• What is Skout?
• Who is Skout?
• Who can use Skout?
• How do I create an account?
• How much does Skout cost?
• What platforms does Skout work on?
• What mobile phones does Skout support?
• Does Skout have an iPhone Application?
• Can I use Skout on my laptop?
• How are you able to find people near me?
• What kind of privacy settings do you have?
• Can I block people I don't want to talk to?
• Should I be concerned about someone following me around secretly?
• How do I access Skout with my mobile phone?
• What are 'friends' and why are they part of a dating site?
• How do I upload photos to the site?
• How do I upload video to the site?
• How do I post a status update to my friends?
• Can I share my status with people on twitter?
• I want to tell my friends about Skout, is there an easy way to do it?
• Someone is bothering me, who should I contact?

With Skout you can find cute singles close-by, strike up a conversation, grab a drink, share a cup of coffee, and find new friends! Notify potential love interests what you're really all about, by posting mobile pictures or notes on the go.

Skout, Inc is a startup based in San Francisco's SOMA district. It was founded in early 2007 as service for mobile device users who wanted to share location-specific photographs. Then it developed into a mobile, location-based social networking service. In late 2008, Skout surveyed its users and found that 83% of them were using the service for dating, so the company became a location-based mobile dating platform .

Anyone who is older than 16 can use Skout. You need access to a mobile phone or a laptop or desktop computer.

Click the "Join Now" button on the right side of this page to get started. It's a big button so it shouldn't be hard to find. ;-)

All features of Skout are currently free of charge. We may charge for some of our services at a later date.

Skout works on a desktop or laptop computer using a browser such as Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer. Skout also works on most mobile phones, as well as the Apple iPhone.

Skout works on nearly every Web-enabled mobile device. Just point your phone's browser to http://www.skout.com. The site automatically adapts to the size and functionality of the phone. Skout has also released a native iPhone application that can be downloaded from the iphone appstore.

Yes! Find it in the AppStore under the Social Networking section. It's a free application and leverages key features of the iPhone including its GPS and built-in camera.

Yes! Simply go to http://www.skout.com with a browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer. If you don't have a Skout account yet, click the 'Sign Up' button on right side of this page.

Skout's dating platform leverages location-based services to make the service a richer experience for its users. Skout uses different technology depending on the platform you are using. If you have a 3G iPhone, Skout uses its built-in GPS chip to locate you via satellite. If you have a 2G iPhone or another wireless device without a GPS chip, Skout uses older and less-accurate location technology to find approximately where you are, and if you are using a browser on your desktop/laptop, Skout leverages Skyhook Wireless technology or IP records to find your location.

Skout lets you make your profile, pictures, and location public, private, or viewable only by your friends. It's your choice. And if you want to delete not only your current location, but other places you've been when you were using Skout, no problem. We want you to have fun using Skout, but we also want you to be safe.

Of course. At the bottom of every person's profile you view, there is a series of links: REPORT ABUSE, BLOCK USER, ADD FRIEND, EXPLORE, CHAT, and EXPAND PROFILE. If you click on BLOCK USER, that user is no longer able to contact you or view your profile. And if you suspect that someone is bothering you in a way they shouldn't, please use the REPORT ABUSE link and let us know what's wrong. We are serious about your safety.

This is why we have multiple privacy settings. You can make your location available to anyone, just to people you have picked as friends or to no one at all.

Activate your mobile phone's Web browser and type in www.skout.com. You'll get a specialized version of the Skout website sized to fit your mobile phone's screen.

These are people you like, and who like you. You can invite someone to be your friend, and someone can invite you, but to become friends on Skout you must both agree to the relationship. And let's face it: we meet people we like, either through Skout or elsewhere, but with whom we feel no romantic spark. These are our friends, right? The people who share our interests, our crazy jokes, and who turn to us (and the other way around) when we need reassurance. Skout encourages you to make friends, not just try to meet a new lover. Both add value to your life.

With an iPhone, use the SKOUT application. It's automatic. Other mobile phone users can use email uploads. There's a link in the upper-right-hand corner of each page (when you're logged in) that says "Settings." Click it, and one of the choices it brings up is "Uploading." Click that word, and you'll see your own, custom upload email address. If you're in front of your computer you can use that upload email address or click the "Post" (Picture/Video) button on the left side of your page, right above your list of friends.

It's almost exactly the same as uploading photos. Same easy built-in functionality in the SKOUT iPhone application, same email address for other video-capable mobile phones, and the same "Post" button on the left side of the page when you're at your computer. Try it. Videos are fun!

Left side of a Skout page in your browser window. "Post" Note. A window will open. Type your note -- up to 140 characters long -- in the window. Click "Okay" to send your note. Easy, eh?

Absolutely. Click the "Settings" button in the upper right corner of your Skout page. Choose the "Share" tab. Scroll down to "Twitter," and type in your Twitter username and password. Your Skout notes will now appear on Twitter, too.

Of course. In the left column of your Skout page there's a "Find Friends" button. Click that, and it'll show you how to find people you may know who are already Skout members, how to invite friends to become Skout members (all you need is their email addresses) and even a button that will allow you to invite everyone in your entire contact list on other popular networking services (including GMail) to join Skout, all at once.

At the bottom of every person's profile you view, there is a series of links: REPORT ABUSE, BLOCK USER, ADD FRIEND, EXPLORE, CHAT, and EXPAND PROFILE. If you feel BLOCK USER is not a strong enough action, please click the REPORT ABUSE button and tell us what that person's doing. We are very strict about harassment and other bad actions. After all, someone who is bothering you may also be bothering other Skout users without your knowledge. Please report abusers so we can shut them down. We want Skout to be a happy, welcoming community, not a place where anyone needs to be afraid, ever.