Could ChatRoulette Become the Next Social Hit?
February 22, 2010
ChatRoulette is a site that is getting a lot of attention. Some think it could be the "next big thing" on the web. The concept is simple. You chat via a webcam or keyboard with random strangers. If you don't like the one you're currently connected to, just click a button (or hit F9), and you're on to the next one. Maybe at some point you can find someone you like, have something in common with, or don't find incredibly repulsive.
It's not for everybody. Anybody can use it, but not everybody wants to talk to random strangers. A lot of people still don't "get" Twitter. If ChatRoulette grows that big, it's going to have just as many, if not more people questioning the point of its existence. Still, people are flocking to it. There is a market for this kind of thing.
We signed on and talked to a number of people to try and gage the interest of ChatRoulette's users. Why exactly are they using this site, and what are they hoping to accomplish? Is it just killing time? Are they looking for friends? Romance?
One person told us they just use it to meet people for fun. "If I'm bored or something," they said. They said they have had a few interesting conversations with strangers, but some of it has been "some disgusting guys showing their d****." (Note: Beware that if you start using the site, you may be blindsided by stuff like this)
"They got to stop...it's annoying," this person tells us. And they've only been using it for a week. Actually, some of the attention ChatRoulette has been getting has been based on this kind of obscene behavior. Chatroulette clearly says on its home page that it "does not tolerate broadcasting obscene, offending, pornographic material, and we will have to block users who violate these rules from using our service," but that does not stop people from using it for those purposes.
A Huffington Post article likens the service to "inviting pedophiles into your home." Scary stuff, but that doesn't mean there isn't potential for cleaning the site up. The guy who runs the site is only seventeen years old, and there has already been interest expressed from investors. This thing could become much bigger in time, and managed more thoroughly.
That's not to take anything away from founder Andrey Ternovskiy. Policing such a site would be a burden for most, and he's clearly a quite knowledgeable kid. He started ChatRoulette for fun and has been coding since the age of 11. He talked a good deal about his background to the New York Times. According to that article, the site gets "about 20,000 users on a typical night."
One could envision ChatRoulette utilizing a traditional social media model, where people can follow (or friend) one another, but for right now, it's just random. It's kind of like a video chat version of StumbleUpon, without the personalization features. There is plenty of potential for features to be added in the future though, and perhaps better management of obscene behavior. This site may be one to keep an eye on.
Have you used ChatRoulette? Would you? Does it have the potential to become something really big? Share your thoughts here.
Yahoo Tech Slated For March Shutdown
February 10, 2010
As Yahoo continues to reconsider exactly which properties are core to the company, Yahoo Tech has failed to make the cut. The site has been given an end-of-life date, and everything of value (including visitors) will just be used to provide another Yahoo asset a lift.
An announcement that Nick Saint spotted today reads, "As of March 11, 2010, tech.yahoo.com will no longer be available. Visitors to the site will be redirected to Yahoo! Technology News where they will continue to have access to the best technology content available online."
A few people are sure to protest this move; Yahoo noted that tech.yahoo.com profiles, along with ratings and reviews, will be deleted, and no one likes to lose data.
However, this is probably a smart decision on Yahoo's part given that Yahoo Tech's existence seems a little redundant. It doesn't do much for Yahoo in terms of search and advertising, either.
Then here's one more good reason for the site to get shuttered: Although Nick Saint absolutely deserves credit for being the first blogger to spot Yahoo's announcement, the Yahoo Tech closure notice appears to have been posted a full five days ago.
Have You Read This?
> Monster Announces HotJobs Acquisition
> Yahoo Halts Search For International Boss
> VMware's Acquisition Of Zimbra Made Official
Possible Outcomes Of The iPhone Becoming A Non-AT&T Exclusive
January 27, 2010
The folks at Apple just need to wake of in the morning to create news of all sorts that could shape the online world in many ways. First, there’s the talk about some profits in Q1 that would make any company happy (The company posted revenue of $15.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share). There’s all the hubbub about the announcement of their new tablet device on Wednesday which is apparently the worst kept secret in quite some time.
