I want to make a simple project that has to deal with connecting people. I know this probably isn't easy but any suggestions on where to get started or books to read will be helpful.
I once did something similar to what you are asking with client server program. It was on linux. I suggest you read this to get the idea how it works and what you need to make it work: http://www.linuxhowtos.org/C_C++/socket.htm