Is Omegle the "truck stop bathroom" of the Internet?
Wendy Vair, '11 | Staff Reporter
Issue date: 10/16/09 Section: Lifestyle
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The newest innovation in social networking was introduced to the Internet on March 25, 2009, by an 18-year-old high school student from Brattleboro, VT. Leif K-Brooks' website, Omegle.com, was an instant success, reaching over 1,800 users on its fifth day, according to his blog. The site randomly selects another user for you to have a one-on-one conversation with, and the fun begins from there. With the sites ever changing little slogans like "ASL (Age/Sex/Location) is boring, talk about something interesting" and "you're now chatting with a random stranger, say hi," it's simple but inviting atmosphere attracts around 3,000 members at a time, only six months after its release.
The site does not require members to log in and create a username. Instead, visitors just press the blue "Start a Chat" button on the homepage and begin. In an interview with blog.news.com, Brooks says, "My goal with Omegle is to bring people together who have different interests and backgrounds, so that they can gain perspective, and hopefully learn from each other." However, the things you learn from Omegle can be questionable.
Since there is no logging in with usernames, users are referred to only as "You" and "Stranger". Gawker.com says "It's the internet chat version of truck stop-bathroom-sex - hotter because you don't know who you're hooking up with." It is very rare that you actually come across a person looking to have a real conversation on Omegle. Despite the nonsensical and silly conversations, the site continues to increase in numbers daily, attracting people from all over the world. If you don't like the person you're talking to, or they talk a little too much about their dog, you can simply disconnect from that conversation and instantly be placed with a new stranger.
Since society is rapidly becoming mobile, as of June 27, Omegle is available on the go for the iPhone and the iPod touch. The application is available at the Apple store for $0.99 for "strangers on the go," with a current rating of 4+ in the apple store. You can buy the application and instantly chat with random stranger whenever you please, no matter where you happen to be.
The only real problems with the site are the trolls; the people who swear at you, call you names and make fun of your mother. Omegle is not recommended for young children because of the frequent use of vulgar language by some people on the site. Brooks says in his blog however, that he is currently working on a way to control this problem and hopes in the mean time that people continue to enjoy the site.