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Post by penjam on Apr 7, 2017 9:52:40 GMT
Hello everyone, This is Warren. I have been keeping a journal for eight years and have recently started looking for penpals. I work in tech and writing on paper is my daily moment when I can truly take a break from technology. I have been thinking about if there are ways to encourage more people to experience the benefits and fun of handwriting that I have always been enjoying. It will be very interesting to see if technology can be used to promote writing on paper, a very primal experience. I am testing the concept by building a chatbot (i.e. an app that interacts with users through textual form) that makes penpals matching more convenient, safe and fun. The key is to design it in a way where people who are not used to penpalling will be motivated to try it at least once. I have already started the development in my free time and expect a simple version to be out in two weeks. What I need now will be early users who can (a) help test the chatbot and provide feedbacks on where to improve, new features etc. and/or (b) be early members of this community and do not mind exchanging letters with beginners without penpalling experience Even if you have no interest in trying the tool at this point, feel free to follow these pages where I update my progress on this project (links updated): pensoapp.comwww.instagram.com/pensoappI would like to get an idea of early interest on this project, so please leave a comment here or send me a message on Facebook/Instagram if you are happy to try it out when it is ready. Any support or feedbacks will be very useful in helping me move forward. Have a nice day!
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Post by mailartist on Apr 7, 2017 13:48:43 GMT
Hi, Warren, and welcome to the site here.
Your app idea sounds intriguing, and, if I remember right, there have been some threads elsewhere on the site about how to interest "newbies" in snail mail.
I am a chronic techno-Luddite, so don't have either facebook or instgram, but when you say "members who don't mind exchanging letters with beginners," do you mean "on paper" letters, in the real mailbox, or some sort of handwritten "e-letters," through your app?
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Post by penjam on Apr 7, 2017 17:04:28 GMT
Hi, Warren, and welcome to the site here. Your app idea sounds intriguing, and, if I remember right, there have been some threads elsewhere on the site about how to interest "newbies" in snail mail. I am a chronic techno-Luddite, so don't have either facebook or instgram, but when you say "members who don't mind exchanging letters with beginners," do you mean "on paper" letters, in the real mailbox, or some sort of handwritten "e-letters," through your app? Hello and thanks for initiating the discussion. I mean real letters in real mailbox. The app will only be an entry point for people to find snail mail penpals (for now). I did think about implementing some sort of handwritten e-letters system (e.g. write a letter, take a photo of it and send it to your penpal in the app). The reason being the step of sending letters could be a potential barrier in promoting penpalling (the worry of disclosing personal addresses to strangers, the trouble to buy stamps, find a post box/office etc.). I will test this hypothesis at some points to decide if this extra option will indeed encourage more people to write. But for start, the app will only focus on penpals matching. Once a match has been done in the app, users will interact with each other offline like they normally do with snail mail penpals. I have gained quite a few new insights through this forum, and I will definite check out the threads on attracting "newbies" in snail mail!
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Post by Mia on Apr 7, 2017 20:20:16 GMT
Hello and welcome.
The app sounds interesting (and will look at your links later). Have you looked through the Links section here, also other penpalling/penpal ad websites, and also various Instagram penpalfinder @ and #? I started out looking for people sharing the same hobbies (or at least quite a few), but for me, being too-alike doesn't quite work out (thinking magnets). Through the February letter writing projects, I have successful correspondence with people I don't think I would have chosen via a profile (intro + hobbies) if they were up on penpal ads sites.
Feel free to respond to any of the discussion threads.
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Post by penjam on Apr 9, 2017 9:02:17 GMT
Hello and welcome. The app sounds interesting (and will look at your links later). Have you looked through the Links section here, also other penpalling/penpal ad websites, and also various Instagram penpalfinder @ and #? I started out looking for people sharing the same hobbies (or at least quite a few), but for me, being too-alike doesn't quite work out (thinking magnets). Through the February letter writing projects, I have successful correspondence with people I don't think I would have chosen via a profile (intro + hobbies) if they were up on penpal ads sites. Feel free to respond to any of the discussion threads. Hello Mia, and thanks for the welcome. Yes I am still doing research on online penpal searching channels. It appears that penpal searching is relatively active on Instagram, with users making use of pages and hashtags. The penpal community is also quite active on sites such as tumblr and swap-bot (if there are other sites you think I should definitely check out, let me know!). On the other hand, although penpal ads can be found on some other platforms (e.g. PenPal World, Facebook groups), it appears to me that many of these "penpal ads" are simply ads looking for online friends. Your point on penpal profile is interesting. I do realise most of the penpal profiles/ads are quite standardised, with a format of a basic intro + hobbies. I am studying if there is a better way for penpals matching. Do you prefer a matching system with no profiles (completely random)? Or are there certain kind of information you would find useful if it can be reflected in a penpal profile/ad (e.g. some supporting info on legitimacy, or penpal preference such as expected mailing frequency)?
