Hey, outside of college, the majority of my friends came from sites like this one and the vehicle-specific forums I used to spend everyday on.
This was my brother about 5 years ago. Moved back home after living in NYC for a decade. All of his friends had moved away so he really didn't have anyone except a few childhood friends. One of them got him into guns and from there, he's gone to shows, gun ranges, online forums and has built himself a small group of close friends from that one hobby.