A Simple Guide to Pen Palling & Swapping
Have you ever went to the mailbox and wished there was something there other bills?
The other thing pen pal
groups are also good for: FBs that you cannot get sent to their proper
owner. Sometimes another individual may know where the person moved to,
or even if they were now deceased.
Pen palling is a great way to meet new people, and learn about different states, as well as countries. It is also a good way to get more interesting mail!
To be a pen paller, I personally advise learning a few key factors first. You see, I personally jumped right into it, without advise, without the know how, and later learned. And it was over something as small as an FB.
Now you are wondering what "FB" means. Let me start by saying, "No, it doesn't mean 'facebook' in this case!" LOL
"FB" stands for "Friendship book." So what is a friendship book? It is a little booklet, sometimes made out of scraps of paper, sometimes out of notepads, or cards. They are made by individuals who want to see this little booklet travel from person to person, to show where all it has been. Once this FB is filled, it becomes like a souvenir. Individuals pass them from pal to pal, and attach their address label, or write their info on a small section. After doing that, they usually write more codes.
With these codes, they are making it known if they want more pen pals, or not; and what they are looking for- if anything at all. You do not need to be wanting more pals to sign this booklet. And it is best to date your entry, so that people can see where the booklet went and when. Many pallers, who have made these little booklets, may also put "return to maker, or to the person they made it for by such and such a date, or once the two year time frame is up."
Friendship booklets can be made for anyone, including yourself. I have known of a few people who even made them for cancer stricken children. It is up to the creator of the booklet. Just try not to make the booklets too thick, so they CAN be returned in a timely manner. If you print in the booklets, print so your writing can be read by others.
Once the booklet becomes full, simply send the booklet back to the individual it was made for. If the booklet ends up sent back to you because the person moved, simply send it to its maker. The reason and way you know who the booklet was made for and by is because you are "supposed" to put this information in the booklet when you make it. Here let me show you an example:
FB Made for:
Jane Doe
123 Number St.
Washington, DC
00123
NPW Female only please
Made by:
Jillian Smith
9090 W. Nothing Street
Nothing, Alabama
12345
SNNP
Now, as you can see,
I added some abbreviations.
Here are some of those continuously changing pen pal abbreviations:
NPW= New Pals Wanted
SNNP= Sorry No New Pals
SAHM= Stay at home Mom
No Cons= No Prisoners or inmates
A/A= Answers all
A/M= Answers Most
W/W= World Wide
LLP=Long letter Pals
DOB= Date of Birth
EPals only= Online pals only
Moms Only=This is where the swapper only wants other Mothers and no one else.
ICR= I can return (meaning the FBs, etc.)
US Only= Seeking pals/swappers in USA only
Now if the person states no men, no cons, or even no women; your best bet is to the respect that. And the reason people put no cons or prisoners, is because prisoners are bored with nothing to do, and they have wants and needs, and that's where a pen pal comes in. Please be cautious if you are willing or wanting to pal with prisoners and inmates.
Now as you see, I mentioned "Swappers." That is a person who swaps FBs back and forth; sometimes they will even mention they do so- in bulk. This means they will accept a large sum of them at one time, no problem. Some even accept boxes!
However, there are other things pen pallers swap. These include Deco's, slams, crams, label/sticker bags, and even stickers, rubber stamps, and coupons!
A Deco is a decorative FB where as people usually take a whole page to themselves and decorate it. They might stamp pictures onto it, and then color them. They may even use stickers. It all depends on the individual. This is where you can get creative. And these are much more awesome to receive back, because not only has the booklet traveled usually world wide, but everyone adds their own special touch to it!
A Slam is a question answer thing, usually. It has numerous pages, with a question or comment atop of each page. Then below it are usually numbers or alphas, where you as the receiver respond. Again, please write neatly. These are entertaining. And what is even more creative, is if each person uses a different color pen. They are fun to read once completely filled out and sent home. It also helps you learn about the individuals who filled them out!
A Cram is a very small FB. Usually people only attach a label, and send it on its way. If you write in it, remember it is small, so there isn't a lot of room. And most people make the crams to get a label attached and sent on its merry way faster!
A label or sticker bag, is something you ask others to put their labels and stickers into. If you are requesting labels, it is so once it is returned to you; you will in turn make FBs, slams or whatever- for those people. The stickers are to help you build up a collection. And sometimes they will say to take a sticker and add two more. Kind of like trading.
So as you may well enough see, pen palling is a bit more entertaining than just a simple letter. Or at least it can be, if you want it to be, the choice is completely and totally up to you.
There are groups online that can help you in ascertaining new pals, and "education" on the pen pal community. Sometimes they can tell you in advance if they think an individual is a good pen paller or swapper or not.
And most pen pallers are descent people who can give you advice and point you in the right direction, when you have wants and needs. I have even seen a baby shower VIA the pen pal community. It was a huge success, as well as a shocker to the expecting Mommy!
Pen palling is a lot of fun, educational, and definitely something you might want to consider if you are stuck at home, bored and watching too much TV! There are always people in need of a new pal, and a new long time friend!
Published by Deneale K. Williams
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