>>228dota is a team game, and as such should be played with a team.
DO NOT PLAY ALONEEspecially if you are trying to have fun, and especially if you are trying to improve, and especially if you just want to win, and especially if you don't speak french, russian, spanish, and HUEHUE
dota can easily ruin friendships.
improving goes faster when you play with people who are better than you.
having fun is easier when you play with people at your level.
do look for a mentor, who is generous enough to focus his attention on helping
you improve. he can be a friend, but unless you have skin as thick as an elephant, it can hurt. ideally, they are someone you don't have a lot of time invested in.
do look for playmates, they are friendly people who you don't know, but are down for a game whenever. nourish these into friendships as you deem fit. over time your time with the mentor will rub over on them, and you can grow this into a steady group of teammates.
when playing with friends: suggest playing something else than standard games, such as all-random deathmatch, or ability draft, as these don't feel like such an investment of peoples ego, due to their more random nature. if you have a good time for at least 2-3 games OR one game of you getting shitstomped, you can possibly move on to real games.
in dota, peoples ego are bound to get hurt when playing with other humans. critizism is a massive amplification of that.
if you are looking for a good time, dota can be heaven or hell. you can sort away some of the hell, but it requires a conscious effort. good luck.