Contact friends on duo ?

[Steve579062]

I thought when I joined Duolingo that it was a community of learners. How wrong I was ! The idea that you could help to motivate others was always in my mind. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't lonely and looking for friends, in fact I state every day at work that I hate people. But I do like to help. I don't do obligation but if I offer, I see the project through to the end.
I changed my profile picture to include a contact detail but no one noticed. Why have duolingo never taken the trouble to include the option to provide a way to contact friends. What is the point in having them if you can't help ?
As anyone else taken the trouble to find a way to break through ?

[Corinnebelle]

Are you set to private, I tried access your profile on Duolingo, but it gave me a 404 message which makes me think it is private. I don't recommend sharing your personal information online. It is probably against the rules of Duolingo. If you are public you should be able to give other people high-fives and participate in leagues. Duolingo does not offer many forms of interaction. Please note Duolingo is not Duome. On Duome you can chat with fellow learners using m-chat, posting on the forum and private messaging.

[Explorer]

Why have duolingo never taken the trouble to include the option to provide a way to contact friends. What is the point in having them if you can't help ?

It used to be possible to contact your friends. There was something called the wall where you could post and receive messages. Unfortunately some people misused it to insult, threaten and harass other people some time ago. Thus, as a measure to protect minors, Duolingo decided to remove all social features, including the old forums. The innocents pay for the guilty, as usual.

[Steve579062]

I've been on the internet since God's dog was a puppy. I realise the risks about contact and cover my tracks in various ways. It's funny to think of it but it was answering a spam mail that got me started with Russian, Ukrainian and various other languages.
For me the results far outlay the risks. I managed to keep a "romantic suitor" busy for six months.
I have no worry about being thrown off Duo. I have in the past paid them good money but would never advise anyone to pay now.