SocialEyes lets Facebook friends video chat

Startup SocialEyes on Monday introduced a service that lets people have one-on-one or group video chats with friends from hot online community Facebook.

A test version of SocialEyes made its debut in California at a DEMO conference for technology startups and was made available online at socialeyes.com or apps.facebook.com/socialeyes.

SocialEyes was described by some as a more civilized version of Chatroulette, which randomly connected users in vidchats in a service that became known as a stage for bawdy antics by strangero s.

SocialEyes users sign on with Facebook IDs and can connect with known friends or other members of the online community with shared interests.

"SocialEyes takes the social networking experience to the next level by enabling people to connect with their networks and meet interesting people who share common interests through face-to-face communication or via video messages," said startup co-founder Rob Williams.

The San Francisco-based SocialEyes founded by Williams and Rob Glaser has raised $5.1 million in capital, with $600,000 coming from independent "angel" investment and the rest from a round of funding led by Ignition Partners.

"The Internet has brought us all closer, but SocialEyes takes social networking to a whole new level by connecting you face-to-face with people, not usernames," said DEMO executive producer Matt Marshall.

"It completely changes the way we communicate with and meet new people."