We have 48 bottle choices in our Message Builder, but in early June, we noticed an interesting trend:  Out of the four dozen bottles, our users were consistently selecting from the same handful of choices.  So we launched the Botl Challenge to encourage members of our community to try all 48 bottles.

To successfully complete the challenge, participants were required to bottle and share 48 messages, one for each of our bottles.  Users were asked to share messages that were relevant to the bottles carrying them.  For example, one user chose a detergent bottle to carry instructions on folding a fitted sheet.  Do you remember the hilarious episode from I Love Lucy where Lucy stomps grapes in Italy?  Well, another of our users shared that funny video clip in a wine bottled titled “The Wrath of Grapes“!   Jeanna Nelson was the first to complete the challenge, and we will be featuring Jeanna’s profile and bottles on our blog and our Facebook fan page this week.  Several other members of the Botl Community completed the challenge, bottling some highly entertaining and remarkably varied messages in the process.

The original Botl Challenge ended on July 1st, but because it was such a success, we are continuing the Botl Challenge throughout the month of July.  During the Botl Challenge, we will feature the participants’ entries on our landing page, as well as here on BotlNotes and on our Facebook fan page.  Members who successfully complete the challenge will receive a special “bottlecap” badge, and their profiles will be featured on Botl’s “profile strip” in August.

To participate in the Botl Challenge, please follow the guidelines listed below:

1. In the title line for each of your 48 bottles, please include the bottle number, followed by its title.  To the extent possible, create messages that relate to the shape of the bottle you are filling.
2. Please vary the type of content.  In addition to single images, be sure to include YouTube videos, GIFs/animated images, and even slide shows.  When sharing images, pair them with a song or sound effect from our Audio Library.
3. In at least a dozen of your 48 bottled messages, use the WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get“) text editor in the Message box to stylize the text portion of your message.  Consider including a quote, a poem, song lyrics, instructions or your personal comments & observations.
4. Use the hyperlink tool in at least four of your 48 bottles.  It’s a great way to give credit to the original maker of whatever you’re sharing, or even to bring other users back to your personal blog/website or your profile on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or your other social media sites.
5. When you reach #48, share that bottle with your Followers, and then also send it as a direct message to the Botl King, who will review your collection from #1 through #48 and then feature you and your collection here on Botl, as well as in our Botl Notes blog and our Facebook ““Message in a Botl” fan page.
6. Consider introducing a friend to Botl, and ask them to participate in the Botl Challenge along with you.
7. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at don@botl.com.

To modify your Botl profile, click on the white arrow in the top, righthand corner.  A dropdown menu will appear.  Click on Profile Settings.

A new panel will open up, with fields for you to modify your profile description or change your email address and Pasword.   At the top of the panel, there are three tabs.  Click on the “Links” tab to add or change your social media links.  There are four options that appear by default – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and one for your personal website or blog.  To select from the 18 social media options, click on the button that says “Add Another.”  You can have up to six social media links on your Botl profile page.