Whether calling a friend from home, speaking with a co-worker residing in a different country, or even interviewing a prospective Honors student, video chat services such as Skype or ooVoo have become increasingly popular and useful in both a social and workplace environment. Video chats are no longer limited to those on laptops, but smart phones and even the iPad 2 have installed a front-facing video camera for video chat communication.  Still, while services such as Skype and ooVoo are great for one-on-one chats, group video chats are either non-existent—in the case of Skype—or only available with a certain number of credits—in the case of ooVoo.

“To plan for the fall semester, I had an E-board meeting via Skype during the summer,” said Iona Singers President Marcia Correa, “Since group conversations on Skype are voice-only, the meeting was inefficient and awkward as everyone would start talking at the same time, which proved to be rather frustrating.”

While Skype has just launched a video conference call service, it is geared more towards businesses that can purchase and download the program to use for greater business conference efficiency.  Yet, for students such as Correa, paying for a group video chat service is not feasible and, with the new service SocialEyes, it is also unnecessary.

SocialEyes, founded by Rob Glaser and Rob Williams (two former executives from RealNetworks which develops products for people to access digital media on a variety of devices), is a new service that offers video chatting through Facebook.  Using Facebook Connect, users see their Facebook friends in a grid on the computer screen and can initiate a video chat with each individual friend or with groups of friends.

With SocialEyes, Facebook users can create chat group video chats free of charge, which is highly beneficial for college students like Correa. 

“I think this is a great idea for many reasons,” she said.  “First of all, you don’t have to download a whole different program to use it, everyone already has Facebook.  Also, I think it would be a great way to get in touch in people beyond just talking to your friends.  For example, it would be great for having E-board meetings because everyone is already on Facebook and it is easily accessible—anywhere internet is available.  It would make things a lot more efficient, unlike using Skype where the only group calls are voice calls which make for an awkward meeting.”

As Correa mentions, SocialEyes differs from Skype or ooVoo in that almost all students have a Facebook account, while many may not have accounts with Skype or ooVoo.  Similarly, the amount of contacts a user has access to on Facebook greatly exceeds contacts on Skype creating a much more social environment.  Video chats with SocialEyes do not have to be limited to simply Facebook friends either.  Individuals can create group chats with Facebook users who have similar interests, allowing anyone with a Facebook to connect with SocialEyes and join in on a conversation with virtual strangers.

This aspect of SocialEyes, while intriguing and interesting, is reminiscent of Chatroulette, a service that randomly connects Webcam users who are unfamiliar with each other.  The controversial site has received mixed reviews as some users praise the opportunity of video chats with strangers, but others admonish the fact that some conversations quickly become repulsive. 

“To be honest, I find Chatroulette creepy and gross,” says Correa. “Some of the video conversations turn pornographic—I think it’s just a breeding ground for perverts.”

Chatroulette, while a seemingly good idea, proved that most people are uncomfortable chatting with random strangers; thus, SocialEyes gives the user the ability to restrict who can chat with them via webcam. 

The SocialEyes feature, while just in the preliminary stages of use, has been well received.  SocialEyes may become the virtual workplace for groups of co-workers, a fun way to converse with friends while away at school, or for school friends while home for the holidays.

The true test for SocialEyes will be how the rest of the Facebook masses will respond to the possibility of constant video contact with friends, but if all users are as curious and excited as Correa, SocialEyes is in good shape for the future.