Skout introduces people via smartphone
App allows people nearby, far away to chat, flirt and meet
Skout is betting that people are turning more and more to their smartphones to help them meet new people.
The mobile app lets them see people nearby and start chatting and flirting.
A new feature, called "Shake to Chat," makes it even easier to start a conversation.
Today, Skout draws 1.5 million new users a month who check in to the app an average of nine times a day for short bursts of time.
In separate incidents, three teenagers had started chatting with adults through its location-based social networking app, arranged to meet them in person and were sexually assaulted.
A month later, it began to allow teens to sign in again, but under tighter rules and increased security and monitoring.
In a recent interview, Skout CEO Christian Wiklund discussed how the startup, which has raised $22 million in funding and employs 100 people, responded to last year's incidents, and the future of location-based social networking.
The component where you were connected to your friends didn't really take off.
[...] no stand-alone company seemed to make it happen.
The main activity of our users was they were reaching out to people locally and around the world.
There is a real need out there for meeting new people, and this is one of the big unsolved social categories out there.
What is the appeal of meeting new people through an app?
Do people worry about meeting someone posing as someone else?
(In the real world), you have these artificial boundaries, people you identify with.
There will always be risks involved in any activity you do, so then it comes down to the education of users and taking appropriate safety measures.