Hook up with location, mapping mashup

If you thought social networking site Facebook was challenging your privacy, try this. Shout Out is a mobile mashup application that allows mobile phone users to find out what their friends are doing, where they are located, and possibly meet up. It can hook into Facebook or operate on its own.

The application, built by Net Ventures, a Sydney development firm, has won first prize in a mapping mashup competition sponsored by Sensis, and snagged a $15,000 cash prize.

The designers were aware of users’ privacy and security issues. Shout Out reveals the close, but not exact, physical location of users.

Net Ventures’ Antonio Smith told ZDNET.com.au. “Some people already call Facebook ‘stalkbook’, so we’ve made sure users who want to use the application can set up the privacy settings accordingly.”

The competition, open only to Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) members, was sponsored by Sensis to promote its new mapping Whereis.com developer API. API is currently in beta but scheduled to be publicly available in April to coincide with the relaunch of the Whereis.com website.