- Five reasons to make new friends
— The art of communication
— 3 simple ways make new acquaintances
— 7 sites that will help you find people by interests
— Psychologist's advice
- Conclusion
Old friends are great! But there are several reasons why you should expand your social circle and find new friends (of course, without parting with old ones):
1) New people in your life open up new opportunities, both physical and spiritual, personal. They push you to new ideas, hobbies and interests.
3) With new friends it is permissible to start a lot from scratch.
4) Each new friend is a new social circle, and, as a result, an opportunity to find even more new friends, and, therefore, new opportunities.
5) Communication with new people is usually more difficult than with old acquaintances. This forces you to leave your comfort zone for a while, and while this may not seem like the best effect, it will pay big dividends later on. After all, as you know, a person actively develops only when he goes through something new and unusual.
— The art of communication
There are people who are born with the gift of communication. They are easy to find mutual language even with strangers. But most of us are not endowed with this skill. They cannot “squeeze” words out of themselves in the presence of strangers. Therefore, learn to charm others.
There are several principles of communication that will not cause a negative reaction from the interlocutor. You should:
1) Be neatly dressed;
2) Smell good (especially bad breath);
3) Do not tell deliberate lies, gossip and nonsense;
4) Attentively, without interrupting, listen to the interlocutor.
If you see a person in front of you that you are interested in, insist on continuing your communication. If you understand that he is the one who will give you more knowledge in the area that is important to you, do not miss the opportunity to get it. If you are interested in a person as a partner for going to the gym, cinema, swimming pool or cafe, take the first step yourself - invite! Maybe today he will refuse, but he will definitely consider your offer and find free time.
Learn the art of conversation, and you will always easily join any company. There is nothing wrong with communication. Ask questions, be sincerely interested in the conversation with the interlocutor, without being distracted by anything else. If you are communicating with a stranger, then mention your name several times and, possibly, other important information that he will remember and later associate with you. And in any conversation, try to get the contacts of the interlocutor - phone, ICQ, e-mail, anything else, in order to be able to continue communication in the future.
Use every opportunity to expand your circle of acquaintances. If you came to a party, then do not limit yourself to communicating only with your company. Approach someone, introduce yourself, strike up a conversation, even if it’s “about the weather.” Be a sincere storyteller and an attentive listener, and this conversation can be the first step towards a further strong friendship.
- 3 easy ways to make new friends
1) Clubs and organizations of interest.
Look for friends in places where your interests converge. Exhibitions, fitness clubs, skating rinks, museums, clubs and circles. Lots of options. The main thing is to find what is exciting for you to find people with similar interests.
2) Neighbors.
How often do you communicate with those people who live near you? In most cases, you have not exchanged two words with them over the years of your life in the same entrance. This is unfortunate, because it is the neighbor who can become your companion and friend. After all, if you find common interests with friends, it may turn out that this friendship will last a lifetime. And what could be better than seeing a bosom friend every day? It will be easier for you to communicate, you do not need to explain to the household where and for how long you are going, a friend will always be there, and common interests.
3) Social networks.
On the Internet, you can quickly find friends by interests. It is easier for a person to communicate with a virtual interlocutor than to talk in reality. It's bad, but that's the way it is in the modern world with communication between people.
So, you have found a group on social networks or on forums where you communicate with those who are interested in what you are curious about. If you have been discussing various topics for a long time, then you should single out for yourself two or three people whose answers you look forward to with particular impatience. If you haven't found it yet, you will definitely find it.
Write a letter to these people in personal contacts. Don't push or make it difficult, let them know that you're interested in talking to them. As a rule, the majority agree to continue talking on topics of interest to both sides in PM. After some time, try to translate virtual communication into a real one. If everything works out, then you will find common interests and a friend. However, remember that the first meetings are preferably held in crowded places. This will help you overcome embarrassment.
— 7 sites that will help you find people by interests
Here is an overview of six sites and apps that will help you meet new friends with similar interests.
1) Meetup (iOS & Android).
The service is able to search for groups of like-minded people at a distance of five miles from the current location. To do this, you can use any of the service categories or set your own search conditions.
