Turntable.fm for video site Chill now lets you privately chat with other users and has integrated Facebook and Twitter profiles to make it easier for people to make real-life connections.

"It started back when we launched live streaming and we realized pretty quickly how people really wanted to connect," Director of Growth Andrew Skotzko tells LAUNCH. "It wasn't just about the content even though that's what got it all going. What they really wanted was to engage with other people who are interested in the same things as them."

Now, a private chat window lists all active users on Chill that you're a fan of, as well as users in the same room as you.

"If you're going to do that, you need to provide people context," Andrew says. "No one wants to reach out cold without knowing what they look like, what they do or if they're crazy. Faces are important."

As long as users connect their accounts to Facebook and Twitter, a profile picture will appear next to their name.

"We want to make it easier for people to have that shared experience and really build the connections that starts with the experience," Andrew says. "It's exactly the kind of thing that [Lady] Gaga realized and what made her so successful. What made her huge, other than talent and hard work, is the fact that she built this amazing community around herself."

Other features include enhanced hovercards that include links to Facebook and Twitter, a profile picture, and buttons to let you become a fan of someone or publicly reply to them. Chill also added a points indicator in the top-right of the screen. Users earn points for playing videos other people "Like."

Brian Norgard and Dan Gould founded Los Angeles-based Chill in August 2011.

Soon after Chill launched [ see our story here] , they got rid of its autoposting to Facebook feature to appease Mark Zuckerberg [ see our story here ].

In September, Chill raised $1.5M from investors including Kleiner perkins, Redpoint, Atlas Venture and Paul Kedrosky.

SCREEN SHOTS

The new hovercard features Facebook and Twitter links. Users can easily "Unfan" or "Fan" someone simply using the hovercard.

The chest in the top-right corner shows you how many points you have. Clicking on the chest will show your achievements.

You can redeem your points for avatars by clicking "Select" under the one you want. Chill also shows you how many points you need to earn in order to advance.

CONTACTS & LINKS

Chill
Twitter: @ChillLive
Website: www.chill.com

Andrew Skotzko, Director of Growth
Twitter: @askotzko
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewskotzko
Google+: https://plus.google.com/113895146278122621021/posts

LAUNCH Blog