How to get a spanish pen pal
It made me
delighted 
"Incredibly helpful for learning Spanish."
How I did it: First I tried www.livemocha.com, and that worked pretty well, but tended to be rather "exercise" focused. Next, and with better results, I tried www.sharedtalk.com. In addition to getting a pen pal, it's good for the Spanish-English chat room.
Lessons & tips: Just do it.
Resources: www.sharedtalk.com -- best
www.livemocha.com -- 2nd best
