Frequently Asked Questions

General Info

Using Shizzow

General Info

1. How do you pronounce "Shizzow"?

It's pronounced "shi-ZOW"!

2. What does "Shizzow" mean?

According to the Urban Dictionary, Shizzow is another form of "Booyah!" or "W00t!". We just thought it was fun to say, and it was the only domain name still available, so we grabbed it. Shizzow! :)

3. Isn't this just like Big Brother in 1984?

We don't see it that way. In 1984, Big Brother was omnipresent - he knew exactly where you were at all times. In Shizzow, we don't know where you're at until you tell us. And if you're at a place and don't want anyone to know where you're at, then you need to make sure you don't shout from that place on Shizzow! And even if you do, you can always update your privacy preferences, change your availability setting to Unavailable, and no one will be able to see where you're currently at.

4. What are the guidelines for using Shizzow?

We have a few simple community guidelines for how we think people should behave on Shizzow along with some legal terms and conditions to keep the lawyers happy. Stay within these and everyone will be happy.

5. I have a great recommendation for Shizzow! How do I contact Shizzow to let you know about it?

We'd love to hear from ya! Drop us a line through our page on Get Satisfaction!

Using Shizzow

6. How do I tell Shizzow where I'm currently at?

We use the term "shout" to signify letting others know where you're at. Sometimes you'll give a "shout out" from a specific place, but on Shizzow you Shizzout from a place. Find the place you're currently at through our search engine, or the Where are You? section of your personal home page, then click Shout. For extra credit, use the Shout + Message button to provide people with some context about your location. Now all your friends will know where to find you!

7. How do I add a friend on Shizzow?

Enter your friend's user name, full name or email address in the search box in the upper-right part of the screen, and we'll let you know if that person has signed up for Shizzow yet. Once you find your friend, click Listen, and you'll begin listening to your friend's shouts. Some call it friending, others call it following, but we went with "listen" because everything else either sounded corny or just plain creepy.

8. My friend isn't on Shizzow yet? Can I invite them?

Maybe? We periodically give people invites to use with their friends, and you can see the number of invitations you have left on your personal home page underneath your name in the sidebar. If you run out of invites and need a few more, you can petition your friendly neighborhood community manager for more. Don't forget to ask nicely and say "pretty please".

9. I'm worried about privacy. How can I prevent current location from being discovered the entire world?

We're as concerned as privacy as you are. Well, maybe a little more concerned. Shizzow's first action in each of its development initiatives is to outline how to protect privacy and security for each and every one of Shizzow's peeps.

In your privacy preferences, you may change your privacy setting to Public or Private. Public means that anyone can see your current location through our website, or through another website or service that uses information from Shizzow. Private means that your location will only be known to people that you approve to listen to your shouts. In other words, no one will be able to find your location on Shizzow, see you on a map, or find your location through any service or website that uses Shizzow. Only the people you approve to listen to you will be able to see your location through the Shizzow website.

10. How will my listeners be notified when I arrive at a specific place?

Once you Shout from a place, your friends can find out your current location from any number of means. They can visit your profile page on Shizzow, they can find your last shout on their personal home page, or they sign up for notifications in order to receive your shouts through email or IM.

11. What is a favorite place?

A favorite place is just what it sounds like - one of your favorite spots that you keep going back to over and over again. Rather than searching for the same place, you can add it to your Favorite Places, and by doing so you'll create an easy way to shout from that place. Just visit your personal home page by clicking the Shizzow logo at the top of the screen once you're logged in, the click the dropdown menu next to Favorite Places, click the place you are currently at, and click Shout!

12. How do I block another Shizzow user?

Blocking another Shizzow member is a way to prevent yourself from being or feeling as if you were stalked. Blocking will prevent another Shizzow member from listening to your shouts, and will not allow that person to see your location anywhere on the website, or through any external service.

The first step to blocking another user is that you must change your privacy setting to Private in your privacy preferences. Next, visit the profile page for the person you would like to block, and click Block in the lower-right portion of the screen.

13. Which countries does Shizzow support?

Shizzow currently only supports the United States. As we continue to fine tune our services through the private beta period, we will gradually begin to support more countries.

14. Does Shizzow have an API?

No, not at the moment. But, you will see one from us in the near future.

15. How do I change my notification settings?

You may change how you receive Shouts, Listen Requests and Shizzow Updates through the notifications preferences page. By default, you will receive an email from Shizzow every time one of the people you listen to shouts from a place on Shizzow. You may customize the delivery method for these shout notifications, whether you'd like to receive those shouts via email, IM or SMS. Listen Requests and Shizzow Updates will only be sent via email. You may also turn on/off notification messages for Shouts, Listen Requests as well as Shizzow Updates through this page.

16. Can I use Shizzow from my mobile phone's web browser?

Possibly. We released an alpha version of the Shizzow mobile site for web enabled phones at http://m.shizzow.com. We would love to have you try it out and let us know how well it works on your phone.

17. Can I use Shizzow from my mobile phone via SMS?

Yes! You can shout using SMS from your mobile phone using the instructions on our Using SMS page.