Write to Someone New

P.O. Box 667 is a mail forwarding project and informal offline networking experiment, inviting participants to send a “message in a bottle” through the mail.

In the spirit of serendipity behind the numerous websites (Chatroulette, Omegle, etc.) that produce random digital connections between visitors, the goal of P.O. Box 667 is to explore the potential in a randomized communications network facilitated by regular postal mail. Recognizing that the nuances of a person's handwriting — much like the sound of a person's voice out loud — form one of the most distinct expressions of individual identity in human communication, P.O. Box 667 invites participants to mail it letters, postcards, stories, drawings, scribbles, provocations, observations, and mail art, each of which it sends to a different random co-participant in the project.

Participate by preparing an envelope or postcard for a stranger and mailing it to P.O. Box 667, Solana Beach, CA, 92075, USA. Upon receipt by P.O. Box 667, it will be sent to someone new. Conversely, P.O. Box 667 will also send you a mailpiece from a different random co-participant — a surprise! Respond to that person if you'd like by writing to her or him directly. And maybe you'll receive correspondence from the person who received the item you sent.

P.O. Box 667 believes, especially in comparison to many an interaction on digital "random connection" networks, that releasing a mailpiece into the world's mailstream is an undeniably deliberate act of communication. For this, the main hope of the P.O. Box 667 experiment is to operate on the basis of a certain degree of empathy often said to be rare on those digital networks. Participate today — and let's see what happens.

More Information

What can I send?
That’s up to you. Maybe a letter. Maybe a drawing. Maybe a some leaves from a tree near your home. Mail art? The best advice would probably be to share something interesting or start a conversation. That said, please make sure whatever you send is legal and weighs no more than 2oz. Anything heavier would be too costly to forward on. Make sure you include a return address on the face of the mailpiece you submit — so that you can receive something that somebody else mailed to P.O. Box 667.

What will I receive?
You’ll receive a mailpiece that someone else mailed to P.O. Box 667. Since this is an experiment in infancy, it will be hard to say precisely what you'll get. You might also receive a reply from the person who received the item you sent.

If you'd like, mail something back to either of those people and continue the conversation!

What if I'm worried about sharing my mailing address with other participants in this project?
In place of your real address, consider using a post restante service, such as USPS's free General Delivery option. You'll just have to pick up your mail at the post office.

By mailing an envelope to POBox667.com, you consent to your envelope being shared with a random participant and to receiving a random participant’s envelope in response. While we hope that POBox677.com produces meaningful connections, its service is provided "as-is" and it bears no liability for the content of any envelope sent or received through its forwarding experiment.

inquiries@pobox667.com