Posted April 26, 2010.

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PENPAL 202

An intermediate course in the art of modern penpaling

Prerequisite:   Penpal 101, or the ability to write a rudimentary, single-line greeting - like "Hey buddy, what's up?"

I'm going to get right to the point. 
I know how you all hate getting one-line messages like: "How are you?" , "Want to be friends?", etc..   The fact is, complaining about it hasn't solved the problem , nor will it promote interactions among members in any way.  I'd like to propose that we give people hints as to what to write.....NO, better yet, we tell them EXACTLY what to write in an opening letter/email ( the "get-acquainted" message), so we won't get any nasty surprises.

So, for all you nice, friendly people out there who are just a tad shy or conversationally-challenged, here are some sample messages you can use in your first email to a potential penpal.  These messages are designed to grab attention, excite your penpal (hopefully not too much:), yet vague enough that you can use them on practically anyone.


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SAMPLE #1
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Hello _____:

My name is _____.  I've just taken a course in penpaling and I'm very eager to put into practice my newly-acquired skills.
I just came across your profile and was totally captivated by it.  Your description is kind of tantalizing....there's enough info to raise my interest, yet you also held back certain things to create a sense of mystery.  Call me perverted, but I really like that in a penpal....LOL.
My hobbies are _____________.  I know we don't have exactly the same interests.  But as they say, our differences are to be celebrated, not feared.  So let's shed our fears and get to know each other, shall we?

P.S.  If my green light is on but I don't answer you right away, it may mean I'm out on a routine shark-hunting trip - JUST KIDDING, hahaha.  It may just mean I'm away from my desk, but I'll get back to you ASAP:)))


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SAMPLE #2
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Hello _____:

My name is _____.  I've just taken a course in penpaling and I'm very eager to put into practice my newly-acquired skills.
Your profile is very well-written - it's succinct and right to the point.  But more importantly, I'm really fascinated by your profile photo.  I'm itching to write a comment on it, but I think I'll wait until we get acquainted.  After all, I don't want you to kill me before we even get to know each other - hahaha, of course I'm just kidding here :)))

By the way, how do you like the "wall" here on Interpals?  It's a place for people to leave someone a message that's visible to the public.  To me, it's like talking to someone with a loudspeaker so everyone ELSE can also hear.  But what would be the purpose of that???  LOL.

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