BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Find Pen Pals Online

By eHow Internet Editor

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Having a pen pal is a great way to find out more about a different part of the country, or even the world. Take the time to write to a new friend and see what you will learn.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Scanners
Internet Access
E-mail Accounts
Postage Stamps
Envelopes
Personalized Stationery
Writing Pens
Computers

Step1

Do a search for a combination of words like "pen pal", "find" and "write".

Step2

Try using several different search engines to see what types of things you find.

Step3

Visit some of the sites that come up.

Step4

Look for those sites that seem to meet your goals, whether it is to find a friend across the world or to develop a romance in the next state.

Step5

Find services that are geared to your age, whether you are a student, a parent or a senior citizen. Different sites may cater to different audiences.

Step6

Consider using sites that ask you to share your interests and then match you up with someone who is similar. This can save you the time of searching through hundreds of ads yourself.

Step7

Always find out if any fee is involved before you sign up for any services.

Step8

Check through some of the ads of people seeking pen pals to see if any catch your attention.

Step9

Remember that some sites include photographs of the pen pals so you will know what your pen pal looks like. This can be useful if you are hoping your pen pal will turn into a date.

Step10

Post your own advertisement and let others do the work and contact you.

Tips & Warnings

Look for chatrooms hosted by pen-pal sites and participate in an ongoing discussion.
Be on the lookout for others who have similar viewpoints and might be good pen pals.
Always be cautious when you give out personal information. You can never play it too safe.

Comments

actingstar21 said

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on 9/29/2008 This is very helpful advice! You can never be too safe while browsing online. I, myself, love to talk to people of different cultures. So great article!

on 1/11/2007 I would like to say that it isn't always young people that want to find a pen pal online. It is right though a young person should never give out too much information over this net because you don't know who you are really talking to. But, people should try to be honest. If a child is on here posing or acting as an adult because they can write well then that is wrong. Adults should be adults and children should be children and adults should not have to be taken by surprise that they have been talking to some young person when they thought it was actually an adult, that is not fair either. I think most adults would change their approach from talking to an older person to talking to a younger person. It is best to be very careful on here, this is correct. Yet, the real world can often be just as scary or safe as the internet would be in these days and times. So remember that unless you know someone you don't really know them at all. Especially if it is not something that you would do in real life then you should think about if it would be something that you would want to do on the net? People can and do find others in all kinds of ways.

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Never give out any of your personal information on the Internet. How can you be so sure that the person sitting on the other end is who you think they are? This includes not IMing or e-mailing your full name, address, phone number, or what school you attend, etc.

Also, never agree to meet someone you have met online! If you feel strongly about meeting your pen pal that you've known for a long time, be sure to bring your parents along in case any trouble strikes. Better safe than sorry on the Internet!

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 You should be really friendly to people while getting to know them, because you want to make a good first impression. People are not going to want to talk to people who seem mean.