I have not used the site ChatRoutlette since I was in Middle School, and then it was a "fun" thing to do at your friends houses'. Going back there 7 years older and wiser was an interesting experience. We were told in discussion to expect nudity, so I went in with a cautious mindset. When I first got onto the site I noticed that it had a very simple and user-friendly design. There was nothing I had to click on to begin, it just started. I think that this website encapsulates what Web 2.0 is about: user participation. This site would not survive without the users going on and playing "roulette". This site puts a face to the people who visit it--something that most websites are unable to do. What I found really interesting was the variety of locations the people on this site live in. It ranged from Mexico to Brazil and then to Ohio, it was a bit mind-boggling that this many people spend their time sitting in front of their computer screen (or in some cases dancing in front of it). This site never would have been possible 20 years ago, and for it to have become a worldwide phenomenon now demonstrates how far the internet has actually come.
ChatRoulette, however innovative, is still on the sketchier side of the internet. There are no restrictions to who can visit this site or what can be shown--and because of that there has been a lot of controversy over this site. If a 9 year old child stumbled upon this website and he was paired with a 35 year old man there would be outcry from not only his parents but from conservative groups across the country. ChatRoulette epitomizes the double-edged sword that is the world wide web. While there is endless creativity and progress there is also an entire cyber-world filled with strangers and little protection from them. Spending time on this website enabled me to take an analytic look at what has become of the internet, and it is clear that one has to be their own best security when venturing into the unknown world of ChatRoulette.
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