A major cable TV network is looking to feature Skout users for an exciting, upcoming reality TV show! Have you found a special someone (boyfriend, girlfriend, casual date, crush, etc.) on Skout, but have yet to meet him or her in real life? Here’s your chance to show the world your special story and make your first meeting unforgettable. Featured participants will be compensated.

If you have an awesome story and want to meet that special person soon, briefly fill out and email the below details to: submission@skout.com.

Only email submissions will be considered.

Please provide:
1. Your real name, Skout username, phone number & clear photo of yourself
2. Real name, Skout username, email address, phone number & clear photo of the Skout user you’d like to meet (we’ll need their permission)
3. Length of time you’ve known or chatted with your special someone on Skout
4. Your relationship status with this person – BF/GF, casually dating, crush, etc.
5. Why we should pick you. Tell us why your relationship and story should be featured in 250 words or less

Requirements:
You met and have been chatting on Skout for 2+ months
You have never met your special someone in person.

You both must be US residents

Deadline:
Wednesday, 1/25/2012 at 11:59PM PST

Please discuss this opportunity with the Skout user you have in mind before volunteering. You BOTH MUST AGREE to PARTICIPATE in order to be considered.

We will contact you via email if you are chosen for this opportunity.

Good luck, Skouts!
Sheena

Want to welcome the New Year with a $10 iTunes gift card? How you may ask? Simply comment below with your New Year’s resolutions! Easy, right?!

No rules, no gimmicks, just simply let us know what your New Year’s resolutions are. There will be 10 winners. Yes, 10! The decisions will be awesome and not questionable. All I ask is to make sure to comment using the email address linked to your Skout account so I can contact you with your prize!

Deadline: January 2, 2012

My resolutions:
1. Learn how to cook
2. Spend more time with family and friends
3. Shop less

This year I wanted to be realistic and set resolutions I can actually keep.

Happy New Year, Skouts!

Good day,
Sheena

We are thinking about changing the icon from the heart to this, and would love your input.. like or dislike?

Backstage is Skout’s newest feature for iPhone users. Launched on December 7, Backstage allows you to upload photos to your profile BUT hides them until it’s unlocked.
What’s in it for you? For every person who unlocks your Backstage you will receive a fraction of the points earned. Put your popularity to test with this fun new feature!
Before anything you’ll need to update to the latest and greatest version of Skout, 2.9.0. If you haven’t already joined the craze then keep reading for I will guide you to the light…

To get Backstage:

Start at your profile
1. Click the Backstage Picture option
2. A pop up box will appear stating, Backstage. Your backstage is empty. Add pictures to your backstage, set your price and earn points.
3. Tap on the Add Pic icon then it will ask if you want to Take New Picture, Choose From Library or Cancel
4. If you elected to upload a picture then a pop up box will appear stating, Backstage Picture Posted. The picture will be reviewed by our staff and be visible in your backstage shortly. You can set your own backstage price on your profile.
Note: Backstage pictures must still be within Skout’s guidelines.
5. Wait to get approval. Once accepted you will get a notification stating, Your picture was approved
6. You can go ahead and Set Unlock Price
7. Price your Backstage pictures anywhere from 10 – 10,000 points. If you got awesome pictures I suggest you price that baby high! Remember, for every user who Unlocks your Backstage you’ll receive a portion of the points earned.
Note: You can change the pricing at any time.
8. Congrats, now you have Backstage! Users who Unlocked your Backstage can now rate it from 1-5 stars!

How do you know who has Backstage? Skouts using the Backstage feature will have a Yellow Star right under the green online dot.

Similar to Who thinks I am hot? and Who checked me out? Backstage will be available for only 24 hours upon time of purchase. This means IF the user you bought a pass for chooses to upload new pictures within 24 hours you can view it for no additional points!

Caution: Use Backstage at your own risk. There are no refunds if you suddenly discover that the pictures weren’t worth it.

Skouts, do you have what it takes to get a 5 STAR rating? You’ll just have to try it and find out. Comment below with your experience.

Good day,
Sheena

Do you have game? Are you quite the charmer or just simply good with words? Whatever it is you are or think you are; we want you…to share your best catchy openers! You might be thinking to yourself one liners are L A M E but you’ve got to admit they can break the ice. If you ever used a catchy opener and got a smile, a chuckle, or a response then you know what? Success!! A simple hello and hey can only go so far nowadays. Sigh…Plus, some of us aren’t so great with starting a chat therefore using an opener can offer the foundation needed for a conversation to take off.

