easy Penpals

Penpal Amis is relatively new and has few members but is interesting because of the emphasis on French / English cultural and language exchange.

On the home page there are four lists: Last Countries (which shows the countries of the last 5 individuals who signed up); New French Speakers; New English Speakers and an Age Cloud (which provides an easy link to individuals by their age group). Over all the site is very easy-to-use and navigate.

Penpals: Very few so far (but give it time)
Activity: New, but somewhat active
Hidden email address: Sort of (you disclose it when you initiate conversation or respond to a pen pal)
Internal messaging: No (the initial message is sent through the Penpal Amis system but the recipient receives the message which includes your email address)
Profile pictures: No
Block penpals from contacting you: No
Ability to hide/pause account: Yes. You send the administrator a message telling them to close your profile
Administrator / moderator is responsive: Yes (there is a support page where you can email the webmaster directly)

Pros: Easy-to-use interface, great if you have an immediate desire to practice/learn French or English.

Cons: No search engine (although there are still few members at this point). The fact that your email address is shared to the recipient might be a negative. Consider setting up a (free) email account for the exclusive purpose of finding a penpal if you intend to use this site.

Penpal Amis: http://www.penpalamis.info

Updated review on August 31, 2009