Registration in the service and connection to any of the existing Meetup groups is free, but for the right to create your own group, you will need to pay the so-called "organization" fee.
In addition, the group organizer may ask his team members to share the costs of the service by paying something like a membership fee or providing financial support to the group.
This means that users of the service may be faced with offers to pay a fee or donate to groups of interest to them. However, Meetup provides a "trial period" during which you can use it for free.
2) Groupspaces (Web).
The Groupspaces website is a platform for finding and communicating with more diverse groups of people. So, on the site you can find non-profit organizations, churches and university clubs. Joining a group entitles you to access files, photos, newsletters shared by its members, as well as information about events occurring within this group.
Groupspaces allows you to search for groups of people in your area using a search category or a keyword of your choice.
The free account allows you to become a member of two groups with a total of 50 members and get access to 250 MB of disk space for storing files. Group members may be asked to pay monthly fees.
3) MEETin (Web).
MEETin invites its users to "make friends in the real world". It was created by volunteers and is currently completely free.
MEETin is inferior to Meetup and Groupspaces in terms of features, but it is very easy to find the city you need on it using an alphabetical list. Each city's tab contains information about upcoming events, photos from recent events, and a bulletin board.
To create a bookmark for your city, if it does not already exist, you need to send an email request to the administration of the MEETin site to create such a page.
MEETin will help you meet new people in your city, whether you've just moved or just want to diversify your social life.
4) Smacktive (iOS & Android).
This is mobile app oriented to sports and active lifestyle lovers. Smacktive helps you meet people you can go to the gym with or find a partner to play tennis with.
Based on the idea that exercising is better in the company of someone, the main goal of Smacktive is to offer communication and record training.
Smacktive also provides information on the number of its users who are currently nearby, as well as events that you can participate in.
5) WeGoDo (iOS).
WeGoDo allows you to find and meet people with the same hobbies. People are searched according to their interests by app category, such as Urban Exploring, Mountain Biking, or even just Dogs.
The service differs from Meetup and other similar applications in that it is a kind of social network that provides the ability to share photos, leave comments and communicate with other users. WeGoDo also includes a news feed of local deals and recommendations.
6) ONE (iOS).
ONE is an application for students. It allows you to create an account in which you can specify a list of your interests. ONE will notify you if someone who shares these interests is nearby. The application only searches the database of college students. Profiles in the public domain posted photos of users, which also simplifies the search.
7) Limpa: an interest club.
A cozy social network for dating, complete with horoscopes, polls and other useful little things. Users are attracted to Limpa by the opportunity to join an interest club and meet a person who is interested in something unusual. There are a lot of clubs and everyone can create their own. The site often holds meetings "in real life", access to them is allowed only to registered users.
1) Don't sit on the sidelines.
It is more difficult for an introvert to make new acquaintances, because it is unlikely that someone will pull his hand for a good time. Join the companies yourself!
2) Take everything from life!
A bright person who is not afraid to receive new emotions is always interesting to society.
3) Don't refuse help.
Grateful people are good friends. The only thing is, don't let yourself be taken advantage of.
4) Don't be demanding.
Remember: no one owes you anything! Nowhere and never.
5) Get yourself a dog.
This is the most devoted friend who will never leave you! It is clear that she will not be able to replace your interlocutor, but with the help of her you will find new acquaintances with other dog lovers walking their pets.
- Conclusion
Even the most closed person has his own circle of acquaintances, whether they are relatives or just neighbors. The world is huge and to find in it someone who is interested in the same things as you, after the advent of the Internet, it has become quite simple even for the most anti-social people.
The virtual network is full of programs that allow you to find like-minded people with just a couple of mouse clicks. And after a while, you can transfer the acquaintance to closer communication by scheduling a personal meeting.
Our friends can make us both better and vice versa. So choose them carefully. Friends are those who support and help without asking for anything in return. They will sincerely rejoice at your success and will always lend a helping hand if necessary.
But do not forget that the world begins with you. Become the way you want to see others, and new acquaintances will not keep you waiting.
