Online Support: Some Resources for the Unemployed

In January, almost 600,000 Americans were laid off, (opens in new tab) so if you lost your job, you have plenty of company. And support is just a click away.

Meetup.com (opens in new tab), the site that facilitates face-to-face gatherings, lists a rapidly-growing array of groups for the unemployed around the country, from Pink Slip Coffee (opens in new tab) in Boston to Unemployed in LA. (opens in new tab) Meetup also has company and industry-specific groups, such as those for laid off IT workers in Cincinnati and former Best Buy consultants in Minnesota.

You can also connect and commiserate with fellow laid off workers virtually through social networking sites. A number of groups on LinkedIn and Facebook cater to job seekers. For some perspective, check out Laid Off and Looking, (opens in new tab) a Wall Street Journal blog following eight out-of-work professionals. For practical advice, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has an extensive page full of job tips (opens in new tab).

It's easy to feel lost in this daunting market, but if anything, these online resources will remind you that you are not alone.

Have you come across any particularly useful or inspiring sites? Let us know.