Perhaps you are like me, internet savvy yet weary of the power that the internet yields. You hesitate before clicking on certain sites that you are not familiar with. However, if you are like me, you find a way to assuage your fears and indulge in your curiousities. That is exactly what I did with Chatroulette. A site that jumps from 5,000 users to 50,000 in one week is worthy of exploration.
So, let me finally explain what this elusive Chatroulette is all about. It's a different kind of social website that allows you to chat with people all over the world without creating an account. The one requirement, you computer must have a camera. Once you access the site and hit "Play" you can be thrown into the living room of 60 year old retiree in Boca Raton or a 23 year old porn star (if you're lucky) in London. You can chat with anyone, anywhere in the world. If you're not enjoying yourself you just click next and you could be chatting with a super model in Brazil or math geek at MIT.
I decided to give this puppy a whirl. Not surprisingly the first person I clicked on was a nude mid-section of what could have been a man or a woman. I immediately clicked next before letting the wave of nausea hit me. Instantly I was connected with a man in army fatigues that appeared to be a solider. I became so enthralled with the site that I decided I had to end my chatting immediately, for fear that I would become addicted to another social site.
I won't lie, I felt some sort of excitement not knowing who would pop onto my computer screen next. I guess that's why people feel such a rush when playing any type of roulette, you just never know what will happen next, or who's life will be linked to yours through the technology of a webcam. I'll admit that I have neglected to discuss the perils that may exist with this site, but you'll just have to navigate with your own discretion. So give Chatroulette a try. But you may want to ask yourself one question, "Do I feel lucky?" Well after trying it out, "do you, punk?"
