One of the most important things to do when you're starting a new online community is to gather people who share your interests (or the interests of your brand, if it's a business sponsored community).  So how do you find people who are interested in your subject area?

There are niche sites and social networks all over the web, teeming with people who might be interested in your topic.  Here is a sampling of some off-the-beaten-path sites to check out:

Shelfari groups - Shelfari is a popular space for book lovers, and it includes groups as well.  Use the search feature to find a group that relates to your topic, and join it.  Become a valuable member of the group, and you'll make connections that might support your own community as well.  

Amazon - The Amazon site does a great job of associating books with interest areas.  Type in the name of a book that's relevant to your online community, and Amazon will show you books that similar people have bought.  You can use these connections to find related topics and lists you may not have considered.

Squidoo lenses - Squidoo is the social network founded by Seth Godin; it is a curator's dream, but it also is a great place to find people who are passionate about specific subject areas.  Again, you don't want to just barge in and spam links to your community; it's another venue to make genuine contacts and contribute to a group.  If you are a great contributor, other members will look at your profile and social signatures and find your community.

Flickr groups - Flickr is another great place to find like-minded people.  Did you know that Flickr has groups?  Just about any subject you can imagine has a Flickr group, and those might be people interested in your online community as well.  Use the search function to find a group that might be relevant.

StumbleUpon - I love StumbleUpon; not only is it a wonderful way to discover new content, but you can also use it to unearth groups or people who are interested in specific subjects. Just don't get sucked into 2 hours of "stumbling," I'm just sayin'...

Pinterest - Guess I can't talk about niche social networks without mentioning Pinterest.  If you're looking to find people who are passionate about certain things, particularly women, you need to investigate Pinterest.  If you routinely include pretty pictures in your blog posts, it's a great idea to create a Pinterest board for your blog or community.  It'll be another route to draw people in.

Where do you like to find prospective community members?

Screen shot of the Pinterest board for my own Hoop.la blog.