My friend is currently looking for a new job and her need to network comes from a different place and the networks she is hooking up to have a different purpose and set of values, and some of those values would clearly make the meetings torture for me. I spoke to another friend recently, who had joined a group which meet for a full day and required all the participants to 'showcase' and give a powerful personal presentation at each meeting. She said that some of those present were absolutely dreading this aspect, with one group member making herself sick with nerves. Yet more networking groups demand that you bring referrals, in quantity, or you may be asked to leave.
For me networking has to be a positive experience - if you are attending networking events and not coming away knowing that it's been of value and enjoyable ask yourself if the networking forum is really right for you. There are so many different ways to network and the real trick is finding what works for you. I know I've found my niche, and I hope you find yours!