I don't think i've ever met another SLer through serendipity, though I did meet a few SLers on purpose during my trip to NYC last February. I also know of a few friends who joined
SL a few months after I did, but we really haven't kept in touch, even though I see them online somewhat often. They just happen to be a part of different social circles.
As someone who makes stuff for money and who works for an MDC, I've never made an effort to keep what I do in
SL a secret, but I am sometimes hesitant about talking about it with the uninitiated because quite often they will have already come to a preconcieved notion about
SL due to rumour and press.