Could this be the next big thing after Whatsapp?
Social networks post a significant challenge for newbies just starting out. Most people have meaningful thoughts and ideas to share, but what to do when there is no one to share them with? Idea Labs has developed an app, Shout, which promises to solve this problem.
What is it all about?
Shout is designed to enhance user engagement by connecting social media users within one kilometer radius of each other. Once you sign in the app, you can post updates known as Shouts. The advantage is that the user has a default audience of all the people who are within a kilometer of the Shout. If people find your Shout interesting, they will echo it in their circles, thereby increasing its visibility. The reach of a Shout may be limited, but you can increase the radius from where you want to fetch the Shouts.
Shout: Similar to a tweet or a status update, a Shout is a message that you want users in a geographical vicinity to hear.Shut Up - In case if you don't want to hear a particular shout, you can hit the shut up button which in turn will reduce the reach of the shout.
Echo: Similar to ‘reposting’ or ‘retweeting’, an echo lets your shout reach more people.
Pros and Cons
The app has great UI. Given its social utility, it has the potential to become a huge hit. The limit on the radius is a great way to filter signal from just noise. It also ensures that posters and users alike will be relevantly matched.
At its current development stage, the app is slow and needs much more work. Since every Shout is broadcast among the users of a particular locality, as the user base grows, the feed will need to be optimally managed to prevent chaos.
The app is ideal as an emergency response system, or any service which requires proximity or location based usage, to gather crowds and organize events. It could also be convenient for planning random meet ups and get-togethers with strangers in your proximity, but the possibility of this happening in India is quite low. Book club meetings, poetry slams, activist’s gatherings and the like- the possibilities are endless.
Click here to download shout.