While the internet has brought the world closer than ever before, it’s still hard to meet people from other places around the world. And everybody, at some point during their lives, has been curious about a foreign country—whether they were planning on traveling or living there, had an interest in politics, or wanted to discover some underground bands. Askaplace.com exists to satisfy people's natural curiosity about the world.

The home page is a world map, divided into countries. Simply click on a place that is online (i.e., green), and you’ll be chatting with another place. If you wait too long to choose a place, you might be connected automatically to a place that chooses you. Your chat will be text-based when it starts, but if you want to video chat as well, all you have to do is click the black area next to the chat box. Once the place you’re connected to does the same, your video chat will start.

Askaplace.com is not a social network - it's a location-based introduction engine designed to create new relationships, not maintain existing ones. Askaplace expands your social graph by starting digital friendships that eventually translate into real life, not the other way around as with established social networks.

I conceived of this project over the course of 2-3 years. The concept, design, UI work and copy are all mine. Current projected launch date is summer, 2012.

Features include: instant one-click text chat, optional two-click video chat; Google Translate integration, allowing for multi-language chat support; and flagging capabilities that temporarily bans abusive or inappropriate users. Read Less