Mobile Industry Review - Latest Comments in Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

MaManfie — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:06:37 -0000

I agree with that everyone should have a pen-pal!
I love the ability to openly speak about yourself to someone else who doesn't know you. It's all free of judgement and critism.

In a rather perculiar manner, I'm probably more open about myself to strangers (or atleast Online Buddies), than sometimes to my "real" friends.

Odd really... Although I think it's just my personality more than anything, I've always been a bit of an introvert!

(See what I mean about revealing loads!)

Samantha.

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

issaham — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:35:28 -0000

I had a pen-pal in France that I actually 'wrote' to in french and she would write back in english. I now have a few 'keyboard' pals in China.

It's really cool and I'll hopefully have a few pieces up on those interactions soon.

I find it very useful to have life perspective from another part of the world and it also helps my language proficiency. I think every teen should have a pen-pal.

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

MaManfie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:00:39 -0000

Do you mean write letters?

The last time I wrote a letter, it was a letter of complaint to my headteacher about the lack of ICT staff at my school. Other than that... No.

I reserve letter writing for when E-mail seems too casual.

I've never had a pen-pal either, although I do have a number of online friends, mainly from America - they love the English accent - and some others too.

Letter writing was never encouraged by my primary school, or secondary school though.

Sad really, I always wanted a pen-pal when I was younger.

Samantha.

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

LeilMayer — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:59:58 -0000

As per observation, instead of snail mails, teens and tweens would rather make friends or pals via facebook and myspace, or go to online chat communities. Then, by the time they made new friends, they would start communicating via email. They prefer the fast way. :)

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

smstextnews — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:35:13 -0000

What do teenagers do now? Do they still *write*?

2008/8/28 Disqus <>

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

smstextnews — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:35:12 -0000

Heh!

2008/8/28 Disqus <>

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

Anthony — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:11:02 -0000

I used to have a pen-friend in Germany, met her on a school trip to Paris ;o) It would've been a crazy time for her as the Wall had just come down but you don't care about those little things when your young!

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

JOhn — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:39:33 -0000

Don't the call this sort of thing "grooming" nowadays?

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

MarkW — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:23:58 -0000

I used to have a penfriend in Malaysia when I was in my early teens. We wrote for ages and then just kind of stopped. I spose Facebook and its ilk are the modern replacement. Things have moved on I imagine.

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

tring — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:59:19 -0000

Our primary school set up a scheme with an American school where we each had a penfriend. The American school paid for all their kids to come over and meet us, we weren't so lucky (tight bad stuarts).

Today's penfriends are or rather were (since they no longer allow you to poke the randoms) the random adds on facebook?!

Re: Did you ever have a penfriend when you were younger?

kcjh — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:36:15 -0000

God yeah I did - wrote to them for years, met a few times and lost touch.. How quaint!

:)

K