Now comes the rumor that in the next 18 months the iPhone should be available on most major carriers thus breaking away from its AT&T exclusivity contract (read: stranglehold) that has been the bane of many iPhone users existence. If this is truly the case then there may be some considerable change on the Verizon, oops, I meant horizon.
This makes sense for Apple since the other rumors are that Android devices are a real threat to the iPhone dynasty. eWeek reports
Is Jan. 27 the day Apple introduces its anticipated tablet — and AT&T’s exclusive relationship with Apple’s iPhone comes to an end?
According to Hot Hardware, which cites an “inside source,” the latter is seeming likely — though news of which additional carrier or carriers will gain access to the iPhone is still unknown.
Verizon Wireless has been rumored for some time to be on line for an iPhone — a scenario that analyst have called a positive one for Apple — while others have said that Verizon may also be first in line for the Apple tablet.
The move would entail Apple releasing either a CDMA-based version of the iPhone, or a single, updated iPhone that could run on both networks.
No matter what the scenarios that are played out there are plenty of people who are right on the edge of moving to some Android device but have been holding off in hopes of the iPhone escaping the bondage of its AT&T deal. Everyone wants to see it happen except, of course, AT&T. Whether the network criticisms of AT&T are real or not there could be an exodus to other networks if the iPhone can be had someplace else.
For me this may delay my plans to move away from the BlackBerry to an Android device on Verizon. This kind of a result could be just as much of a reason for Apple to make this happen than anything else. If they could slow the adoption rate of the Android smartphones with just the prospect of the iPhone showing up on other networks then that in and of itself is a victory.
So if you are an iPhone user would you jump ship to get on another network if the iPhone were there? And for you folks like me who are not currently an iPhone user what are your plans for the next smartphone you purchase?
If this happens then this should be very interesting for everyone from users to marketers. Your take?
If You Care About Search, You Must Care About Social Media
November 21, 2009
All of the search engines are rushing to incorporate more social media elements into their interfaces. Examples of this are evident in things like Google and Bing's deals with Twitter and Facebook. You can see it in Yahoo's new Twitter tab for news results. You can see it in Google's Social Search lab. Really you can see it in everyday search results.
A lot of Internet users spend a great deal of their time socializing or using social media sites in one way or another, whether that is to connect with others or simply to obtain information. Information is a key component of social media that often takes a backseat to communication in discussion of social media tools.
The fact of the matter is that more and more people are getting more and more of their information from social sites. That could be in the form of following a news publication on Twitter, following company updates on a blog or a Facebook page, or something as simple as a friend sharing a link.
Given that people are getting more info from social media sites, of course search engines want a piece of that, because their whole reason for existence is naturally to help users find what they are looking for on the web.
So, it stands to reason that if you want people to find information that you are producing, it can help a great deal to publish information and participate in conversations on social media sites. Never mind that users of those particular sites will have access to it. The general public will as well by way of search, regardless of whether or not they are a part of any particular community.
In an interview with WebProNews, Vanessa Fox, who used to work for Google, talked about reasons that businesses should be thinking about social media with regards to search. It's about visibility. If you are having discussions out there about relevant topics, they could appear in search results not only in real-time search, but further down the road as well.
In other words, if you have a conversation with a peer on Twitter about some topic related to your niche, there is a good chance the resulting tweets of that conversation could appear in search results for that topic on Google, even a year from now, if that tweet happens to be relevant enough. That's just an example (note: it's hard to say at this point, just how tweets will impact search once the Google-Twitter deal starts showing results).
There are a variety of ways in which a social campaign can contribute to your performance in search engines, regardless of what these recent deals might produce. Like Lee Odden of Top Rank Online Marketing recently discussed with WebProNews, you can optimize your social content.