NextRound Groups

Whether it's people you never knew, people you're glad you forgot, or terrifying fringe groups like "Men Who Spackle", the clutter of social networking sites makes it impossible to keep up with the few people you actually like. Close your circle, with NextRound Groups.

From the guys behind Atlanta-based man-blog NextRound, NRG's a stripped down, limited-access social networking hub optimized "for people who already have friends". Tap who you want to join your closed group (and at least attempt to concoct a not-horrible group name), and you'll get exactly what you need to gallantly blow off work: a message board for yapping/links/vids, a photo gallery, and an event planner w/ RSVP functionality, plus a meter that counts down to the said event by the second -- dramatically building up anticipation for "Happy Hour at Jimmy Mac's". Further diversion's provided by the poll-making feature, i.e., "John will mistake a transsexual for Gina Gershon" - 40%; "John will mistake Gina Gershon for a transsexual" - 60%.

NRG also provides a handy search feature for retrieving past posts, though after spending a few hours dredging through your group's greatest hits, you might decide you miss the witty banter of MySpace.