Yes, much online conversation in forums such as this is very slow. Have you tried the chat function here or elsewhere? I know that on another forum I belong to, chat disappears after so many lines, so its not like all you say is out there forever. (I'm sure in some sense it's always "out there" but its not easily accessible like a forum post.) I've made a few friends that way.

I'm not sure how you can find telephone friends specifically. I know that on PPW, a lot of people start out by messaging and then graduate on to other methods of communication. I have one friend I talk to and text (he's in the US), another friend in the UK that I Skype, and the rest of my pen pals I just email but am open to other forms of communication in the future.

As with anything, it takes time to learn the ropes and to actually find those whom you can trust. I hope it works out for you and you can find people to connect to!