Following on from the populrity of my MN kids' penpal thread.

[ComeOVeneer]

Would it be an idea to set up this as a permenant topic in it's own right, a bit like the meet-up topic. So people can post their child's basic details (age, sex and likes) and see if they get a response?

it hasnt started yet! why not SEE IF IT WORKS!

it could be the responsibility of anyone contacting one of the posters t do a namesearch and make sure they've been around a while and are genuine.

i'll certainly be doing it if i don't recognise the poster dd is linked with

i think it's a fab idea as the one thread is getting very muddled now!

Tbh, I wouldn't have thought MN would want to host it 'officially' if there were even the slightest risk....

bad idea

NOT ONE LETTER SENT AND YOU PLAN A WHOLE TOPIC!!

I still think it can be abused by the sort of people who will go to any lengths to "access" children.

PinkTulips I have redone the thraed with a comprehensive list. I will soon embark on pairing people up although I need a fair few email addresses to get the postal details but it is all in hand. Just there are still more people asking for penpals so I thought perhps MN could set something up.

yes it ll all wear off whne they have to nag the kids to write the fekcers
why not jsut email each other

my mom read all my penpal letters until i was about 11 and even then i usually showed them to her as there was nothing to hide.

surely that's common sense as a paretn? especially these days!

PONCE I DON@T PLAN A WHOLE TOPIC I JUST POSTED A SUGGESTION. (I can shout to you know)

arf

oi get ont he cake thread its madness

DIDN'T I mean

har har!

OK I guess I am a bit defensive. No-one likes their idea shot down in flames and although what I have proposed has several elements of safety and checks involved I guess when it comes to our kids it isn't worth taking risks.

oi cov
cake thread

Has this hting ikcked off yet?

Ywah I can see the point

just feel a bit sorry for anyone whose kids missed yesterdays deadline (and there was one on the thread)

I am not shooting you down in flames COV I know one or two mumsnetters that I would have no problem in letting my children and their children have an email type pen pal thing with ( as I am always overseeing the emails and as DP it THE tecky god and NOTHING gets on to our PC with out first going through endless things)
But I just do not see how it could be "policed" with new people and I feel sure that someone somewhere WOULD use it for bad things.

KImi not emails. This is so kids can actually receive and write good old fashion letters. Peachy I know a couple of people missed out. But I have a list of over 90 children to sort out and I did do a deadline. Anyone interested can always start another thread. If it is sucessful I am happy to co-ordinate another one in a while.

OPh COV I wasn't getting at you- goodness, I don't envy what you have taken on! Just experesiing the other side of it thats all!

At the end of the day, those Mnetters could always post for a penpal without having a specific topic, couldn't they? And then choose someone whose name they recognise and / or can trace.

See I just would not want to give out my address to anyone.
I do understand the proper letter writing as I still love nice paper and a good pen.
But I just feel it WILL get exploited somewhere.