UPDATE: The most current version of this list can be found at: The Home of the Social Networking Services Meta List.

I dropped the dating sites from my 'SNS Picking & Parsing' endeavors for now, as I had recorded 30 of them and still had not scratched the surface of the total number of 'Singles' offerings available on the Web today. In recent posts I have supplied related links to much more robust 'Dating Service' classification systems [see Another Singles Metasite post.]

The 'categories' still need a lot of work, and I plan to consult with a few folks I have discussed this 'categorization' effort with, including: Clay Shirky, Marc Eisenstadt, Christopher Allen, and Scott Allen. But, here's a snapshot of where I am today in my recording efforts. The wild part is that - even though I removed over 30 'Dating' sites, there are still more than 120 sites listed here! And, that is not counting the new category, on the bottom, for IM type offerings. I know that I have not recorded every recommendation that has been submitted to me thus far, and so... As always, I welcome your additions, deletions, and corrections! Thanks!

Watch this post as I will be continually updating it until it is anchored in the right column. Updated today, 26 March 2004, will attribute changes when I am done for the day... (-:=

business networking sites

Affinity Engines, The Conneck, Contact Network, Corporate Alumni, ecademy, eConozco.com, Eliyon, EntreMate, GoingProfessional, Growth Company, I'm Not From Here, InterAction, ItsNotWhatYouKnow, LinkedIn, Link Silicon Valley, matcheroo, Mediabistro, Monster Networking, NetMiner, Netmodular Community, Networking For Professionals, Online Business Networking Resource, Open Business Club (openBC), Polypol, PowerMingle, RealContacts, ReferNet, Ryze, Salesforce.com, Shortcut, Silicon Valley Pipeline, Spoke Software, Sullivan Executive Networking Community, Tacit - ActiveNet, TENG, Visible Path, WisdomBuilder.

common interest networking sites

Buzznet, Classmates.com, Community Zero, Company of Friends, Delphi Forums, Globe Alive, gradFinder, Meet Me at HOT or NOT?, Netplaya Burning Man Community, Schoolster, Talk City, TheSquare.

face-to-face meeting facilitation sites

8minuteDating, Evite, First Tuesday, The Lunch Club NYC, MeetUp, MixerMixer, Netparty, new-in-town, Social Circles, WhizSpark.

friend networking sites

Backwash, BuddyBridge, Chia Friend, Christianster, Click2Friends, easeek, eFriendsnet, enCentra, everyonesconnected, FriendFan.com, Friendity, Friendoo, Friend Surfer, friendsbay.de, Friends of Friends, Friends Reunited, Friendster, Friendzy, Gruuve, HeiYou, hi5, hipstir, Huminity, The Impersonals, Korea Data House, LianQu, Living Directory, Metails, mrNeighborhood, Myspace.com, orkut, PalJunction, peeps nation, qpengyou, Ringo, Tickle by Emode, ticqle, Tribe.net, UUFriends, Wallop, WiW, WorldShine, YeeYoo, YOYO, Zerodegrees.

pet networking sites

Backwash for Pets, Dogster, KissyKat, Neopets.

social networking 'plus' and 'edge cases'

Blogpod, BuddyZoo, del.icio.us, Dude Check This Out!, Eurekster!, eventSherpa, Flickr, fonetango, Funchain.com, Gush, HelloWorld, Home Exchange, HomeLink, Intervac, KnowMates,LiveJournal, MixedNutz.net, The Opinion Exchange, Palbook, PLINK, RepCheck, SmallPlanet, Small World Project, Social Grid, StumbleUpon, TXTParty, WiredReach, Zdarmanet, Zopto.

synchronous/realtime social networking services

AOL (R) Instant Messenger (TM), BuddySpace, iChat AV, ICQ Universe, Jabber, JustYak Chat, Mera Urdu Messenger, MMI Messenger, MSN Messenger for Mac, neos mt, UNIVerse ("You and I Converse"), Yahoo! Messenger.