

Blurrypeople.com - strangers you might actually like - sssparkkk
http://www.blurrypeople.com

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edanm
OK I really love this idea. I do have some imo important feedback:

1\. You _have_ to change your tagline. I had no idea going into the site what
it was, though it can be summarized as "ChatRoulette, only it works" (or
something along those lines). By now, everyone knows chatroulette, and you're
missing a huge opportunity to get what your site does across. I'd even
consider changing the name, something like blurryroulette or blurrychat or
something, since this is a _very_ memorable and easily described idea.

2\. Someone else mentioned, don't ask for access to video/mic right away.
Especially now, make the intro video more obvious/accessible.

3\. Have some text explaining what the site does for people who don't want a
video. Again, you have a really easy-to-understand concept - take advantage of
it!

4\. This is just a guess, but I think this kind of formula would work
especially well for dating - this will definitely let people connect without
letting looks bother them, at least at first. And by the time you've talked
several minutes, you'd already have some kind of connection. This is just
crazy enough to work - so start thinking how you can take advantage. For
example, connecting people by location is a real easy addition to your site,
which facilitates connecting people for dating.

~~~
sssparkkk
Great points, thanks.

We'll think some more about how we can communicate the concept better.
Furthermore, we might have to delay the request for mic/camera access as it
could scare people away (other have pointed this out as well).

I'm not too fond of changing the tagline to something referencing
chatroulette, we're kinda hoping people will not directly associate our site
with nude guys ;) But rethinking the tagline might be wise still.

Also, I think you're correct in pointing out a non-video way of getting the
site explained is necessary. Perhaps just in words, or otherwise using
graphics/drawings etc.

And indeed, we figured this will probably be used for dating-purposes a lot;
so we'll try to make sure that is possible on BP.

Once more, thanks for your feedback!

~~~
kmfrk
>Furthermore, we might have to delay the request for mic/camera access as it
could scare people away (other have pointed this out as well).

Please do this. I am quite positive that I denied access the first time, but
it still displayed the video feed for some reason. That's not important, but
you feel monitored when that happens, and if people are having a "bad hair
day", the change in mood is associated with the site.

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sssparkkk
I've read about chatroulette on HN a few times. Most of you point out it needs
some form of filtering to become something useful.

So here is our approach to something that will, hopefully, work better:

\- it has a feedback system that allows you to indicate why you don't like
someone (too old, too male, too boring etc)

\- video starts out blurry, and becomes sharper with time (hence the name! ;))

\- you can 'like' people, allowing the other to see when you're online and
request to connect with you

Could this work? Comments, suggestions?

~~~
nandemo
> _\- video starts out blurry, and becomes sharper with time (hence the name!
> ;))_

This is a fantastic idea. However, it'd be better if that fact were known from
the start.

~~~
sssparkkk
The introduction-video shows the effect. However, this might not be enough to
communicate this concept to visitors. Will think about how we can improve
this. Thanks!

~~~
whimsy
For what it's worth, I rarely watch introduction videos... if I need to watch
one to use and understand the site, there's probably room for improving your
site design.

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wouterinho
There's this Dutch dating site Paiq that has the same technique. When chatting
with someone, their profile picture gets unblurred after talking a while and
hitting their interest words (eg "watching movies"). It lets you focus less on
photos and more on personality.

~~~
NiekvdMaas
Funny that you mention this, BlurryPeople was founded by the same people that
are running Paiq.

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yesbabyyes
Do you blur the video prior to publishing, on a server or on the receiving
side?

I like the idea a lot, agree on most previous points about the presentation
though!

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kmfrk
I don't know exactly what "too female" and "too male" is meant to describe. At
best, this just enforces sexual stereotypes, and at worst, people will use it
wrongly with poorer matching results to follow.

I understand that this is based on a Dutch concept, but I don't see the too
fe/male evaluation working very well. Obviously, it's just beta, and new tags
will show up as others disappear.

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Goosey
I love the idea, but I want a version of this that is text only (Blurry
Omegle). In general I prefer not having the camera involved.

EDIT: Just to clarify I think BOTH versions should exist, and within the same
framework so that filtering applies universally (people could choose if they
are interested in text/video/both). Especially since I Omegle at work, webcam
only is a no-go for me.

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marknutter
I think it's a great idea, but I'm reluctant to try it mainly because my guess
is it's filled with other dudes right now..

~~~
sssparkkk
Well yeah, dudes -> early adopters. However, I would love to hear your opinion
about the concept. Would something like this have a chance of catching on?

~~~
marknutter
I think if you could get a good ratio of guys to girls, the yes. It's a very
interesting concept and I think Chatroullette only scratched the surface. I
will say one thing though, I have never used Chat roullette or any other
service because I find talking to someone live to be somewhat stressful. Can
you record videos that are not live and watch videos that are prerecorded? I
thought I saw that you could, but it wouldn't let me watch any videos til I
created one myself.

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perivamsi
The intro video does not have any playback controls. I'd like to see some
standard play/pause and volume control buttons. Also, once I close the intro
video, the green "First time here" banner disappears and I have to hunt for
the link to re-play the video (which is located at the top right corner).

~~~
rlpb
> I'd like to see some standard play/pause and volume control buttons.

I tend to disagree. I liked the design aspect of not having these. The video
fits into the same style as I presume I'll get when using the service (I don't
have a webcam handy right now).

Do you actually need play/pause and volume controls while watching the intro
video? Would you actually use them, or is it just that it doesn't match your
expectation of what an intro video should be, rather than a functional
deficiency?

~~~
perivamsi
I see your point that the video fits the actual usage style. But I had two
issues while playing the video.

1\. The volume was too high. I wanted to mute the video first before adjusting
my system's volume. 2\. I wanted to pause, check out the features mentioned in
the video for a while and then resume the video.

So I did need the controls. They can appear only on mouse over so that the
feel of a live demo still remains.

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dsplittgerber
Am I the only one to think this won't fly? People probably won't wait longer
than a few seconds to see whom they're chatting with. The internet and
chatroulette have made everyone pretty ADD about waiting.. Prepare for lot's
of "Ciao's".

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jalada
No idea why but visiting this site crashes MobileSafari on my iPad.

~~~
threepointone
It didn't crash my iPad, but I can tell you that it uses flash, so you won't
be able to see it anyway.

<insert obligatory flash on iPad complaining>

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kmfrk
Wait, I'm confused; how do I spell the name? blurry people, blurrypeople,
Blurry People, blurrypeople.com?

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ndimopoulos
Very interesting idea!

I think that the approach is great given the fact that so many people go to
chatroulette and end up looking at pervs. The filtering system can definitely
give you the edge.

One thing I did not like was that upon visiting it immediately asked me to
share my camera and mic. Perhaps a better front page with a lot more
explanation (graphics can help) that would lead you to the 'chat' screen?

I can see the simplicity and I am up for it but a lot of people will think
twice to click accept (for camera and mic) if this is the first thing that
they are asked to do on a website.

Good luck!

~~~
sssparkkk
Won't people understand the system doesn't connect you to anyone unless you
click 'search'? Because if they do understand, why wouldn't they want to share
their camera and mic?

Anyway, thanks a lot for your advice!

~~~
eli
No, they won't. It's not obvious. Especially since the flash dialog was the
very first thing I saw on the page.

I'd start out with two options, a "Tell me more" button and an "I'm ready to
get started" button.

