Being Connected

Social media is offering an explosion of new ways of being connected. I am just beginning to explore what facebook, twitter, foursquare and linked in can do for me and my relationships. I come from a past where strong bonds were formed by meeting, sharing experiences together and being close to each other. Can I now form new bonds with people I have never met or seen but who have similar interests to me? I haven't done so yet but the possibility seems to be there. I feel like a lost explorer heading in to a thick jungle but with a sense of excitement about what might occur. What has been your experience so far?