Bebo launches bChat, a 'safe' alternative to Chatroulette

Bebo, the much maligned social network that against all odds is still here and apparently profitable once again, has launched what it calls "Chatroulette sans-private parts." Having already implemented IM powered by the similarly named Meebo, bChat, which is powered by Vchatter of Facebook fame, aims to bring "safe social video chat" to its user base. The idea is that Bebo will use user profiles to better match chatters with one another, based on age, interests, location, and social preferences, all with user monitoring mechanisms aiming to keep users safe. Only time will tell whether that's really possible in this day and age, but Bebo's not stopping there, as video seems to be at the forefront of its mind. One-on-one video conferencing is in the works along with a planned discovery and sharing service for "new video sources."

It'll be interesting to see whether Bebo can pull itself up in the social networking stakes against some pretty hefty competition from Facebook, amongst others. A safer Chatroulette-style video chat service could be pretty popular with Bebo's small but still surviving teen audience.

Tags: apps, bChat, Bebo, social networking, SocialNetworking, video, VoIP, Web