The International Union of Mail-Artists is a website dedicated to those who like sending postal art to their penpals. IUMOA is a much more niche community as it has roughly 4,000 active members. However, it is the perfect medium for those who like to have an artistic element to their penpal correspondences. [1] X Research source Swap-Bot is another website dedicated to creative forms of corresponding. The website focuses on swapping where users exchange postcards, stickers, coins, and a variety of other small crafts. Swapping is ideal for hobbyists and those interested in sending hand-assembled mail. [2] X Research source Global Penfriends is a good example of a website designed to facilitate more traditional penpal relationships. This club has been around since 1995 and has a large database of penpals. Users can search for potential penpal partners from around the world, using a search engine to find their perfect penpal. You can find penpals interested in exchanging mail art, postcards, packages, and gifts, as well as traditional letter penpals. [3] X Research source
Look at the website’s design. Is it clunky, filled with oversized text, and stuffed with annoying advertisements? These are all telltale signs of an inefficient penpal website. A trustworthy website should have a sleek, user-friendly layout with a well-defined explanation of how the website works. Check out the frequently asked questions section. This part of the website should answer all of the important questions about whether it’s a paid website, how to set up a profile, and whether it allows for postal and/or electronic communication. Play around with the website before you decide to make a profile. Check out the search engine and see how easy it is to use. Look at how many users are available to communicate with and see if you can find users from the countries you’re interested in.
In its basic search, Global Pen Friends lets you choose gender, age, country, state/province, city/town, and whether you only want to search for profiles with photos and registered postal addresses. There are even more options available on its advanced search where you can choose the preferred race, religion, hobbies, language, and whether you want to communicate via snail mail or electronically. It’s important to be flexible with your search as it may be difficult to find your ideal penpal. Try searching for penpals with different interests and experiences as you often learn much more from these correspondences. [6] X Research source
Create a routine. Whether it’s once a week or once a month, carve out an hour in your schedule to sit down and write a thoughtful letter to your penpal. If your penpal starts to correspond less, consider sending a follow-up letter to make sure they are okay. Think about keeping in touch through social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram in order to strengthen your relationship. Social media can be a great way to maintain regular contact with your penpal and learn more about their lives. Consider meeting in person or at some point in the future. This option may not be available if you don’t have the financial means to travel a great distance, but if the relationship with your penpal is strong then an in-person meeting is the perfect way to take your friendship to the next level.
