From suburban Moscow to world domination
Barry Gregory muses on the perils of being 'nexted' on-line.
I'm off the booze at the moment. Well, sort of. Any colleagues who witnessed my insanely rhythmic dancing in Mojo on Friday night would surely dissent but, believe it or not, I'm not loving the lager at the moment.
The occasional sherbet is now the limit of my excesses, fuelled partly by a desire to lose the belly and stave off the first signs of moobs. Had I been in a different place, my blog may have centred upon the Catholic Church encouraging youngsters to reach each other via the internet, but without it replacing 'direct human contact'. But we'll leave that well alone, I think.
A major downside to my new-found sobriety is that it restricts my attendance at pub quizzes, once my ultimate pastime -a few pints blended with the spirit of competition. I now have fewer outlets for the random bits of information and trivia that are left to float aimlessly around my head.
One such piece actually relates to my chosen career, which is a clear bonus, and would make a perfect pub quiz question. Do you know which Google search term saw the largest jump in popularity during 2010 compared to the previous year?
You could be forgiven for thinking it's something quite topical, like Haiti, FIFA World Cup or even Eyjafjallajokull. Or perhaps it's a term that has consolidated its position in the public psyche via a burst of publicity, such as Twitter or Rihanna?
No, it's none of those. The answer is, in fact, Chatroulette. I have to confess, it took me a good minute and a half before realising this is not an item of French clothing or a Swiss chocolate dessert.
It is, of course, a Russia-based website that pairs random strangers from around the world to have webcam conversations. Who knew?
Once users of Chatroulette grow bored with their conversation, they can transfer to the next one, a move that has spawned a new verb, to be "nexted". Inevitably, the site has found itself somewhat overrun with less salubrious behaviour and being parodied by the likes of South Park.
I've yet to try Chatroulette for myself (and I'd probably not tell you if I had) but clearly it has a significant groundswell of support, judging by its Google performance.
The fact that this site, developed by a teenager in suburban Moscow, has attracted the attention of a 31-year-old marketing executive in Liverpool, shows the power of a strong Google ranking.
Perhaps its real breakthrough will be when a new user, Bene16, joins the fray.COMMENTS
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