So there’s this get-together, and you’re agonizing over whether to attend. Maybe it’s a neighborhood block party and you think, “Do I really need to know all these people?” Or maybe it’s that office party, not top of your list for a Thursday evening but, you wonder, will your absence be noticed? What if something important gets discussed?

Maybe you’d have fun, sharing gossip with the folks in shipping.

Worrying about where and how to socialize is nothing new, but now it’s more complicated because fraternizing has become “virtually” unlimited.

“Social media” – Facebook, MySpace, Blogger and dozens more – is red hot. Like revelers spilling from Bourbon Street clubs, they beckon, “Join us, you’ll have a blast.”

And it’s more than mingling; as the profiles, connections and recommendations fly around LinkedIn, the job hunt seems redefined. The resume and cover letter might prove less effective than a rich network of hundreds of online acquaintances. Sadly, professional networking on the Internet is skyrocketing in lockstep with layoffs, as the newly unemployed cast a wide net.

Companies wonder where and how to participate in social media. In my day job, I encounter marketers who fear falling behind because, for example, they aren’t serving their clients Twitter “tweets,” real-time text-based updates that never exceed 140 characters. I’m showing my age, but nevertheless: How can a news-ticker service of mostly lifestyle nonsense attract 5 million visitors?

The knee-jerk reaction for many companies is to blog. The “Web log” began nobly as a modern vehicle for individual expression, as found on the page you’re reading.

But co-opting by commercial interests poisoned the well, as Wired magazine expressed perfectly in October: “The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. …Underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths.”

Should this editorial page feature AAMCO’s marketing chief on the superiority of their transmission rebuilds? Heaven forbid.

My favorite social media is the discussion forum, aka message board, an online meeting place for people with a common interest. I visit one that discusses writing, but that’s beside the point.

Fascinating for me is that, for the first time, I “feel” affinity with people I’ve never met face to face or voice to voice. A member code named “Dolfin477” might be 28 or 88, male or female, American or Transylvanian, but no matter. … He or she makes insightful observations about something I care about.

Best of all, if you’re interested in badgers, coffee cups of the Confederacy or podiatric prestidigitation, there’s a virtual group talking your language.

My advice to anyone weighing social media options is to consider if the shoe fits. Crocs are comfortable but, like blogs from corporate mouthpieces, they’re out of place on a Wall Street trader.

Compare your goals to the intent of each medium. Looking to reconnect with old schoolmates and share the latest social news with present-day pals? Facebook and MySpace might fit the bill, but don’t lose track of time.

Looking to give your professional credentials more visibility? You have many options, but LinkedIn seems to own the niche.

Most of all, pay a preliminary visit, and ask yourself, “Am I comfortable here?” If so, take a virtual seat and strike up a conversation.