South Africa’s answer to social networking is here and it is awesome.

Rewind to the 90s, back to the dark ages of floppy discs and dial-up internet.

This was before social networking, and those of us plugged into the information highway would gather and connect through chatrooms, wiling away the hours (mostly) talking nonsense.

Fast forward back to today and the likes of Facebook and Twitter now rule the roost, although it looks like the old-school chatroom has finally grown up and we are digging its new style.

We are talking about Gather Online, a brand new, proudly South African and Australian social network which is about to kick off in a big way.

It’s kind of like Mxit meets Facebook, and it’s packed full of really cool features.

• Sign up is free
• All the Gatherings have a set time limit, so the conversations are always fresh and active
• It’s really easy to join or start a Gathering on any topic imaginable
•  Your Gathering can be public or private, depending on what you’re looking for
• It’s a cool way to discover new like-minded friends or business contacts
• If you are single and looking to mingle, flirt away and confidentially like any potential love interests that you’d like to match up with. 
• Gather Online is currently available via the website, with an app soon to be available on Android and iStore

After wading in earlier this week, we found a bunch of really interesting Gatherings that are currently underway:

• How to spot a Capetonian (HERE)
• Thuli Madonsela for president! (HERE)
• What would you change if you were Springbok coach? (HERE)

Someone like me prefers to keep Facebook for liking other people’s baby photos, and seeing who has the most exciting status update, but I’m also the kind of person who likes to weigh in with my opinion when I find something interesting.

Seems I might have found the platform, then, that satisfies my craving to connect on a deeper level.

Gather Online peeps, set some tongues wagging – check it out and give it a test ride today.