Here’s where YOU come in…

Skout has users from all over the world so we’re interested in catchy openers in whatever language you know or speak! German, Korean, Spanish, Chinese, English, Cambodian, Extraterrestrial, so on and so forth. The language doesn’t matter much however, just be sure to translate them into English so we all can get a giggle out of them. A handful will get chosen to be featured in our Wink Bombs! Pretty awesome, right?! You could be famous! Well, not really but it’s still pretty awesome. Ohh, and we’ll give you FREE Skout points if your submission wins!

Below are a few examples of previous submissions currently used in our Wink Bombs:
* Can I borrow your phone? I need to call God and tell him I found his missing angel.
* Here I am! What were your other two wishes?
* Are you a parking ticket? Cuz you’ve got FINE written all over you!
* Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?
* Do you mind if I save your picture? I need to show Santa what I want for Christmas.
* Someone call the fire department; you are SMOKIN!
* If you were a booger, I’d pick you first.
* You wouldn’t happen to have a map, would you? I keep getting lost in your eyes.
* I hope you know CPR, because you just took my breath away.

Skouts, and if you think you can do better now is your chance! Comment below with as many catchy openers you can think of. The more the merrier I always say. Well, unless it’s a handful of girls sharing a bathroom. Haaa!

Here’s an example I received today:
* Spanish: Me enamore de tus ojos. (English: I fell in love with your eyes).

Anywho, I look forward to reading your submissions. May the best Skout win!

Spread the word! “Like” it, Tweet it or both!

Good day,
Sheena

Pretty much self-explanatory, right? The holidays are fast approaching and it’s super easy to lose sight of what we’re really celebrating. So, let’s take 2 steps back and ponder over what we ought to be thankful for. Where do I start? This is actually harder than it sounds. Okay, here I go!

I am thankful for…

My support beams
AKA my family and friends for without their love and constant support I would probably be lost (literally, I’m bad with directions). In all seriousness, I’m a very family- oriented person and having them always on my side takes me a long way. They may be bug-a-boo’s and I may take them for granted from time to time but in the end they’re all I have. Now, make sure you go home and kiss your momma and tell her you love her!

Life
Yeah, I’m thankful for life! As we ALL should be. I’m just glad to be alive, breathing and in good health. Point blank!

My job
In this economy a J-O-B is pretty hard to come by so I’m totally grateful I’m employed. Better yet, I’m thankful I actually enjoy my job! I commute (on the train) for an hour and some minutes a day to and from just to be in the office. To some the duration might not seem too bad but for someone (me) who never worked more than 10-15 minutes away from home it’s a big deal! But, when opportunities come knocking you don’t just send them away like stray puppies. No, no, nooo! If you’re anything like me you’ll sneak them in for safe keeping.

I think those 3 things pretty much sum up what I’m thankful for this holiday season.

Now it’s your turn! Skouts, comment below with a few things you’re thankful for or just give a little shout-out to those that deserve thanks in your life!

Good day,
Sheena

P.S.
Remember to stop by our gift store to send your flirt a Thanksgiving gift! Roy the turkey is now FREE so go go go!

I’m sure some of you have encountered users (both male and female) who have tried to lure you to text some kind of passcode, add them to messenger or vote of them in some bogus contest in exchange for a chat session or some pictures. These people are S C A M M E R S! Yes, scammers! ‘Cam girls’ are what they’re most commonly known by. They’re probably not even girls, and definitely not the cute ones in the photos.

Below are some examples of how they look and what they would usually say ….

Example 1: can u add me on msn marieDELETED@hotmail.com or ym marielforuDELETED@yahoo.com

Example 2: by the way,im joy 19 and im a stripper on cam. Does that bother you at all ?
it will be on the site and it going to be free coz ill give you a VIP OWNER PASSCODE.
i will send you the link where u can vote and the VIP OWNER PASSCODE but promise me dont give it to others for you to get the the free access thre so you can VOTE me and we can play on my cam there babe

Example 3: i have freshly taken pictures in the shower im using a short # conveniet for sharing pics just get ur cellphone and txt GABY to 3.5.3.DELETED and reply YES to 3.5.3.DELETED right after thats my real number..just set into private mode no worry hun it only charges metro pcs and cricket hun others will be a ordinary texting…kisses

Example 4: Hi there… This is Sasha. How are you? Can I ask a little favor? wink wink! =) I joined a model search and I am 1 of the finalist. Can you vote for me so that I can bring home the crown? Heres how… Just text: SASHA to 353DELETED then reply YES immediately so that your vote will be counted. Just keep in touch. Dont worry no worry just to get a confirmation it’s not chrge u anything just like an ordinary text… if you vote for me now, i will give you my sexy nude pic as a thank you g…

Skout engineers are constantly coming up with ways to keep scammers out, but we can never be perfect. In the millions of legitimate messages our members exchange every day, there will be a few bad ones despite all our engineering.

