Is there a place online that is free where i can look for people in my area with similar interests for dating?

i was thinking of something kind of like personals...somewhere to post and read the posts of others. has anyone found a good site that is free? i have tried looking thru profiles, but i never feel good about approaching someone. what if they don't want some girl im'ing them? and i don't know how to look for people thru myspace. whenever anyone local im's me, he is always a goat roper (i live in oklahoma) who has no interest in books or anything i care about. also, it has to be somewhere that is free because i have no means to pay for this service.