Pass It On

Ever wished for a site that offered you the ability to engage in conversations with a select group, either based on a location or a specific event? Look no further, for such a site actually does exist. Hot Potato, recently launched at the TechCrunch Crunchup, was created for just that purpose. Hot Potato takes a different approach to creating conversations centered around places and events.

The service allows you to create a public chatroom built around an event or location. For example, during the weekly episode of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” a group of six friends created a Hot Potato room and shared thoughts on the show from their respective locations. Comments focused on the show’s cast and how tasty the pork belly and Brussels sprouts looked. There were also separate chats about holiday parties in New York and San Francisco and a discussion about the re-launch of AOL that was geographically centered on AOL’s party at the New York Stock Exchange.

Currently, Hot Potato works through its Website, Facebook, or a free iPhone application. Hot Potato is not trying to compete with Facebook or Twitter. Instead, Justin Shaffer, the founder and president, is attempting to "facilitate collective storytelling" and encourage group discussions around events.

Hot Potato hopes to launch versions of the service for Google's Android and Research in Motion's BlackBerry platforms by late February 2010.

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