I've read on a few forums where people discuss the strength of a ".com" site over ".net", ".org", etc., and when it comes to search engine value, it doesn't appear that it makes any difference as to SEO, and more people emphasize that the value is place more on the keyword in the domain name, which makes good search engine sense.

The perception is more offline than online, where businesses, companies, and other entities try to obtain the dot.com version of their name as it has more weight as a tangible brand. In the world of domain selling and buying, it seems there is more attraction to the dot.com as well, maybe more for type-in traffic or other standardization.

Now, I own websites that are ranked #1 (yes, top spot!) in dot.com, dot.net, and dot.org. I haven't cracked the top spot on any dot.biz or dot.us sites that I own, and I haven't ventured into the dot.info business yet, so I can't speak for those top level domains (TLD's), or dot.gov or dot.edu. I have it on good authority (no pun intended), that there is no extra weight given to any of these, so I'm suggesting that if you are looking for a good domain name, don't settle for something less just because the dot.com is taken. Using your knowledge about optimization, you'll probably do just fine with the other TLD's.