The material was prepared by Dilyara specifically for the site
Communication in English is one of better ways learn the language and improve your skills. The experience of voice communication and even correspondence is invaluable for those who are going to live and study abroad, as well as take IELTS and TOEFL language exams.
Today, there are many sites that help you find friends abroad, communicate with them and practice your English. Introducing the Top 10 Resources for Communicating with Foreigners…
In the meantime, download our free university brochures to find out about different study abroad opportunities. Just click on the country button!
This international social network brings together people from all over the world who want to find pen pals. Users from the UK, India, USA, Russia, France, Japan, Korea, Spain, Germany and many other countries are registered here.
You can upload photos and information about yourself to the site, as well as write an ad about who and for what purposes you are looking for. Most of the portal users seek to find people for language practice, but this is not the only purpose of the resource. The social network is betting on the opportunity to find a true friend and soul mate anywhere in the world!
The resource has an official application for Android.
2. Pen4 Pals
The site is designed specifically for language exchange between native speakers of different languages. It is enough to go through a quick registration to get acquainted with a native speaker of a foreign language and start correspondence.
The resource is based on mutually beneficial language exchange. For example, you are learning English and communicating with a native English speaker who is learning Russian. In addition to English, you can learn Italian, French, Spanish and other languages on the site.
For the convenience of users, there is a forum and groups through which it is easy to find new pen pals.
3. Livemocha
The resource provides versatile opportunities - from language lessons of all levels to the search for pen pals. There are many users on the portal who regularly exchange language experiences, check each other's written assignments, text messages and communicate with each other in a convenient chat.
4. Learning Russian with Russians (Facebook)
This is a popular group Facebook networks. It brings together over 4,000 users from all over the world who want to learn the language by chatting with Russians.
Most of the group members are ready for a language exchange and will be happy to help you learn your native language in exchange for help in learning Russian.
5. Abroad Pal
The site brings together a large number of users who are native speakers of various languages. There are special groups and forums for communication on interests. In addition, you can correspond in private messages and leave comments on the pages of other users.
6 Shared Talk
This is a portal for quickly finding interlocutors and language exchange. Users from various countries are registered here, with whom you can communicate in real time.
The site has not only a convenient text chat, but also a voice chat, communication in which will help you develop your speaking skills in a foreign language.
7. Learning Russian with Russians (Google)
This Google Community is similar to a Facebook group. There are over 3,000 registered users here.
In the group you can meet foreigners who are studying Russian and are ready for a language exchange. The community is useful not only for learning the language, but also for simple communication on interesting topics.
8. Learning Russian with Russians (In contact with)
Another version of the popular language group, which will definitely appeal to adherents and active users of the Vkontakte network.
The group is not that big, there are only about 1,000 members. However, there are many foreigners here who are learning Russian and who want to find pen pals for a language exchange.
Today at social networks You can not only like photos and follow the lives of your friends, but also learn foreign languages. Special language social networks will help you find a live interlocutor who will raise the level of your foreign language. And at the same time it will help to replenish vocabulary, get rid of hackneyed phrases and enliven speech with real phrases of English, German, Italian, Chinese, and any language. All Courses has collected for you a selection of popular language social networks created just for this purpose.
You can already communicate "with a dictionary" but still worry about pronunciation? Then social networks will come to the rescue, where you can find new friends around the world.
Lang8
The social network unites people from 190 countries, which means 90 languages to learn. The idea of the site is simple: the user writes a phrase or post in the language they are learning, and a native speaker checks and corrects speech, grammatical and spelling errors, if any. You can attach tags to notes, and the most popular ones get to the top. You can also make friends on the site.
There are two options for using the network: paid and free. The second allows you to learn only two languages and make no more than 500 notes in a notebook. Paid content has an unlimited number of posts and languages, and at the same time it is allowed to post photos, leave comments in pdf format.
Lingq
Lingq relies on vocabulary replenishment, so communication requires at least a minimum knowledge of a foreign language. The social network has been open since 2007 and today offers access to 16 languages, among others there are English, French, Japanese, Swedish, Italian, Chinese, German. All new words are easily stored in the profile. In addition to free communication, there is access to audio lessons and you can send a written work for verification.
