[Herwig]

I think this blog post title doesn't cover everything in your post. Yes it is evident that brilliant people worked together and made something brilliant. Then you go on to say if you have no friends or family use the social web/world. None of the successful partnerships you mentioned met through YOUR recommended way of finding partnerships.

Personally I don't recommend going out and look for partnerships. Its an easy way to get into a co-founder battle or have different interests that you only discover 2 months later. All those successful partnerships named early on are people who knew each other better than they knew themselves or just worked really well together. Going out and just networking isn't going to get you such a relationship. What you need to do is form a deep relationship and constantly shoot the shit and work on projects together, that way you can determine weather you work well or not (schools and living together are all things you can do this at, and is also common among all the successful partnerships mentioned above).

[dralison]

My summary concluded that the best way to find a partner is to expand your network and insert yourself into the right community. I also don't condone going out and "shopping for a partner", yet very often a first time entrepreneur may think that way. By phrasing the title the way I did I was hoping that people new to startups or those thinking of expanding their business by adding a partner would read it looking for practical tips and reach that conclusion.