I go out to the community events and I know a handful of people, but I don't really know them. I recognize their face and I might remember their name, but I would not be comfortable asking them for advice or prying into their professional lives.
This is one of the reasons I believe I would not be successful at startups.
The problem why you don't really know those people is you probably don't try to maintain new contacts. Making new ones you're only half way there. Pick one or two and try to make them more friends than just people on the list.
The other issue is if you feel any pressure about this networking thing probably you should focus on sth else. It won't work if you treat it as a must not an experiment or hobby. That's why I'll never be a programmer :)
Hope it helps.
Like with somebody I call a friend, I try meet at least let's say once a month. It is going to be quite a logistical thing to coordinate only 15-20 meetings a month just to maintain the friend status...
Try it and you will be surprised how positively people react to simple "Hey, how are you doing?".