How do YOU meet new people?

[RLSkyDive!]

Having recently moved to a new area, I am having problems thinking of places to go or things to do to meet new people! For as long as I can remember I have always hung out with the same general group of close friends so I guess I never HAD to just go out and meet a few new people to hang out with like I do now.

I have met a great group of people at my skydiving dropzone, the problem with that is where I live the dropzones are few and far between and people tend to drive sometimes 4++ hours from all directions just to jump at that particular dropzone and I have yet to run in to someone that lives within 30 minutes of me.

So I'm just curious as to how you all meet new people.

[iJesus]

Well, I'm only 16 (17 the 31st!) and most of the people I meet are at school.

Usually when I think something involves social interaction, I just act like the stranger is a good friend of mine and I'm perfectly comfortable around them. I've found that being laid back when meeting new people is the best way for ME to meet new people.

[RLSkyDive!]

Well, I'm only 16 (17 the 31st!) and most of the people I meet are at school.

Usually when I think something involves social interaction, I just act like the stranger is a good friend of mine and I'm perfectly comfortable around them. I've found that being laid back when meeting new people is the best way for ME to meet new people.

I hear ya, I just graduated high school, which was a very easy place to meet people. I'm 18 and majoring in funeral services (nothing like the 'typical' funeral director though!) - I am a very funny, well rounded, adventurous, "out there" type of person, and I am usually the loud one in the group and never afraid of trying something new.

Meeting people in my classes at the community college is difficult because most of them are your typical dead-beat quiet funeral director-type person, either that or they are ghetto thugs, which kinda of isnt my thing. I get along great with people I just meet, meaning I'm not shy with them. I just don't know where to go to meet new people! Learning this area is hard because its some what big/busy. Just wondering if anyone has recently gone through this and has some good tips. Thanks though!

[iJesus]

I am a very funny, well rounded, adventurous, "out there" type of person, and I am usually the loud one in the group and never afraid of trying something new.


That sounds exactly like me =P

[iJohnHenry]

I meet lots of new people.

Unfortunately, as a volunteer driver for the Cancer Society, they are not always in the best of health.

[n00basaur]

swinger parties

[Abstract]

Chatrooms. I'm a 21 year old nursing student from Boston who has been feeling a bit down lately.

[RITZFit]

I've met a lot of cool people in college, on different jobs, as well as random car clubs I'm in. Usually if I'm sitting next to someone for more than 5 min, I'll try to strike up a convo. It usually goes pretty good from there.

[Leareth]

usually in my lab in a body bag ;)

or my lab colleagues

at the dept socials which happen once a term - we have a huge dept, with over 100 faculty, 200 grad students and 600-800 declared majors.
so knowing everyone is virtually impossible...

I have met a couple of friends in bookstores and at starbucks

[iBlue]

With a coy smile.


:p

I don't know.... around. Met a couple good friends on Macrumors actually. I'm a bit cautious with people for good reason so I might not be the best one to answer.

[raggedjimmi]

At the moment I'm not! It's easy at college or uni. Met loads of great people there, but I graduated a year ago and have basically worked from home doing freelance graphics/music ever since.
Planning on getting a real job soon and finally meet some new folk.

Also met some mad people whilst dog walking (dogging! no...), there's one guy who also takes his parrot for a walk too. He's like a pirate but from Yorkshire and has an Alsatian too. Big jazz fan.

[Abstract]

Well that's a given. All pirates that I know love jazz.

I'm now a 26 year old woman who loves leather, whips, and 19 year old boys with fast expensive cars. Love. Long time. Call me.

[Sun Baked]

All depends on who you want to meet.

If you want to meet some nice cops and doctors, you can always chew an Alka-seltzer and run around a park nude.

[JNB]

I don't meet new people, they meet me. :cool:

[melissarae]

hmmm.... where and why would one go to school to become a funeral home director? they actually have a major for this? interesting....

[SamIchi]

hmmm.... where and why would one go to school to become a funeral home director? they actually have a major for this? interesting....