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Post by Mia on Apr 9, 2017 20:55:40 GMT
One size is definitely not going to fit all. I have tried various penpalling sites - mostly unsuccessful, although one did introduce me to Postcrossing. I quite fancy a letter equivalent to Postcrossing. On their forum, there are penpal ad threads (I've created a few there over the years with mixed long-term success), and also mini-groups to send postcards/letters between the members (round robins) - mixed success there with letters but am still writing to one from that. I have tried swap-bot - mixed success there. Letters sent to people because I've been in an organised swap whether random or not, have had more success than finding people to write to via profiles. With Incowrimo and the like, you may not even have more information than an address to send to, so you write a nice letter and hope for the best. Perhaps you start with an open mind/blank slate.
One of the letters I received via swap-bot was composed of only what the sender had written in their profile (other than dear Mia,the date, swap name), and the person hadn't taken note of what I had in my profile so wasted $30 on crafty stuff (stencils, fancy brads) and additional postage. Sometimes a first letter is just so boring (another thread in the discussion board), so perhaps people don't know what to write.
There are penpal matching sites - IPF is one, I also had penpals through a similar organisation when I was at school - checked boxes for various hobbies, etc. Other sites, you choose who you want to try to write to based on their profile/interests, and people pick you too (hopefully).
In the 3D world, you have neighbours, people you interact on a regular basis in shops (perhaps), people you might talk to at the bus stop (you've seen them there before, and it passes the time while waiting for the bus..), you have family, friends from childhood, work colleagues and perhaps they become good friends too, hobby friends (you may meet the same people supporting your team at a sport's match), close friends... all sorts of people. I have correspondents/penpals covering some of those 3D examples - different kinds of relationships. Each penfriendship is different - some might be nice acquaintances, some might be friends, some might be good friends. I think it is important in the 2D world of letters, to have that sort of range of friendships you have in the 3D world.
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Post by mailartist on Apr 10, 2017 13:46:34 GMT
I like Mia's suggestion of a Postcrossing equivalent, only with written letters -- especially if you're trying to attract newbies to snail mail. (With a Postcrossing format, no one would receive a letter until they actually mailed one, letter-for-letter.)
I did Postcrossing for about a year, and enjoyed sending/receiving postcards, but postcards are difficult to find anymore in the US. (Not so in other countries, apparently, but rare and expensive in the US, except for the stock tourist ones.) However, I was assigned too many "postcard collectors" for my taste: those who didn't care if Barney the Grizzly Bear sent it, or what was written for a message, but just that the postcard had "this" on the front, or "that" on it.
I got way too many acknowledgments like the following: "Dear ___, I received your card. It was okay, and the long message was nice, I guess. But I only wanted cards with old automobiles on the front. And you didn't send me one like that for my collection. But, thanks." A bit deflating, I thought, given that international postage isn't that cheap.
People can "collect postcards" without intending an ongoing communication, or caring about "communication" at all. The postcard is simply a durable good to fill a slot in an album or a space on the wall. With letter, however, it's harder to do that without investing some of yourself in the process. However, even a letter equivalent to Postcrossing could still produce some telegraphic "dud" missives, such as "Hi, This is me. Who are you? Sincerely, Whoever."
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Post by stormymorning on Apr 10, 2017 15:14:36 GMT
Interesting thoughts!
Maybe a mix of Postcrossing and more traditional websites? In the way that the match isn't random, but you must get some "credits" for receiving a letter. Maybe with "rules" about what a minimal letter contains?
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Post by frank090 on Jul 28, 2017 8:17:09 GMT
I think your app idea is very interesting, just keep updating.
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Post by joy52 on Jul 29, 2017 8:56:05 GMT
Hi Warren, how are things with your app. It sounds really interesting.
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Post by penjam on Aug 22, 2017 7:40:51 GMT
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