How Does InterPals Pen Pals Work?

History

Interpals Pen Pals is one of the largest and most popular pen pal websites in the world. The website was created in 1998 as the International Penpal Page. The page was so popular that it was redesigned and recreated in 1999 as Interpals. One of the primary goals of Interpals is to help people find pen pals and friends from all over the world. The site is free to join. The sponsors and advertisers pay for the site.

Register an Account

Users are able to find pen pals from all over the world. To use the site, you first need to register for a free account. To do this, go to Interpals (see Resources below), click the "Register" link, and enter your name and a valid email address. You must be at least 13 to register. A confirmation will be sent to your email address. You will need to click on the link in the email in order to confirm your account. You will also need to agree to the site's terms of service.

Create a Profile

Once your account is confirmed, you should create a profile. Your profile can contain as much or as little information as you feel comfortable sharing. A basic profile will contain your name, age, region and primary language. You have the option of posting a picture on your profile. You should write a short "About Me" section, telling potential pen pals a little about you and what you are looking for in a pen pal. You can indicate whether you are looking for email or snail mail pen pals, friendship, romance, a relationship, or someone to help you with a foreign language. In your profile, there are also sections where you can indicate your hobbies, and a variety of favorites such as books, music, movies and quotes. You can set your profile to be public, available to friends or for your eyes only.

Search for Pen Pals

Once you have registered and created your profile, you can search for pen pals. There are several ways you can search for pen pals. Search by any combination of age, sex, interests, region, language, what they are looking for and whether or not they have a profile picture or if they are online or not. You can also search by name or email address. If you want to take a chance, you can do a random search without entering any criteria.

Connecting with Pen Pals

Everyone who registers for the site has access to a message box, which is an online mailbox through the site. If you find a pen pal you would like to connect with, you can send them a message. Likewise, if someone wants to contact you, they can send you a message through your message box. Everyone also gets a "wall", in which public messages can be left for friends and pen pals.

Other Features

Additional features of the site include a forum where you can interact with other members of the site as well as get technical support. There is also a chat room area and a photo album that is part of your profile, where you can upload more than one profile photo.

Tips & Warnings

Be aware of scams. Don't respond to anyone who makes you uncomfortable. Report anyone who posts inappropriate material to the site administrators. If the site is used properly, you can find long-lasting friendships and interesting pen pals.

Resources

• Interpals