Lang-8
Originally published at MMM-FRUIT!. You can comment here or there.
I just recently joined a website called Lang-8, and I highly recommend it to people who are studying a foreign language and are interesting in improving their reading/writing skills and communicating with native speakers of that language. Each member of Lang-8 has a journal and a profile. You enter in details such as your native language and the language that you are studying - in my case, I am a native English speaker studying Japanese. My journals are written in the language I am studying (Japanese), and native Japanese-speakers are able to make corrections and leave comments. In return, I can correct English journals and leave comments in English. The community is very nice, and members often frequent the site, so I often receive corrections within an hour of posting. In just a few days, I feel that my reading speed is improving and I am able to recognize more kanji and utilize grammar that I have studied but don’t use so much in speaking. Some of the grammar I have learned in my Japanese courses are much better used in written form. I am trying to practice both formal writing (such as -masu form), and also writing in a way that sounds natural if spoken (such as short form).
If you’re on Lang-8 as well, please try to find me and let’s be friends!