Mortuary science? I know a friend that went into this field.

[t0mat0]

Chatrooms. I'm a 21 year old nursing student from Boston who has been feeling a bit down lately.

I'm usually at the 3G iPhone thread, but saw this on the forum spy, and wanted to say hello and cheer you up.
Hopefully this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLTQp5KcgWg)video i'm compilling about the 3G's specs will help :)

[Mord]

IRC


Lame? Yes, but it works for me.

[leekohler]

Usually I just say hello.

I've also met a lot of my friends out in bars and clubs, slept with them, then made friends with their friends. It's a little slutty, but effective. ;) BTW- always carry protection. :)

[7on]

I don't meet new people, they meet me. :cool:

ditto

[BlakTornado]

I'm a bit cautious with people for good reason

Same. I've had more bad experiences with other people than good.

I don't meet new people, they meet me. :cool:

Same... but there's no ":cool:" about it for me. They meet me for the wrong reasons ... :o

[LeahM]

I can be really shy at times, so I've met a good percent of my friends 1) from Pre-K and from my boyfriend. That or school.

The ones I haven't meet from school or from friends of mine were from volunteer work, :) like a long term care facility, old people are cool. or lacrosse

[shu82]

I just take my normal seat at my local watering hole. It is a rule that anyone who sits next to you in a bar is bound by law to have a conversation. ;)I am always nice, I have met some really cool people that way.

[Xfujinon]

Generally, I don't meet new people. Seems like grad school and the impending medical school routine has made finding time to make new friends difficult. My wife and I mostly keep to each other's company, and spend a lot of time together but doing our own things.

I used to meet a lot of people through school, through local art shows or venues, or occasionally at shops I frequented. I met my former bassist and drummer in a guitar shop one day.

I don't care to use the internet, seems disingenuous, and at the minimum disappointing when you realize that internet personas are a lot like resumes: they bend the facts to appear marketable, to so speak.

[BlakTornado]

Well, one way is Social Networking.

Isn't that great but you can meet friends through it, and your friends can introduce you to friends and so on.

I've met a few people through Myspace.

And things like this (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=484004) are good opportunities :) Even if it's a bit of a journey, you might meet some people who live nearish to you.

[Antares]

I would recommend: MEETin (http://www.meetin.org)

It's a great (and free) site you can use to meet people in your local area. People basically post a variety of events which you can go to...or post your own event (once you've been a member for a while). I'm not active anymore but was a few years back. I met some great people who I am still friends with and then basically moved on. The cool thing about it is that everyone who joins and participates basically does so to meet people. It's not pretentious and not a dating site. At any given event, there was always a lot of new people as well as a bunch of regulars.

Other than the above. I tend to meet people through friends. Friends of friends and that kind of thing.

[macwall]

If you see a person or a group of people that you want to talk to, just walk up and start talking to them. It might seem weird at first, but you can actually make a lot of friends this way. Also if you become good at making friends with strangers, it will help you a lot if you're looking for someone to date.

[motulist]

It's pretty simple, all you have to do is walk near a stranger and make a topical comment about something in the environment around you. If they respond back with more than a word or two it means they're interested in having a conversation.

Let's say you're at the grocery store in the dairy isle, just turn your head slightly to them and say "gosh, can you believe the price of milk these days?" and then if they're interested in having a conversation they'll respond with something like "yeah, it's crazy. The other day I was thinking about making myself a bowl of cereal for breakfast but I actually hesitated because the price of milk is so high." If they aren't interested in having a conversation they'll give you an answer that's just two or three words like "yeah, it's crazy."

So when someone responds with a sentence or two, you say a sentence or two back. Keep doing that for a while and then bring up something that you enjoy doing that they might enjoy doing too, and if it turns out you have a similar interest, like playing poker, then just tell them "hey we should play poker one day, why don't you give me your email address." Then you make arrangements to player poker one day soon, and before you know it you've got a friend.