Friday, March 12, 2010

Chat Roulette: Don't gamble at work

  Chat Roulette is probably one gamble you don't
want to take at work

The spring semester here at Syracuse University has really been busy, and since I'm on spring break now, I can devote some time to blog more on my perspectives of social media. I figure I should probably start with the latest craze: Chat Roulette.

I'm not really sure where to start with this one. Perhaps a little background: The site was started in November in Moscow by a 17-year-old, and it's just now starting to gain popularity. Basically, it's a chat site that utilizes Web cams. You start a "game," as it's called (believe me, there are no winners on Chat Roulette, so it's hardly a game), and you are shown the video of a random stranger. If you like what you see, you can continue to chat with them through type or audio. If you don't like what you see (and you probably won't), you click "next" and then given another new person on Web cam. If you've heard nothing of Chat Roulette to this point, you're probably thinking that this Web site is highly abused by voyeuristic people intent on showing you things that shouldn't be shown during a first meeting. Congratulations. You're 100 percent correct in your assumption.

While I will spare you the sometimes gruesome specifics of what you're likely to see if you visit the site, I will go into a little bit about how businesses should handle employees who feel like visiting the site during company hours. I'm a huge proponent of social media in its various forms. I'm also big on opening up the conversation and letting whatever's going to happen, happen. I encourage people to stay away from the privacy settings on their accounts because it only hinders what can be possible through social media. Chat Roulette, however, is a gigantic exception. With the site quickly becoming viral, thanks to being featured on a slew of mass media TV shows and news channels, companies should be proactive about the use of the site at work. Most companies are just now working on social media policies for employees, and I hope they're all encouraging their workers to use social media during business hours. However, when it comes to Chat Roulette, there really aren't many business uses, unless you're running a recruitment firm for the pornography industry.

I run into a crisis of conscience with this site. I'm a First Amendment guy. With a lengthy background in the newspaper industry, how could I not be? I don't like censorship in any of its forms. I worry, however, that some poor soul is going to be exposed to Chat Roulette at its worst inside the work environment, which could cause problems for the company that didn't keep itself informed of new, popular technology.

Chat Roulette is really a lesson for businesses in staying informed. With social media as a whole gaining in popularity by the day, companies that want to use those tools for business purposes should do whatever it takes to stay up on the social media industry. From there, steps should be taken to make sure that the company's social media policy is not compromised by a site like Chat Roulette.

Again, I'm not a censorship type of person, but I firmly believe there's a time and place for something like Chat Roulette. I'm not judging anyone who may really enjoy the site. Have at it. I just think Chat Roulette should stay home while Facebook and Twitter come to work with you.

Have you tried Chat Roulette? What do you think? How do you think companies should adjust their social media policies to account for the sometimes lude material that can be spread through Chat Roulette?

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @JayAdams70.

In case you missed these great takes on Chat Roulette, here are a couple of videos for your enjoyment.

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart jumped on Chat Roulette and discovered some interesting folks were also hanging out there:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tech-Talch - Chatroulette
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political HumorHealth Care Reform

One of my favorite comedians, Daniel Tosh, also took a hilarious look at the site. This one's probably NSFW:

Tosh.0
Chat Roulette
www.comedycentral.com
Web Redemption2 Girls, 1 Cup ReactionDemi Moore Picture

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