I noticed, with more than a little amusement, how many people freaked-out when the uber-popular MySpace went down recently. Now, I like Myspace and am also a member, but I just check it occasionally for my mail or to post a blog about someone I know or something that happened online on another dating site -- just personal, nothing-type stuff -- but if it were the only networking site I belonged to, I would have been frustrated, too!

Still, there are a lot of free sites dedicated to networking, dating, and making and maintaining friendships, so I figured I'd share a few of the cooler ones with you, just so you don't have to sit around jonesing the next time MySpace breaks:

Social/Networking Sites

Tribe.net

- A free networking site based on area/region and interests. When you join, you enter your area, and search for Tribes to join based on location and interest, then start posting to the Tribes, reviewing local features (or whatever you want), blogging, and meeting people with similar interests. Customizable pages and interface, blog.

MyNetSpot.Org - A newcomer to the networking arena, this site is owned and run by some cats in Dayton, OH, who actually interact with the members! The greatest thing (IMO) is that nearly everyone on this site is into comics, and famed comic book writer, Warren Ellis, is a member. Customizable pages and interface, blog.

Yahoo! 360 - Yahoo! 360 is the portal giant's answer to MySpace, and while it is still being unrolled and lacks all of the functionality of that site, it is still really nice and has many of the same features -- not to mention all of Yahoo's other features, to boot! Customizable pages and interface, blog.

Friendster.Com - I added this one because I'm familiar with it, but have not yet joined, so I don't know much about it.

Of course, there are tons of sites out there for specific interests and pursuits (such as The Writer magazine's site) which have active communities, including message boards and blogs, but the ones listed above focus on networking and meeting people, just like MySpace.

And while I have a good list of free (really free) dating sites to refer you to, I will post them in a later blog, once I clear everything with sponsors and TOS. But this should be enough to get you going. I, myself, am a member of many of these sites, so get to surfing and feel free to look me up!