Check out this site:
Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup.com
This is an AWESOME way to meet people who are interested in the same types of things you are interested in. I love it because it gives you the initial buffer of the internet (getting to know people online a bit through profiles and such), but also encourages meeting up in real life.
Another good way to meet people is to volunteer in your community. Check out this site:
VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins
I also wrote an article that gives a list of ideas for meeting people:
Engage! :The Soul’s Asylum
The biggest thing to remember is that making friends can happen either in the blink of an eye or it can take a while to establish friendships (depending on your personality, I guess). The biggest thing is to make sure you are doing something you enjoy doing (that allows you to meet people) and to make sure you are patient and give yourself time to make connections.
Sometimes it happens really fast, but most of the time it takes a little time. Do things you enjoy, be yourself, and be patient.