 4eva!
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HAHAHA tried this for the first time last night for a laugh. First three were blank windows then up comes a guy waving his penis around in front of the camera! WOW!!!, that was a shocker..lol But pretty funny to say the least. :)