Evan Tana, director of Product at Loopt, says: “If mobile phones initially enabled users to talk and hear over unlimited distances, social mapping services enable them to see. I can’t think of anybody I know who does not have at least a few people that they frequently text to ask where they are.”

Loopt, together with operator Boost Mobile, launched its social mapping service in the US in September 2006. “The reception has been well beyond our expectations,” Tana says.

Fine-tuning rendezvous points, changing restaurants or just checking whether friends are in the area can easily be done without calling or texting. “Unlike much of today’s mobile and computer content, Loopt is about improving real-life relations and enabling people to spend more time with each other,” Tana says. “It is about encouraging you to spend more time with people and less time with your computer.”

Loopt’s social mapping service uses sophisticated location-based technology that makes it possible to zoom in to street level and see exactly who is in the area.

Founder Sam Altman came up with the idea when he became curious about where some of his college classmates went for lunch. The prototype attracted backing from Sequoia Capital, the same venture capital firm that helped fund Google and YouTube.

Evan Tana says early adopters of the service are urban youngsters who lead active social lives. “But in the future I can certainly see parents using Loopt’s service to keep track of family members, as well as people in their late 20s and early 30s using it to find their friends.”

Loopt has put a great deal of effort into making the service as safe as possible. “Everyone values their privacy and to know someone’s position is obviously very powerful,” Tana says. “Therefore, we only want people to use this service with their close and trusted friends. Consumers have total control over the service at all times. Sometimes you might only want a few people to see you and sometimes you don’t want to be seen at all, and you can adjust the service features accordingly.”

After a strong launch, Loopt’s ongoing success is in the hands of users. “All successful interactive services have spread by word of mouth, so what is really important for us is that people like the service enough to tell each other about it,” Tana says.

Rikard Hegelund