It’s hardly an original idea: Natter has launched as yet-another-attempt to create a “safe’ Chatroulette-style video chat site.
Just like Andrey Ternovskiy‘s creation, the site lets strangers find each other via webcam, only this time – and similar to vChatter, which also powers social network Bebo’s own take on the idea – users have to log-in via Facebook, therefore insisting on a certain amount of real identity accountability. There’s an over eighteen user policy too and users also specify whether they’d like to chat to women, men or either. The site’s founders have an online dating site background.
Pitching security as Natter’s highest priority, Natter also introduces an element of gaming metrics to encourage good behaviour. And I can see it potentially working, should the site get traction of course.
After selecting the type of person a user is interested in meeting – base purely on gender – and the location of that person, limited to same country or worldwide, they are paired up with somebody else for the minimum 1 minute of webcam chat. If both make it past that, they rack up a ‘Natter Point’ each. The more points acquired over time, the safer or more fun or more “interesting”, the user is deemed to be. Thus there is an incentive to go beyond ‘doing a Chatroulette.’
That’s certainly progress.
