Skout.com: Location Based Friending

The most shocking thing that I found about Skout.com, a location based mobile friending tool that lets you meet people that share your interests in your area, is that people are actually making friends on it. When I first read the concept, I expected a service packed with hookers and sexual compulsives, looking for horizontal friends.

Oh, I am not saying there are no dirty birdies on the site, but I was struck by how many people were making friends -- actually vertical friends -- on the service.



That's nice to see. Lord knows there are enough places for hookups online, so I was glad to see that this concept is really more mainstream than what I feared.

You'll find a couple of videos on how it works here (they are not embeddable, those silly geese) but basically you use one of the methods to identify your location via your phone. from there you can explore the other members online, contact and find your friends, or simply identify where you are and what you are doing. In all cases, it is possible to have really friendly interactions by text or even in person if you are comfy with that.



The service allows you to control who knows your location -- no one, your friends, or the universe.

Another interesting aspect is that you can log in using your identity from a preexisting social network profile. So no need for ANOTHER log in and all that. Additionally, you can put a widget for Skout on your FaceBook profile and get things going two ways in that manner.

Here's how they define the topline value of the service:

SKOUT is the social tool that connects you to others who are looking for friendship right now! Notify your new friends by posting mobile pictures, video, or chat. Do it on the go!

Find tens of thousands of people looking to meet up and connect with you. Many only blocks away.

Engage others in conversations at your computer or on-demand with your mobile. Get started chatting seconds after joining.

Notify your new friends by sending them pictures and videos captured by your mobile phone while on the go. Share your moments!

It's a nice innovation - definitely one worth your poking around in. Not sure how they are going to make money, but the potential for advertising and other streams by dint of the location based nature of the service are strong.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.