Diaspora*
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It's been a long time coming, and there's still a way to go, but I'm impressed with diaspora*, especially because it's still in 'alpha' development. It's also still invitation only, but it's growing fast.
I got my invitation a couple of days ago, and went to see what it has to offer. Another Facebook? Another Google+? Surprisingly, I don't think it is. Sure, there's a 'news stream' on your home page, a profile page where you can lay out who you are, and the option to compartmentalise the people you link up with, but there's a different feel about it. It has atmosphere. It actually feels like a community, or rather, many communities under a common umbrella.
But it's not rigid. It's flexible and imposes very little on its users. You are free to be involved as much or as little as you like. It would be perfectly possible to enjoy diaspora* without having any 'friends' at all. You could simply use hashtags to identify your interests and receive posts in your news stream from people who share those interests, with no obligation to do anything other than lurk.
However, I suspect that you, as I have, would find yourself wanting to make a comment on, or 'like', some of the posts that come in your news stream. And almost before you know it, you've started up a conversation with someone with a shared interest.
Of course, once you have joined diaspora*, you can also invite people you already know. If you want to join, but don't know anyone who is already a member, then you can go to diaspora* and sign up for an invite. Or you could ask me, nicely!
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