Yes, you really can make new friends and practise your Italian for free at OnlineItalianClub.com, in our forums!
In this post, I’m going to show you how, with pictures!
(If you’re reading this in an email, you’ll need to choose “show images”, or click here to read the version on our website.)
1. How to find the forums
It ain’t hard. Click “chat” in the menu, as shown in the picture.
1. Click “Chat” in the main menu to find the forums
2. This is what you’ll see
The “forum homepage” is pretty ugly. See the picture. To see the actual forums, you need to scroll down the page.
2. Scroll down to see the good stuff!
3. Choose italiano or English
Lower down the page, you’ll see two “categories” of forums. “Solo in italiano” for those of you who are confident enough to read and write in Italian.
3. Choose “Solo in italiano” if you want to read and write in Italian
Or “Forums in English”, if you’d prefer to “chat” in English.
Choose “Forums in English” to chat in, well, English
4. Click on the forum that interests you
This is the bit where people get confused (me too!) In each category, there are different forums. Click one to enter and see the conversations going on within. They’re called “topics”.
5. Start a new topic
OK, now you’re “in” the forum. If you want to start a new conversation/topic, which can be anything you want, just hit the “New Topic”.
5. Start a new topic by pressing “New Topic”
6. Or join in an on-going conversation…
Take a look at the existing topics. You can see the most recent ones by looking at the dates. If you’d like to join in (please do), scroll down to the bottom of the “post” and look for the “Reply” button.
6. Choose “Reply” to participate in an exisiting topic
7. Notify me!
You’ll also see a “Notify” link. The system will e-mail you each time someone replies, so you can “chat” to your new friends throughout the day, if you want. But you have to ask to be notified for each topic that interests you….
8. How to write something….
It’s not hard. Choose a “Subject” that expresses the general idea, then write what you want to say in the box below.
8. Write something
9. Get sophisticated, with buttons and links and stuff
You can work this one out for yourself, but at the top of your “editing box”, you’ll see some tools which enable you to insert links, pictures, quotes and so on into your text. No viagra links, please!
9. Fancy styling?
10. You have control
Check out the “Forum Options” and “Profile” links to control how you interact with the forum software and what information others can see about you.
Choose your “Forum Options”
Edit your “Profile”
11. Now have fun!
So, get yourself over to the forums today and enjoy this great resource. We have an Italian teacher standing by to answer your questions, and there are other learners from all over the world just itching to “talk” to you.
Don’t worry about writing something “intelligent” or making mistakes (if you write in Italian). Just join in, and have fun!
Got a question? Leave a comment on this post and I’ll try to answer it…
Daniel says
Comment received via e-mail:
Thank you for all your encouragement to practise real communication in Italian. I am about to go away for several weeks to get a break from New Zealand’s chilly winter weather, but I am determined to be braver with my Italian practice when I return at the end of the month.
Erica