The Net is an incestuous, frictionless hell for companies trying to make a buck. In short, ya gotta ante up and give away cool stuff to get your toe in the door.

This directory is highly selective, focusing on best of breed, new, or especially innovative services. Unlike go2.com I'm not prostituting myself to the highest bidder ... yet. So bugger off if you don't see your favorite charity. Still, you can try. Send nominations, suggestions, and wads of small unmarked bills to Marc Freedman.

• PlanetAll revolves around groups likes schools. Join a group or form your own group or subgroup and then network out from there. It's a great way to stay in touch with the ol' college class. Cool feature - online contact manager synchronizes with MS Outlook on your PC.
• Now you can be Kevin Bacon for a day. Invite 300 of your closest friends, relatives, and associates to join. six degrees networks you to your contacts and your contacts' contacts. There's even a White Pages to look up people outside your circle. You have total control over what personal info is displayed and to whom. Cool feature - Run searches on your personal network by location, occupation, and interests, especially nifty if you want to find someone else who loves opera or a dinner companion when travelling out of town.
• 411 allows searches by groups like schools if that info has been entered by individuals.