This is why many people feel that the future of social networking will involve hyper-local sites based around small geographic areas, such as a city or county.  Many media companies are gambling on this idea as well.  Our own version of a local Myspace can be found at Hamilton County Today.  It allows people in Hamilton County, Indiana to share their videos, photos, stories, and other information with each other and maybe even see it in print as well.

In the future, some predict that your social networking profile will be similar to your e-mail address, in that you’ll be able to take it with your from site to site.  For example, say I sign up to Myspace, Facebook, and Hamilton County Today.  I wouldn’t have to fill out any information at these sites other than to give them my universal social networking ID, which would fill in all of my personal info for me and even populate my profile with all of my photos and videos.  We may be a few years away from this, but many believe this may be the way the web is heading.

This month alone, there’s a fly fishing show, a train expo, an RV show, a gun & knife show, a reptile show, the Indianapolis Woodworking Show, the Stewarts Indiana Flea Market, a U.S. Coin-Operated Game Auction, the 32^nd Annual Greater Indianapolis Garage Sale, the Indianapolis Home Show, the Hoosier Racers Swap Meet, and the Indiana Judges Cup Gymnastics.  With that many events, there should be something for just about everyone.

From my personal experience, I can say that the free Stewart’s Indiana Flea Market is definitely worth attending if you enjoy garage sales, flea markets, or bargain hunting in general.  For free events, you do still have to pay $3 for parking if you drive, however.  Also of interest, is the free U.S. Coin-Operated Game Auction, which is the same weekend as the Stewart’s show.  This auction is where you’ll find pinball machines, arcade games, pool tables, vending machines, and every other coin-operated machine you can think of. 

If you’re interesting in buying a few favorite machines for your game room or if you always wanted to start a vending business, this auction is a great place to start.  The machines go quite cheap as you’re bidding against dealers for the most part, however, many of these machines are straight off a route, meaning they may be in need of minor or major repairs.  Make sure you play or test any machines before bidding on them and don’t buy anything unless you have the technical ability to repair it yourself or can afford to pay someone to repair it for you.  It also doesn’t hurt to come prepared if you think you might buy something, as these machines weigh 300-400 pounds each and are difficult to transport.  You’ll need a furniture dolly, a truck, and a buddy to help you lift.

For people like myself who go through garage sale withdraw during the winter, the 32^nd Annual Greater Indianapolis Garage Sale is a godsend.  Although, to be honest, you see a lot of the same dealers at this event that you’ll see at the Stewart’s show, so it’s really less of a garage sale and more of a flea market, in my opinion.

Some skeptics will say that you can’t find a real bargain at a flea market because of all the dealers there who know what things are worth, but the truth is that antique and collectible dealers can’t be an expert on everything, so they don’t always know what they have.  I remember one trip to the Stewart’s show, my parents bought me an old Green Hornet pez dispenser for $1.  I eventually popped it on Ebay and it sold for $185.  The dealer had no idea it was worth anything and neither did the hundreds of people that walked through his booth that day.  Heck, even my parents had no idea, they just knew it was old and that I had a small collection of pez dispensers back then, so they bought it for me on a whim and brought it home.  I’ve found plenty of other great deals at these events over the years as well, so keep your eyes open and do a little research on Ebay beforehand to get an idea of how much you should pay for whatever it is you’re looking for.

Anyway, getting back to the original point of this post, if you’re searching websites looking for something to do some weekend this winter, don’t forget to pay a visit to the State Fairground’s event calendar to see what’s going on there.

State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana – SSACI has been offering assistance to college-bound Hoosiers since 1965, and their website contains a wealth of information about Indiana grants and scholarships, as well as federal aid programs.

Scholarships.com – This commercial website has a huge database of information on over 2.7 million scholarships and grants worth a total over $19 billion.

Next Student’s Indiana Scholarships List – This site contains a large listing of scholarships that Hoosiers may apply for.

College Board – Provides the latest information about college costs, scholarships, financial aid applications, education loans, and college financing.

Mach 25 – Another large scholarship search that finds scholarships that match your personal profile.

Fast Web – Another commercial site that contains a database of millions of scholarships.

FinAid – A guide to financial aid from the same company that runs monster.com.

Sallie Mae – The nation’s leading provider of student loans.

Indiana Higher Education – A list of college and universities in Indiana.  Remember, one of the best ways to save money is to stay close to home and attend a public, state school if possible.