Maybe you don't need a unified group of friends. Try dabbling into different groups by socially networking your way through your existing contacts, and see if there IS a group you want to be part of. But let being subscribed to no groups an option.
Social networking is tough - and it requires a LOT of effort, guts, organisation and oppurtunity seeking. I haven't found any one book that focusses on it yet, simply because I just applied common sense:
1) Every contact is a potential gateway to more contacts
2) Learn everything you can about everyone - common interests are your trump cards
3) systematically record contact information - phone numbers and birthdays, and don't forget (actually now that I think about it, Dale Carnegies "how to make friends..." and Napolean Hill's "Think and grow Rich" have lots of brilliant tips at social networking and the little things that go into it.
And about books like "the art of seduction" and "48 laws of power"... at the risk of being flamed by fans of these books, I'm just gonna say:
They have a lot of valid points, and some of them you can even apply. But IMHO they aren't written from a strategy / outlook that aims for spiritual (or even personal) advancement as well. Which is what Pavlina and Covey try to do.
Ok, let the flaming begin - please be gentle
