The name Chatroll is a combination of the words Chat and Blogroll:

Chat is real-time messaging. Chat has been a staple of the internet, from the early days of IRC to modern IM networks like MSN, Yahoo, and Jabber.

A Blogroll is a popular feature found on millions of blogs. It's a collection of links that point to other websites the author is interested in. Blogrolls are used to express the interests of a blogger- they're a way for authors to recommend other blogs to their readers.

Like a Blogroll, Chatroll lets you join live communities that interest you. In this way, your Chatroll profile becomes an expression of your interests. Like Chat, Chatroll is fully live and interactive.

The word roll has an additional meaning: it expresses the dynamic aspect of Chatroll: it's a constantly moving, changing, growing, ever-evolving source that reflects people and their interests.