Once you've decided that you're comfortable with the new phenomenon of Internet friendship, the task of actually finding Internet friends is as easy as finding websites you enjoy.

Many Internet users turn to social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Friendster to keep up with friends, old and new. In this most basic approach to finding new friends, users create profiles of their interests and upload photos for friends and family to see. Successful though some may be at finding new friends in the social networking jungle, there are many sites that offer a gentler model.

One of the first steps toward finding friendship online is figuring out your intentions. Would you like someone to email or instant message? Someone to talk to over the phone? Perhaps you'd like to use the Internet to jumpstart a new friendship with someone you can spend time with in person, or someone that may later become a romantic interest. Once you know what you want, you can use the infinite resources available on the web to find those with similar expectations.

INTERNET FRIENDS
For friends you can chat with online, join forums or consider starting a blog. Punch a topic into Google and you'll find that there are community forums for just about any interest. Similarly, if you start a blog on blogger.com, livejournal.com or a similar site, you'll soon see that many members share your opinions.

Social bookmarking sites like deli.cio.cious and StumbleUpon will allow you to learn of new sites on the Internet that may offer socialization opportunities, and have the added benefit of interaction with other bookmarkers. Consider making a profile and bookmarking your favorite sites to find out which members like the same things.

Try searching technorati.com for popular blogs and get in on the conversation there just post your point of view after each entry. By creating a friendly and open presence in forums and on blogs, you'll build a rapport with other 'net surfers that frequent those sites.

FRIENDS YOU CAN REALLY TALK TO
When you're ready to meet Internet friends that you can email, call or talk to via an instant messenger like AIM, Yahoo or Google Talk, you may want to consider visiting sites that have member to member messaging. In this way, you can begin passing personal notes to another member to gauge your comfort with that person, and eventually disclose your contact information in a non-public way.

Social networking sites are an obvious choice, but many

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