The site has paid and free content.
English, Baby!
The main feature of the site is communication in correct English, American or British. To do this, the site has daily free lessons on a new topic, thematic audio materials, including monologues and celebrity interviews. Many use the net in preparation for the TOEFL. There are those who prefer to improve grammar, and just chat.
For English teachers there is a separate section where teachers share their experience.
There is paid content.
Interpals.net
A site for finding an interlocutor for a language exchange. Friends from 154 countries are now available. And this is more than 100 languages, including the main European and Asian ones. The social network is completely free. You can register with Facebook. There is a forum and chat for communication, you choose a partner yourself. You can select an interlocutor by age and gender, or by specifying a specific country. The resource always shows who is online and who is not online at the moment.
Conversationexchange.com
On Conversationexchange.com, you need to register and choose a partner to communicate in Windows Messenger or Skype. The resource is also interesting because it helps to find a native speaker of the language you are learning in your own city. So you get additional opportunity chat with a person tete-a-tete. In addition, on the site you can improve your written language.
Speaking24.com
After registering on the site, you will see a quick search for native speakers. You can choose an interlocutor by age, gender, language being studied. The resource will immediately offer you the contacts of a person in Skype or other messengers. The main advantage of the site is only communication. Free speech is encouraged here and there is not much focus on grammatical errors.
Easy language exchange
The new social network for communication in a foreign language today has about 72,000 users from 56 countries. The site pays special attention to learning English: there are courses for beginners, as well as courses for those who want to increase their vocabulary and improve grammar. In addition, useful articles are published on the resource, there is a forum where you can find an interlocutor to learn Chinese, Arabic, Korean and other languages. A separate plus is registration as a teacher.
Paltalk
The service offers more than 5,000 active chat rooms where you can discuss the latest news in music, sports, current events, and just chat with people around the world. And these are 37 major European and Asian languages. Additionally, you can communicate via text messages, which will allow you to master the written language.
Internationals
Site for advanced users of foreign languages. A community that can help not only find interlocutors and friends around the world, but also invite you to attend events and meetings. The service will be very useful to immigrants - in short term a person will be able to acquire a new social circle and get to know the city.
The site will help you practice your language. On the home page you can immediately select the interface language: English, Russian and Spanish. You choose the interlocutor yourself: gender, native language, studied language. In addition, there are sections "Forum", "Articles", "Invitations". To communicate, you must register on the site.
HelloTalk
This is not a social network, but a chat program for mobile device, which offers to communicate with the interlocutor through text and voice messages in over 100 languages. The program options allow you to train pronunciation, as well as collect your own database of materials on the language being studied (audio, words, sentences, pictures).
- Always be yourself. So you will not deceive anyone when you meet and will not disappoint when you get to know you better.
- Think carefully about what you value most in people and with whom it is easier for you to communicate. Keep this in mind when making new friends.
- Don't be biased, don't judge new people by hearsay or first impressions. Get to know the person better, only then draw conclusions.
- Friendship is a mutually beneficial relationship. Offer help when you see that the person needs it. If so, then you can count on help in return.
- Keep in touch with new friends: chat on the Internet, arrange new meetings, try to diversify your joint leisure time. But don't be too pushy. If the person is ignoring you, don't push.
- Don't worry if new acquaintances lose interest in you. You may have met the wrong people or made mistakes. Analyze the experience and keep looking.
With the spread of the Internet, many of us began to spend more time in front of the monitor and communicate less live. It is a fact. But not everything is so clear. The web is just a tool and everyone uses it in their own way.
The Internet can be seen as both a refuge from the real world and a powerful means of socialization. The sites and services, which will be discussed below, introduce a huge number of people every day. Already today you can make friends there.
Find friends in online communities
Internet forums, chats in instant messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram, public pages and groups on Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki and other social networks - all these are platforms for the effective search for new acquaintances.
You just need to choose the right community, which may include people of interest to you, and unobtrusively invite them to get to know each other. Nothing complicated.