If you have encountered any of them, I apologize because I know they could be a nuisance. If you haven’t yet, please make a mental note and do NOT not associate yourself with them! Do NOT do what they ask or you WILL get charged on your monthly phone bill! Your credit card number WILL be stolen, and Skout won’t be able to help. You don’t wanna be charged do you? I sure don’t.

So do your part to keep Skout safe, and don’t respond, REPORT!

How to Report Spam on Skout for Iphone:

1. Go to Report located on the top right of every chat box
2. Select This is spam or scam
3. Press Done
4. Wahhhh La! You just submitted a report! You will receive a pop up message that reads, Thanks for your report! It will be reviewed by our staff shortly.

So, help us make Skout a safe place by reporting them! Now that you’ve been warned go get your flirt on BUTTTT just be on the lookout.

Good day,
Sheena

Skouts, we’re looking for some users to take part in our first evvvvver virtual focus group. Just answer a few questions about how you experience Skout and we’ll do the rest! So, here’s your opportunity to voice your opinions. Make it count! Comment below stating your interest along with the email address linked to your Skout account and I will contact you shortly OR make my life easier by clicking this link. –> Click here to take Skout’s Focus Group survey.

Thanks in advance.

Good day,
Sheena

Hello all! I hope everyone is doing well! I just wanted to take a minute or five to express my gratitude to all the readers out there. I’ve been receiving a tremendous amount of positive feedback and responses lately and for that I am totally grateful. It’s a tough gig – I’m vulnerable to judgment from everyone and their mommas with every word I type! But, I don’t let it get to me because I’m confident in my work. Honestly, I’m just glad people actually take time out of the day to read my blogs! Haha. So, thannnk youuuuu Skouts. You guys and gals are the best!

Anywho,

Doesn’t it feel like Summer started just a few days ago? I can remember writing my Finally, Summer’s here! blog anticipating all the fun times and memories I’ll have this Summer. It’s true; time does fly when you’re having F U N. It came, conquered and now it’s getting ready to up and leave us! I’m totally not a sun person but I took pleasure in the beautiful California weather we were graced with. I even found myself sunbathing here and there, gasp! Never before did I think I would literally soak up the sun like that. Haha.

Now, looking back I can giggle at all the memories I created this Summer. I celebrated my birthday (officially a quarter of a century old!!), I went to the movies a bunch and watched almost all the Summer blockbuster hits, I celebrated my childhood friend bachelorette’s party, caught up with friends I haven’t seen in forever, tried a few new restaurants and eateries, spent some quality time with the important people in my life, etc.

But, enough about me, I’m curious to read what Skouts did this Summer?! Do share!

Good day,
Sheena

I’ve missed you guys! Yup, you and you and mostly youuuuu! No worries, there’s enough love to go around all of Skout! It’s been a while since I’ve blogged but I’ve been a busy beeeee. As always I have a question to propose. Answer wisely but most importantly truthfully and we can possibly learn a little something from each other!

So, a few days ago I was at the movie theater watching a certain captain movie and I realized that my first official date was to watch a movie (I’m sure many others are on the same boat). I remember we bus’d it as far as we could then walked the rest of the way there. Ahhh, what I’d give to be a teenager again…those were the good ol’ days! We can’t possibly imagine doing that nowAdays, it’d just be way too complicating because with age comes responsibilities. Boooo!
Anyways, what I’m attempting to point out is that you’ll ALWAYS remember your first date! It’s could very much be a life changing event. Kinda. It’s just one of those moments you don’t forget so hopefully you made/going to make good decisions to help create those unforgettable memories. Hmmm, for those in a relationship…do you remember your first date?

As clichE as the idea of dinner and a movie sounds – it’s classic! Granted it is the safe and more traditional route but there’s nothing wrong with playing it safe, right?

Speaking of safe, if you meet someone on Skout, the first time you meet in person be sure to follow our safety guidelines: www.Skout.com/onlineSafetyTips.jsp

Skouts, let’s say things heat up with your flirt and you both agree to a date! Now what? What would YOU do or where would you go? Be realistic, please.

Good day,
Sheena