The internet is amazing for many reasons.  One of those reasons is that it connects people that may have otherwise never met each other.  Chat rooms can seem scary and joining local organizations can be costly .  Meetup.com is different.  Meetup is a site where you can find groups of people in your area having similar interests, objectives and perspectives.  Meetups can be super casual like simply meeting at a park to go for a hike or more formal such as going to a show at a local theater.  On Meetup, you'll find local groups for pickup sport matches, groups offering free seminars on photography, groups of moms arranging play dates, craft groups, book clubs, happy hour pub crawls and a heck of a lot more.  The options and possibilities are endless and if you don't find the group you're looking for you can always start a new group yourself.  Did you know there is a Minnesota Underwater Hockey Group or a Geek Physique meetup group featuring "a hybrid of role playing and yoga"?!  It's fun to explore Meetup and do things I never knew I had the option to do.  As long as you are willing to "meet up," you will make new friends.