New Web site shows video chat's business potential

By Larry Fiorino Dolan Media Newswires BALTIMORE, MD--Ever wondered what it would be like to actually see and talk with folks all around the world? Want to join a really, really big chat room -- a.k.a. planet Earth -- that combines video chatting and texting? Here's the catch: You won't know anyone that you are seeing and talking with and they can be doing anything they want. Well, Chat Roulette (www.chatroulette.com) is all the rage. It has been around for only a little more than three months and reportedly already has 85,000 users. Chat Roulette has generated some controversy lately; more on that in a minute. I jumped on the site recently with about 20,000 of my closest friends, just to try it out, and what I found was interesting. Video chat goes prime time The site is remarkably simple: one page. All you need to do is enable your webcam and click "play" and you are all set. You are now in the queue and Chat Roulette's servers start to randomly assign you people available to video chat and text. If you don't like who you have been matched with, then just click "next" or press F9 on your keyboard and you are randomly assigned to someone else. Truth be told, you don't even need a Web cam. I really like the trend I'm seeing with this type of site, as it signals that video chatting is finally coming into prime time. Even my kids video-chat with their cousins all over the U.S. and the quality is good, the cost is low and is it much more fun to see the person at the other end of the call. As with many new technologies, personal use can drive business use. Video chatting and making and posting videos are very popular. Travel costs eliminated? I believe that we will see this trend continue for business, as well. Anyone who is in business has experienced the cost and time loss of business travel. While some travel is necessary, some could be eliminated by high-quality, inexpensive video conferencing. If you haven't tried Skype, for example, then you should. Also, consider recording video sessions for training and user requirements gatherings. Then post the video and let others view it as many times as they want. One warning: Chat Roulette has come under fire for a lack of controls to keep minors from viewing inappropriate content. I tried it to see if these reports are true and found out that they were. So be careful if you choose to visit this site. In the meantime, I will continue to keep you posted as we see more and more uses for video in your business. Larry Fiorino, founder and chief executive of G.1440, a Baltimore-based e-solutions firm, writes every week for The Daily Record. He can be reached at 410-843-3800 or at his company's Web site, www. G1440.com. Published: Thu, Apr 1, 2010

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