But AOL warns nonetheless that feeds may be inappropriate for children. With a high-speed Internet connection, it's much like watching TV on the computer. But you must forgive the grainy video in a 2-inch window and interruptions due to Net congestion. With dial-up modems, disruptions are frequent, so it feels more like a slide show. The site also offers chats with other viewers, bios of housemates, trivia on the house and samples questions from the application form.
Participants are well aware of the cameras.
She then recalls telling her parents just before the show. Though AOL would not disclose precise figures, it claimed that visits to the site increased fourfold in the first week. Ratings for the TV version, however, have dropped since the show began July 5. This isn't the first voyeurism venture on the Net. Hundreds of sites offer sexually explicit feeds.