San Francisco Chronicle

** Front Page **

Online networking clicks among friends
And investors sense profits from Web sites linking people

Before the Internet, social life was both simpler and more complicated. To keep up with friends, you actually had to see them. To organize a party, you had to pick up the phone. To get a date, you had to have chemistry. Now, thanks to the miracle of online social networking sites, you can manage your friends without taking your hands off the keyboard.

Social networking has become one of the most popular applications on the Internet in the wake of the dot-com bust. There is now a social network site for practically every subgroup, no matter how weird, niche or pragmatic.

SmallWorld.net is an invitation-only site restricted to jetsetters. Dogster.com caters to dog owners. LinkedIn.com serves professionals who want to foster new business ties. Meetup.com helps people plan events. . .

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