I’ve just been looking around My Happy Planet and it seems like a potentially useful tool for learning to write Spanish via language exchange. I wouldn’t recommend such an approach for a total beginner, but for anyone who already knows some Spanish, this could be a nice add-on to a course or other more organized way of learning Spanish.
Here is how they describe their site:
MyHappyPlanet is the home for people learning languages:
* Send and receive messages with native speakers around the world.
* Learn about cultures and languages through lessons created by our members.
* Watch videos uploaded by our members in multiple languages.
I didn’t actually sign up for My Happy Planet, since I live in Mexico and am always chatting with people in my town. But without signing up, you can still get a pretty good sense of what goes on there. People describe what languages they speak and what they are learning, and say a little about themselves, often with a photo.
They give their Skype, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger IDs, though without signing up, I couldn’t see those. So you could do instant messaging with them, and maybe actual conversation – wasn’t sure about that.
Just for fun, I did a search for people who speak Spanish and want to learn English. You can choose the age range, and 36+ was the oldest. I chose that and saw several people who sounded like they would be interesting to communicate with.
The site tells you how recently the person was online, and how many other people they are helping. If the person has indicated, it says what country they live in, and the town as well.
How I love the ways the internet brings people together! That makes for a happy planet all right.
