I am utilizing many online resources to help me with my German. These are my favorites I have come across so far:
Lang-8 | http://lang-8.com
Lang-8 is an amazing website that isn't as recognized as it ought to be. The concept is simple: I can make posts in German and native German speakers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc., will correct my mistakes. Likewise, I can view posts made in English from anyone learning the language and correct their mistakes as well. Every user becomes the student and the teacher. I find myself learning from my mistakes and have connected with some very great people across the world.
Rhino Spike | http://rhinospike.com
Rhino Spike is along the same vein as Lang-8 in that it relies on the give and take of respective native speakers. The twist is it relies on audio to do the job. I have posted German texts I would like to hear spoken in the language and received uploaded replies from people who only needed to hit record and read along. In return, I have submitted recordings of myself reading a few paragraphs in English.
InterPals | http://www.interpals.net
If you're looking for pen pals from around the world, InterPals is a terrific resource. Its setup is reminiscent of MySpace in that you can set up a profile, have people leave comments or even create photo albums. I have interacted with many Germans as well as people worldwide who are trying to improve their English. Unfortunately, the similarities to MySpace also include people who try to "collect" friends for the sake of having a large number of connections, as well as spam and unsavory practices. If you are female, you WILL be subjected to requests for cross-continent relationships and neither gender can avoid the heart wrenching tale of the South African prince desperately in need of immediate finances. For these reasons, I'm very selective about who I choose to reach out to or reply. With this in mind, it's a worthwhile website to explore.
