*Above cam chats should only be viewed by adults as many anonymous people tend to be naughty! Be prepared to see naked men 10% of the time or more (just skip to the next partner).
I have seen South Park mention Chat Roulette ("You Have 0 FaceBook Friends" episode) and even Sharon Osbourne (Ozzie's wife) has visited it and mentioned it on some talk show. ChatRoulette can be shocking to many people the first time they see what happens (no one really knows what to expect). It has become quite the media frenzy and everyone is checking it out (but not admitting to it). Many other times I have heard it referenced (usually demeaning as the "men diddling themselves" site) and talked about (even heard about it on the NPR radio, cable and satellite), but you never hear about the similar sites used as alternatives.
Ever see the guy commit suicide on ChatRouleete? It's just a shocking prank! Anyone can fake a web cam with software that allows you to select an image (.png .bmp .jpg .gif), or movie file (.avi .mpg .swf .wmf .asf), as a source for a virtual or emulated web camera. With WebcamMax.com (free ManyCam.com or trial of YouCam), you can add some fun special effects (frames, masks/faces, warping/morphing, funny scenes, animation, etc) to your web cam stream (or capture/record screen area). You can even make the chatter you see see their self (screen area capturing as source), they never expect to see their own image with added effects broadcasted from you. Or simply find funny videos on YouTube.com (or any other video site), then capture the screen area (while playing live, no need to record vid) to replace your camera input/source.
it is possible for people to record you (they can record what you let them see) and archive files, be careful
what you see from other person may be a fake video or staged chat
keep kids away from chats, not safe for kids or anyone under the age of sexual consent
obscene and illegal activities may be seen, be prepared to click the NEXT button
don't give out personal details (name, address, e-mail, school, financial info, etc) or leave clues to where you hang out
don't take things personally, some people are just plain mean (click NEXT) and will try to make you feel like crap because they do
use PrtScn button on keyboard to do a screen capture of what you see on your monitor(s)
use Paint.exe (Windows) or Gimp's freebie tool to crop screen grabs and save as JPG/PNG/BMP/GIF
WEBCAM SNAPSHOTS & RECORDING SOFTWARE:
CamSnap - taking pictures with your Web cam has never been easier
Webcam Timershot - timed webcam shots for time lapse videos (free for XP)
HyperCam - freebie to record and capture webcam streams to *.AVI
Windows MovieMaker - lets you use webcam as video source
Picasa - has a Webcam (Video Audio) recording Plugin
Seenly - web based (no install) application that mimics Mac's Photo Booth software
FreeWebcamRecord - tiny tool and portable, pause, record and grab still images
JingProject - make a presentation for Mac/Windows freeware/free, screen capture any area
CamStudio - record full screen desktop, window or partial area of screen (capture multiple visible windows as 1 video)
Screen Capture Apps - record anything you see on your monitor and/or hear on speakers
ScreenCamera - (trial) split webcam for multiple applications and record video presentations from desktop screen or webcams
WEBCAM EFFECT APPLICATIONS:
You can also add templates (even faked cams) and special effects to your webcam video stream before it gets broadcasted. Some webcams come with software (like LogiTech) to manipulate your effects, check out the specs from your webcam's manufacturer (look on their site and get latest drivers while you are there).
WebcamMax - a bit expensive (has desktop screen grabbing ability, record cam videos, fake cam, multiple cams, photo snap, etc).
MyLiveCam - Creative's webcam software for adding effects, free with purchase of their hardware (webcam)
CyberLink YouCam - cheaper version of WebcamMax with a couple extra features
CamTwist - Mac toy for playing with your webcam for FREE, Apple, Macintosh, works with PhotoBooth (not iChat)
SillyWebcam.com - play with some fun effects without installing anything (if you want to save a pic, use keyboard PrtScr button to capture screen and paste into Paint.exe to crop and save)
VideoSkin.net - freeware software to add skins (overlays) to your webcam feed, alternate choice for adding some transparent overlays and effects
WebcamEffects - webcam effects and instant video manipulation applications
WEBCAM SURVEILLANCE:
YawCam - easy to use and free home webcam surveillance software
VitaminD - freebie, comes with intelligent algorithms that can detect humans in recorded video
HomeCamera - monitor your home, lets you connect up to 4 webcams and CCTV cameras for free
WebcamXP - free powerful webcam and network security IP camera monitoring application
