I discovered this new social media network last week via a random article on a news website. The article was about some random kid having a video link conversation with Ashton Kutcher via this very new site ChatRoulette! The young man was understandably very impressed with his ability to hold and maintain a conversation with a very famous person, so took some screenshots of the occassion, which he then posted on other social media networks (Facebook, MySpace).

This interests me in a couple of ways. Firstly kudos to Mr Kutcher for being a human and giving back to the community. The more I read about this guy the more I think the world needs more folks like him floating around in it. Not only does he act in some very large budget Hollywood movies but he also seems to be very down to earth and grounded. Additionally he is also the biggest GURU on Twitter (that is he has more Twitter followers than anyone else) but I read that he is also currently coaching his stepkids highschool baseball team if memory serves me right, and you believe what you read on the internet.

The second part of this story that fascinates me is the whole ability to still create exciting new ways to use the internet. This is very motivating as there are still opportunities out there to real impact on the global stage with innovative thinking. As of a couple of minutes ago, the site is ranked 2247 for most visited on the Alexa Ranking Site and gets around 1,000,000 visits a day. This is pretty impressive reach for a site that has only been around since November 2009, and alot of people to look at and chat to if that is your thing.

So what is ChatRoulette.com! It is a very simple concept and website when you look at it based on some relatively old technology that has been embraced by the new Adobe Flash Player 10. It uses basic peer to peer network protocol to connect two computers together via their flash players, using the website as an interface. It is relatively safe (on your computer, sometimes not on your morals or your eyes.....) and is a really interesting way to vicariously get a look into the lives of total strangers. Essentially you get randomly connected to someone else's webcam and have the option to stay or go based on what you see......this brings up a whole lot of funny and not so funny situations.

So what is so great about this?

ChatRoulette is an exciting place and a great representation of pop culture. I have only been on it a couple of times to get to grips with it and understand what all of the fuss is about. It has been interesting to say the least. A whole lot of stuff I didn't want to see, a whole lot of random guys just roaming the net, and a couple of conversations with some interested, genuinely nice people. Maybe less than 5% of connections go anywhere but it can be some fun if you have some free time. Be warned though, it is not a place for the faint hearted. It is pure, uncensored access into the lives of random strangers, and it seems there are alot of very odd folks out there........but once you get passed that and get good at "nexting" this just becomes an inconvenience and an accepted part of the experience. On the positive side (a place I prefer to dwell) there are alot of interesting people out there equally amused by the show, and just looking for 2 minutes of sharing lives and connecting with total strangers they would otherwise not ever meet.

What use is kind of site?

Well aside from the pure entertainment factor I have used it to gauge the reaction to a couple of new designs for the T-Shirt range we have been creating for a new project URBAN GURU. The feedback has been pure, honest and sincere, and this site has exposed me to the core market we are aiming for with this product. At a later stage we will embark on a guerilla marketing campaign using this site.

This has been my first experience of a chatroom type of website. I have never been interested in connecting with creepy people in chatrooms that have small user databases. This site is different. It is truely global thanks to massive media interest and the fortunate interaction of one Mr Kutcher. He has a large media reach, and with millions of followers on Twitter he has got the word out. My experience? - jury out. The weirdos are frustrating and a little disturbing but the concept is great and there is no way of stopping people from just being people. There is a great potential for positivity and negativity on this site. It is truely an uncensored window into the human experience.
If I had more time (ever?) I think it would be a great way to learn more about the world as it is at the moment through the eyes of popular culture. There are about 5 kinds of people on the site at the moment from what I can see. Nice folks that are just interested in being interested, kids just pranking peope harmlessly, really entertaining folks dressed up and using it as a performance piece, vouyers wandering looking for kicks, and perverts satisfying a desire (but better on here than on the streets I say!) Not experienced anything tuely evil and disturbing but I could,and that kind of scares me. I can also "next" them away but I would always have it on my mind of what twisted reality I just glimpsed into. Lets hope it doesnt come to that and stays with this kind of harmless thing.........

Here is a great little video I found when doing some research into the safety, origins and background of the site. It has some colourful language in it so be warned! - but it also really well explains how the whole thing works and what to expect. I love the puppets depiction of this!!!! Genius.

Here is a link to some great ChatRoulette! screenshots to give you a bit of a laugh. (copy and paste into your next window).
www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/30-more-great-chat-roulette-screenshots

I have returned back to this article a week or so later to make fresh comment on the whole ChatRoulette experience. It is certainly not for the faint hearted! I go back on there randomly in an effort to capture an elusive conversation / interview for this blog and get a great screenshot, but this is few and far between. Still there are some nice people sifting around out there amongst the million or so other users every day. Here is a great clip from you tube.