About Seabottles
A place to write without an audience.
Almost everything we write online, we write for someone who knows us. We know who's going to read it, and that changes what we say. We adjust the tone, weigh each sentence, delete whatever might come across the wrong way. Writing in front of people who know you is, almost always, a bit of a performance.
Seabottles started with a question: what if you didn't know who you were writing to?
If the person reading your words doesn't know you, will never see you again, and can't find out who you are, then there's no point in lying. There's no point in trying to look good, either. All that's left is saying what's going on.
What we chose not to build
Almost everything Seabottles doesn't have, it doesn't have on purpose. These are decisions, not features still to come:
- No likes and no counters. No one knows how many people read a bottle, not even the person who wrote it. The moment there's a number, people start writing for the number.
- No followers and no profiles. You can't pick who to read, or look someone up again. Each bottle stands on its own, on what it says.
- No “most popular.” No bottle reaches your shore ahead of another because it's more liked.
- No names. All you see of the person who wrote is their city and country, and no one ever asks for a name before you write.
- No rush. A reply can take days. There's no “typing…,” no “seen,” nothing that pushes you to answer fast.
And what we did build
There's someone on the other side. Whoever finds your bottle can reply once, and if you write back, a private chat opens between the two of you. There are quiet gestures — resonate, keep, pass it on — and none of them has a counter. And there's a stamp for every country that has ever replied to one of your bottles: the Sea stamps in My Sea. They're the closest thing to an achievement here, and they're only for you.
For adults
Seabottles is only for adults 18 and over. Here you write without a name and without the usual social filters, and that takes maturity. If you think a minor is using the app, tell us at hola@seabottles.org. You can also choose the reason “Seems to be under 18” when you report any bottle.
Moderation
Being anonymous doesn't mean anything goes. Everything you cast goes through a filter before it sets sail, the server enforces a daily limit, and anyone can report content, with or without an account. When we remove something, we say so, we explain why, and there's a button to appeal for free. Appeals are decided by a person. Nothing is ever removed in silence.
Contact
- hola@seabottles.org — one address for everything: general questions, content reports, accessibility barriers, and concerns that a minor is using the app. Put the reason in the subject line.
- Or use “Write to us,” the contact screen in the app's footer. You don't need an account, and if you don't leave an email, we still read your message.
The Terms of Service, the Privacy Policy, the Legal Notice, and the Community Guidelines each have their own page, and they're also in the app.