If you live in a small town, look for a community based on geography. In large social networks, almost every locality has local groups like “Typical Bryansk” or “Overheard in Chernigov”, where you can communicate with fellow countrymen. To find such a group, just enter the name of your locality in the service search.
When you find a community, look at its description, read the posts of other users. So you will find out how dating takes place here. Most often, participants directly publish brief information about yourself with an offer to get acquainted. In VKontakte, such data is usually sent to administrators, and they already post it for the rest of the group members on behalf of the sender. You can reply to one of these posts or leave your own.
If you are from a large city, then it makes sense to look for a community of interest, without being tied to a locality. It can be a chat to discuss cinema, a public about fishing or a forum about bodybuilding. Choose what is closer to you.
The main thing is that your city is big and the community is popular. Then among his audience there will surely be your "neighbors".
In communities of interest, so-called gatherings are popular - mass meetings of participants for dating and spending time together. Such events are organized by the participants themselves or the administration. An example is the meetings of users of LiveLib, a social platform for book lovers. But before you go to such an event, prove yourself on the site. Participate in discussions, make your publications - let them notice you and accept you as their own.
Some communities of interest have special sections for dating. For example, on the site of the humorous platform Pikabu there is a popular branch " Dating League". Participants from different cities and countries tell about themselves here and offer to meet offline. After free registration you can write to someone who is interested in you, or publish your profile.
Find friends using dating services
The web is full of services designed specifically for dating. Most often, with their help, they are looking for partners for sex or romantic relationships, but nothing prevents you from looking for friends in this way.
Find friends in online games
If you've never played multiplayer games, you may not realize how strong social bonds they create between players. In virtual worlds, they find not only real friends, but even future husbands and wives.
Games like Destiny, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft create situations where you have to interact with strangers. You join forces with other players for the sake of common goals and experience joint adventures. In such conditions, it is easy to get close and find common topics for conversation. If you wish, you can continue to communicate in the real world.
If you meet online, do not forget about network etiquette
- Tidy up your online profile. Remove posts and pictures that make you look worse than you really are.
- When publishing your profile for future friends, briefly describe your qualities, goals of acquaintance and interests.
- Try to write correctly, use punctuation marks.
- Don't overuse emoticons exclamation points and capital letters.
- Do not break the message into several parts unnecessarily. Finish the thought, and then send, so as not to annoy the interlocutor with a flood of notifications.
- Avoid banal remarks like “Hi, how are you?”.
- Don't swear.
- Don't joke around.
- Do not argue over trifles, respect the point of view of the interlocutor.
- Be polite.
If your communication from the virtual world turns into the real one (which is exactly what you want, isn't it?), the tips from the next paragraph will surely come in handy.
How to find friends offline
If you're an old school person and don't like all that virtual stuff, you can always find interesting people in the real world.
Look for friends at school or at work
Schools, universities and offices are the places where people usually make new acquaintances. But since you are reading this article, it means that this option did not work in your case.
If there are people in the team with whom you would like to make friends, but no one takes the initiative, take it into your own hands. Talk to your manager about doing things together, like going after work to an anti-cafe or a bar. You can simply offer these options directly to your colleagues. An informal atmosphere will create the prerequisites for friendly relations.
If you study or work remotely, or there are no people close in spirit in the team, there remains a radical way - or study. But before taking decisive action, try the next option.
Look for friends in local sections and clubs of interest
Another old-fashioned way to find friends is to sign up for a sports section. It is advisable to choose a team sport like football, hockey or handball. Alternatively, consider dancing.
If you do not like active sports, try to find an interest club. This may be an institution where they play board games or discuss literature. Choose based on your interests: this will help you find like-minded people. The addresses of such clubs are usually available on the Internet.
When communicating live, do not forget about manners
- Before the meeting, think about how to spend time as interesting as possible. Offer your options to new friends. Ask if they have suggestions.
- Don't be late for appointments: no one likes to wait.
- Don't violate the person's personal space.
- Be open to new places, activities and travel.
- Use to please the other person.
We hope these tips will help you make new friends. We will be glad if you share your experience.
