An encountergram is a message that you post on the uencounter.me global map to someone that you have encountered at some point in time. The message can be one of gratitude, forgiveness, or sorrow. It can reference an encounter many years ago or as recently as the past 24 hours.
The act of expressing gratitude (thankfulness) has been proven by psychological research to increase levels of happiness and even to promote good health. Much of the same can be said for the extension of forgiveness. Uencounter.me offers you the opportunity to post these messages even if you no longer know how to contact the person you would like to reach. By posting the encountergram to a location on the map and indicating the circumstances regarding the encounter, other users will have the ability to read, perhaps recognize the intended recipient, and forward the posting notice. As the site's population of users grow, so too does the chance that your message will be read by the intended individual!
Once an encountergram is posted to the global map, it is represented by a green pin. All encountergrams are available to be read by uencounter.me users. When the intended recipient acknowledges receipt, the encountergram will be "closed" and the pin color will change to a dark green. When encountergrams are posted for individuals who's current contact information is unknown, allowing other users to read may help to deliver the message serendipitously. The author of the encountergram will have complete control over closing the encountergram once the identification of the recipient has been confirmed by the author.