To send a message, click the bottles on the sand. A scroll appears, you type your message on it, click the "Send" bottle and watch your bottle float away.

Periodically, a bottle -- which could be from anywhere in the world -- will arrive on the horizon, and the lighthouse will rotate its spotlight to help you notice it. When the bottle gets close to the shore, click it open to read the message inside. (Note: you can only receive a message when not writing or reading one.)

After reading a message, you can either add a comment, toss it back, or retire it. If you click the Add Comment button, you will be able to type your comment at the end of the message and send it again into the ocean. If you click the Toss Back button, the message will simply be returned to the ocean to surface on another's beach. If you click the Retire button, the message is removed from circulation permanently.

FAQ

How long will it take before my message is picked up?

The bottle may float for some time before it is picked up, or it may be picked up immediately, there is no control over its destiny.

Can I see responses to messages I send?

You have the option to track your bottles to see the comments that other people have added to your original message. For each bottle you wish to track, simply enter your email address in the space provided at the bottom of the scroll when composing a message.

The email address that you provide will not appear in the Oceangram, it will only be used to send you the tracking number. Do not type your email address in the Oceangram message itself, that will void the whole message and it will be deleted from the system.

The email that you receive contains the tracking number as well as a link to the Oceangram tracking page. Copy the tracking number from the email. Click on the link to open the tracking page, and paste the tracking number in the provided box. Click "Get Message". A copy of your message will be retrieved along with any additions that people may have added to your Oceangram.

Please note that what you see is only a copy of your Oceangram. The Oceangram itself is still traveling in the ocean. Therefore, you cannot add to or re-send this copy. You can track the Oceangram as many times as you wish. That does not affect the progress of the Oceangram traveling from beach to beach. If your Oceangram has been retired, you will see a note regarding that at the end of the tracking information.

If you do not receive the emails with the tracking numbers, please see the second paragraph in the section a little ways down about targeted Oceangrams. The tracking numbers are generated automatically and are not able to be re-generated or retrieved.

I tried to track my Oceangram but it was 'not found.'

All messages and comments are filtered. The system automatically removes messages and additions that do not meet Oceangram's user protection standards. If you try to track a message that has been removed by the filtering system, you will receive the note that your message was not found. Even though you may be able to track the message immediately after you send it, it may be filtered at a later time and it will be deleted if it does not pass the filters. If you sent a message that passed the filters, and someone else added a comment to it that does not pass the filters, your message will remain safe in the system while that comment will be removed.

How long will my Oceangram be traceable after it has been discarded?

Discarded messages are periodically archived. You will be able to track your discarded Oceangrams until they are archived. The time period varies based on the time your message was discarded, and whether it is at the beginning of the archival period or at the end. Oceangram is unable to provide you messages that have been archived. If you wish to save your discarded Oceangram, you should save it on your computer as soon as your tracking information tells you that your Oceangram is retired.

Can I track comments that I add to other Oceangrams?

No. Only the original initiator of the Oceangram can track the messages in that Oceangram.

I lost my tracking number, how can I get it again?

Unfortunately there is no way to get your tracking number again. Do not delete the email with the tracking information until you are ready to let go of that Oceangram.

Can I send an Oceangram to a particular person?

Yes, it is called a Target Oceangram. If you wish your Oceangram to be picked up by a particular person, click the pile of bottles to write a new message, then click the Compass that appears below the writing scroll. The Compass light will turn on and an area to provide the email address of the recipient will appear. Once you click the send bottle, the ocean currents will magically direct your bottle to that person only. Your recipient will be sent an email with a link to retrieve the message you sent.

Before targeting an Oceangram, you have to validate your email address. If you do not receive the validation email or your recipient does not receive the notification email, it is because your email providers are blocking the emails or sending them to a junk mail box. Make sure to look for the emails in these filtered folders. Some email providers block Oceangram's automated emails, treating them as spam emails. Known email providers that do are AOL, RoadRunner, and Verizon. Other providers send the emails to a junk folder. Configure your spam email settings to add oceangram.com to your safe email list, or try another email provider, such as Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail.

How many messages can I send and pick up?

You can send as many messages as you wish, just keep it fun and safe. You can also pick up as many bottles as you find floating across your shore.

What can I send in an Oceangram?

You can use Oceangram to send text messages. Here are some ideas for writing Oceangrams:
Ask for a wish
Share your wisdom
Say it to get it off your chest
Write a message to let go
Use it as a means to vent
Practice expressing your feelings
Just for fun

How can I turn on the sound effects?

There are three sound effect buttons that can be turned on and off: the cork, the seagull, and the horn. The cork toggles on and off the continuous sound of the ocean, the seagull toggles on and off the continuous sound of the seagulls, and the horn toggles on and off the foghorn and other sounds effects. The foghorn alerts you when a bottle is arriving. You will not hear any sounds when you turn on the horn button until a message arrives. All these buttons are located on the left side of the graphics window, under the rocks. To control the volume, you can adjust the volume of your speakers, or the general volume control of the computer. There is no volume control within the Oceangram program.

Does the message go to more than one person at a time?

No. Each message is treated as a unique message and travels on its own from beach to beach.

Can you send a picture with a message?

At this time this feature is unavailable.

How long will the bottle wait for me at the shore?

The bottle will stay until you pick it up. It will not go away unless you close the window or leave this page, when it will go to another beach.

Can you receive your bottle back?

The odds of receiving back your own bottle depend on the number of users and the number of bottles in the ocean.

I see the light house flashing but I don't see any incoming bottles. What's wrong?

The lighthouse has two different kinds of flashing lights. A spotlight that rotates around the beacon indicates an incoming bottle, while the casual on and off light just tells you that the site is working fine.

Will I start getting junk email when I use Oceangram?

No. Oceangram does not send promotional emails without your consent and does not share your email address with other entities to send promotions or other emails. Read their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more information: click here.

I get bottles with wiggly corks that don't open.

It is possible that the internet is congested and that is delaying the communication between your computer and the Oceangram server. Sometimes you may have to allow the cork up to 120 seconds to open. If the cork does not open for a long time, simply close your browser and try again in a few minutes. The message will not be lost. If the problem occurs repeatedly over a span of a few hours, contact Oceangram, explaining the problem in detail.

I cannot see the graphics (the lighthouse, sand, bottles).

If you cannot see the water, lighthouse and bottles on the sand, you do not have the latest version of Flash player which is necessary to be able to use Oceangram. Go to the flash website and install flash on your computer, then come back and enjoy Oceangram. As you install flash, you may check off the Yahoo toolbar checkmark on the installation page if you do not wish to have that feature installed on your computer-- it is not necessary for flash. Downloading flash does not mean it is installed, you must install it in order to make it work. After installation, check to make sure it's installed correctly. See below to do that.

How do I check if I have the correct version of Flash Player installed?

Click here. It will tell you which flash version is installed on your computer. If you don't have version 8 or later, then you can install it from there.

It takes a long time to receive a message.

The message delivery is dependent on a number of factors, including the number of users and other formulas. If you see the graphics of the Oceangram, such as the lighthouse, the water and the sand, then you're in the right place. If you do not see the number of bottles delivered under the message board, or you see the word "undefined" instead of a number, then you are not connected to the system. Customized firewalls can cause this problem. Make sure to allow communication between the flash program and the internet through your firewall. Do not refresh the page in an effort to speed up the process, that will not work, or it may even delay it further.