WEB
Until recently, the only places to talk on the Web were dedicated chat sites. But a new breed of toy makes messaging webwide: Free programs like CrowdBurst, Cahoots, and uTOK let you leave notes anywhere or chat while cruising through sites, turning solitary surfing into collective critique.
The newer entries, CrowdBurst and Cahoots, offer both bulletin boards and live chat. With CrowdBurst, a Web-based Java app, you can lead other users from site to site; Cahoots, a PC download, offers roving Internet voice chat. Online stores are already beginning to use these tools to connect customers with live clerks, but both services are so new that the only people I chatted with were eager staffers at CrowdBurst and Cahoots. I suspect that once the systems catch on, both will become as chaotic and frustrating as typical chat rooms. Small, self-limiting groups with a specific agenda - like classes, businesses, or sets of friends - would probably find these programs most useful.
Since I couldn't find a browsing companion online, I called a friend, who obediently downloaded Cahoots. Before too long, we'd proved that it can be fun and useful: We cruised over to www.georgewbush.com and, using the voice chat, tried saying W's slogan to each other over and over: "A Reformer With Results." What sort of results does W routinely carry around - the day's results from the ninth race at Aquaduct? It's an awkward slogan, we decided. This discovery may never have occurred without the real-time communication.
The simplest app to use was uTOK - you just download and start dropping notes for others wherever you want. Communications can be private or public; the public ones can develop into a permanent discussion. It's similar to the service from Thirdvoice (www.thirdvoice.com), which debuted last year, except that uTOK lets users rate the posts of others in an effort to bring the best ideas to the top. In short, if this thing catches on, every site will have a self-regulated bulletin board.
As of yet, uTOK discussions have not appeared at many sites. A provocative note posted at CNNSI.com criticizing baseball player Pedro Martinez for his attitude toward have-nots was two months old. For real action, I had to go to the uTOK homepage, where the conversation was dominated by a fellow with something of a pottymouth. Others tried to use uTOK's voting system to have his notes evicted, but in the purely public arena it may be hard to maintain order.
I liked all three programs, though Cahoots was easiest to master and best lent itself to mature dialog, simply because it can host private chats and lead people to various sites. For now, you may not find smart new friends online, but you might get into some amusing conversations.
Cahoots, CrowdBurst, uTOK: free. Cahoots: www.cahoots.com. CrowdBurst: www.crowdburst.com. uTOK: www.utok.com.
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