We seem to seem to be in the middle of an explosion of mobile chat apps like Beluga, GroupMe, and Yobongo. Now New York City startup Parlor.fm is launching its own chat app, but the chats are real -- in other words, users are speaking, not typing.
Founder and chief operating officer Joel Schwartz argued that voice may be the best medium for substantive conversations. If you’re just chatting via text, some of the emotion and personality gets lost. On the other hand, social networking services based around video risk being too superficial -- if you can see the person you’re talking to, there’s a good chance both of you spend more time thinking about whether they (and you) look attractive, rather than about the actual topic.
In some ways, Parlor.fm seems to offer a new spin on the social dynamic of video chat service ChatRoulette. Like ChatRoulette, Parlor.fm’s goal is to help users talk anonymously to people you don’t know. At the same time, Parlor.fm has built in a number of safeguards to avoid some of the uglier aspects of the video service. Obviously, without a video component, you won’t have to watch other users masturbate. But people can still do lots of inappropriate things over the phone, so you can flag users when they’re acting inappropriately. Also, Parlor.fm isn't totally random -- you're connected with users who share your interests.
The company has released an app for Android, with plans for iPhone, Windows Phone, and Blackberry apps. Users can also sign up for the service and dial-in to specific chat rooms through the Parlor.fm website and mobile website. No matter how you get there, none of your personal information will be shared with other Parlor.fm users, Schwartz said -- although you can follow-up with people to initiate new conversations.
One of the big obstacles facing any social app is how to attract enough users that the service feels genuinely useful, but Schwartz doesn’t sound too worried. He's planning a big publicity push involving celebrities on Twitter, who will post special Parlor.fm phone numbers where their fans can hear unique content.
Parlor.fm is raising its first round of funding now. The company’s business model revolves around advertising, as well as a customizable version for businesses who want to use Parlor.fm’s chat, conference, or voice broadcasting services.
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