I looked up Shagle this morning in Urban Dictionary, wondering as I typed it in if I’ve just grown old and uncool. I never heard the word until this morning, and I was a little relieved that it wasn’t listed in the online dictionary of fake swear words. The only downside is that, without anything else to go on, I couldn’t guess what kind of site would be built on the name. If Shagle’s just another name for boring-ass memes, the site probably isn’t worth a mention on ThePornDude.Then again, if it’s another synonym for fucking, this whole review could be fun. Shagle.com has been live for a few years now, but so far hasn’t been popular enough for their name to become another element of Internet jargon. Since you obviously ain’t going to guess from the name, I guess I’ll have to spell it out for you: they serve up free random video chats between total strangers. You’ve probably seen the setup before on sites like Omegle, and maybe you even remember when Chatroulette invented or at least popularized the format about a decade ago. Let’s see what Shagle does to make it their own.Shagle with Some Strangers TonightShagle shares a lot in common with other apps like it. You hit a button, you see a stranger, and then you can either chat or hit the button again for a new stranger. Out on the front page, they talk about their anonymity features like they’re some kind of unique feature, but it’s nothing world-shattering or new. This random chat is fully anonymous, so you don’t have to worry about sharing your real name with the perverts you’re perving out with.Whether you’re trying to mack on some bitches or just want to see cock after cock after cock, these kinds of websites only really work if you’ve got a lot of people connected. I’ve seen shitty variations on the theme where I just kept flipping through the same bored dudes, each of them also lost in a hopeless search for tacos at the sausage fest. Shagle.com addresses this head on because they know what all the experienced fuckers are thinking.Right at the top of the landing page, they list the total number of members as over 3.4 million. It looks like it’s a running total because they’ve got a very specific number, and hopefully, it keeps growing. That’s the fucking key to success, right?Then again, 3.4 million doesn’t count for shit if none of those members are ever logging in again. Scrolling down the tour page a bit, they claim over 100,000 daily users, but that figure isn’t exactly in line with their traffic stats. I think they’re getting closer to half a mil a month, which is nice but considerably less than what they’re bragging about.I’m always skeptical about giving some off-brand website access to my camera. Hell, I don’t always feel comfortable giving it to the big boys of the Internet, because you know goddamn well Amazon’s going to scan your bedroom and try to sell you new, improved versions of all your sex toys. You can use Shagle without a camera, but you’re not going to be able to chat with the cam-enabled users. What would be the fucking point? Anyway, I did a little homework around the web to make sure the joint ain’t a straight-up scam, and it definitely looks safe enough for access to my penis cam. This can’t possibly go wrong.Getting In Real Quick and EasyI remember when Chatroulette first came out. The original version was ludicrously streamlined. You didn’t need an account or anything to get started, just a webcam and a willingness to be seen by a stranger. The biggest problem was that at least half the cameras were aimed at some dude’s dick, so you’d end up clicking through an endless series of male genitalia no matter what you were really after.I think that’s why the more modern sites have at least some kind of basic setup before they let you in. Shagle keeps it pretty fucking simple, so you can be up and running in a few minutes. From the front page, you tell them whether you’re a dude, a chick, a tranny or a couple, and then click the Start Chatting button. It’ll ask you for access to your camera and mic, and off you go. (There’s also a button to Start Text Chat if you’re a homely motherfucker and don’t want people to see you.)I really expected them to make me create a full membership, but it turns out you can get access to the basic features without even signing up. That makes the site really accessible for anybody looking to chat right fucking now. It only takes a few seconds to start flipping through random dudes and chicks.There are some limitations, though, and they’re some pretty serious limitations. I was hoping to chat with chicks, but there were a lot of dudes in the mix. There’s a button to filter down your selection to the gender of your choice, but that’s only for registered members. There’s also a country filter to choose where you’d like to find some stranger to talk dirty with, but again, it’s only for registered members.You can do instant signup using your Google or Facebook account, but I opted for the e-mail signup. I hate using a real email address when I sign up for anything, because it’s always an invitation for spam, but I had a really hard time finding a temporary email service that was compatible with Shagle. They really want that valuable advertiser data!Special Perks for the Paid MembersAs soon as I clicked the link they emailed me, my account was confirmed and I was ready to start chatting. Of course, it was also a good opportunity for an upsell, so they made me an offer before I even had a chance to talk to strangers. The good news is that free users do get access to some of the cool features, like the auto-translate that helps you chat with anyone in the world without the language barrier. They’ve also got some neat face filters the Snapchat fans are going to love.Those features are cool and all, but you know what I was really excited about? The goddamn filters to chat by gender or location. Those have got to be the most useful ones on the menu, but you know what? You’re going to have to pay to unlock them.The normal price for a month is thirty bucks, putting Shagle.com on par with your typical porno paysite. That enables the full set of features, including those all-important filters. You also get some extra perks like an intro message, the option to hide your location and the ability to gain followers. The premium version ditches the ads, too, as it fucking should.Honestly, most of those features have very limited appeal. I’m guessing those of you who do sign up are mainly going to do it to help filter some better chat partners. There’s a limited time offer going on right now that’ll get you in for twenty bones a month, or seven bucks a week, which still seems pretty steep to me.I spent some time chatting with a chick named Lindsay from Canada. Other than the part where I told her I’m The Porn Dude and I review adult sites, the conversation didn’t have much sex in it. Your mileage is going to vary with these things, but the vibe I got was that most of the folks on the site aren’t really looking to share masturbation sessions. That means if you’re looking for that, it may be an uphill battle. If they had a checkbox to look for fellow perverts, it might be a lot more useful to us.Shagle.com isn’t a bad site, but I can’t say I was really all that impressed. It’s a better-looking site than Omegle, but really pales in comparison to Omegle’s traffic. These sites thrive on huge userbases, making this one feel underpopulated. I could see settling for a smaller pool to play in if the site was more sex-focused, but the loose anything-goes vibe made it feel a little too wholesome for those looking for something to crank off to. Signup’s quick and easy, so it doesn’t hurt to try, but remember to come back to my list of Sex Chat Sites if and when you get bored.
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