Meeting new people online

If you are interested in meeting new people, but not neccessarliy interested in romance, then you are at the right place. We outline some ways that you can make new friends online.

The Net is all about socialising - meeting people, making friends, keeping in touch and hanging out. Which is why if you walk into any cybercafe today, you'll discover that email is the most used service, followed by online chatting.

Email, for keeping in touch with friends and family, and chatting to make new friends and hang out with existing ones. If you've just got onto the Net, or if you've been using the Net only for serious uses like education and research, loosen up and let go - there's a lot of fun in store for you.

Best ways to make new friends online

Chat Rooms

The fastest way to find like-minded people online is to log on to one of the hundreds of chat rooms available on the Net. Chat rooms are virtual hangout places on the Net where people talk with each other through their keyboards. TalkCity, one of the most popular chat sites today, has chat rooms dedicated to almost any topic and interest under the sun, so you won't have a problem finding one that suits you. Chat today is no longer restricted only to text, but also includes images (like your snap), and icons to convey a particular mood (from a smile to a bomb). Those who use text-only accounts can turn to IRC (Internet Relay Chat), which, though not as intuitive, can be as much fun.

Web sites

Give yourself a home on the net. A website can be easily put together with little effort using a free service. A website will allow you to post personal information, your email address and more. It's a great "marketing tool" to attract people that might have similiar interests. Visit Yahoo! Geocities for a free web site.

Weblogs

Weblogs are highly personal "open-book" diaries that anyone can read. They can include all kinds of information about your daily life and interests. They have been a amazingly successful way to meet people online and build some close friendships. Weblogs can be a big step if you are new to the web. Take some time to see what others are doing to find out if a weblog is right for you. Check out blogger.com to learn more.

Instant communications tools

A slight variation of chat, there are many instant messaging tools available today - ICQ, PeopleLink, AOL Instant messenger and Yahoo! Pager being a few. While the primary purpose of these programs is to allow you to communicate one-on-one with people you know, most offer you a random search feature. Search for someone with similar interests, and you could be making friends in a few seconds!

Mailing lists

Mailing lists are discussion groups on various topics that anyone with an email address can sign up for. Unlike chat however, communication takes place via email and all members of the group can contribute to the discussion, opening up a whole new e-friend circle. Free mailing list services like Liszt, Listbot, CoolList and Egroups offer you a chance to belong to or start email discussion groups on any topic that interests you - be it silly or serious.

Online services

Matrimonials are passé, personals are in. Online matchmaking sites like Match.com allow you to create your profile and search for others who match up to what you look for in a friend or partner. When you come across matches, you can establish anonymous contact through the site and slowly exchange email addresses, phone numbers, and slowly take that friendship back to the real world. These personal sites also take into consideration the kind of relationship you're looking out for - be it just an email pal or a long term romantic relationship.

People Lookup

Remember your college sweetheart, your school bully, or that person you met at the conference last month? Getting in touch with them online takes a few clicks with services like Four11, Bigfoot, WhoWhere, SixDegrees, and alumni services like BatchMates or World Alumni Net . Type in a name and you may find them online. If those efforts fail, try using search engines like Altavista, HotBot or Excite - if your targets have a homepage, your search will throw it up for you to pursue - the way Lisa found mine.

A final note

The Internet can be a very friendly place to be in and its reach and informality makes finding and making friends as simple as a few mouse clicks. People use the Net to make friends online, and as comfort levels improve, take those friendships to the next level by meeting each other. You'll also hear the occasional met-online-got-married story; log on - you never know what your online friendships will turn to!

-- Evan