Here’s how it works: Say you want to host a channel about blogging, you can schedule live conversations at any time and moderate who speaks. If you connect the tool to Facebook and Twitter, the site automatically shares the time of the chat to Facebook friends and Twitter followers.
Another cool feature — there’s no limit to how many people can be in the queue to ask questions. To help ensure the quality of the site, the designers implemented “aggressive checks,” including a requirement that anyone who signs up must have at least 25 Facebook friends to ensure they’re a real person and not a spambot.
Right now, the site is free to everyone and, unlike Google+ Hangouts, there’s no plugin requirement (Hangouts requires a 13.6MB install). As the team tests the site with new users, they plan to fix any quirks and add additional features such as the ability to record and save live chats.
Schwarzapel sees lots of uses for OnTheAir. “Bloggers could host discussions with their readers,” he says. “Small businesses could release a new product and talk to their customers about it. Users can join the already happening discussions with technology and social media experts.”
The team received $880,000 in seed funding this year from IronPort Cofounder Scott Banister, About.Me Cofounder and CEO Tony Conrad (via True Ventures), StockTwits Cofounder and CEO Howard Lindzon, Triple Point Ventures President Ben Narasin, and Euclid Analytics Founder and CEO Will Smith.
In addition, the team is closely advised by Lean Startup Author Eric Ries, About.Me Cofounder Ryan Freitas and others.
There are already several sites similar to OnTheAir: Sean Parker’s Airtime and StubHub Founder Jeff Fluhr’s Spreecast.
What do you think about OnTheAir? Will you use it? Tell us in the comments.
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