Well, making the decision to connect is the first step - and you have already done that.
There is life outside your apartment
I know it's hard to conceive
But there's life outside your apartment
And you're only gonna see it if you leave
There is cool shit to do
But it can't come to you
And who knows, dude
You might even score
There is life outside your apartment
But you got to open the door
- Avenue Q
This is, of course, a huge subject. Whole books have been written just on online dating, hookups, cruising, gay dating, etc.
Here are a few initial online ideas:
- Don't do Craig's List. It's the most public, with the least information and interaction possible. Maybe try it later if you are adventurous and know your way around; but for "virgins" it's the most risk with the least chance of good sex. (If others with more CL experience want to comment or disagree, please feel free.)
- If you want to go slow, online dating / meetup sites are a good choice. These are sites that have extensive profiles and usually do some kind of matchmaking, giving you the chance write to people you are interested in. They are usually closed systems (Google can't index them), so your profile isn't viewable by the general public. I am in the US and here some examples are Adam4Adam and OK Cupid. These are places to find dates and make friends.
- For a sex partner online, use the hookup apps / sites. M4M, ManHunt, Grindr and Scruff are popular choices among my friends. M4M and ManHunt are profile and communication oriented web sites that are built to facilitate communication / flirting / hookups over time, while Grindr and Scruff are GPS based apps that focus on who is close-by right now.
Now, for meeting people in the real world, if you do these two things you will meet gay friends, potential boyfriends, and sex partners.
- Come out - when you meet people let them know (or at least drop a hint) that you are gay. This brings the interested guys to you. It sounds like you are doing this already. Great! Keep it up and make it consistent.
- Meet people who like the things you like. It could be sports, politics, photography, art, or volunteer work, to name a few. If it is primarily a gay group, so much the better. But even if it isn't, the gay men are there. If you are out, they will find you. Also, Meetup.com gives you access to lots of groups of like-minded people.
Tell us what sounds interesting and we can give more specific advise in that direction. Also, where are you? People may have knowledge of your area and can make local suggestions.