No matter how many articles Wired publishes about how being a geek, nerd, spaz, or weirdo is the new hot, trying to get a date as one — or with one — is still no easy task. There simply aren't that many nerds in the dating pool. They either pair off lightning fast or (and this is most often the case), they aren't actually geeks: they don't have encyclopedic knowledge of Battlestar Galactica, an exhaustive collection of comic books, or skills at Street Fighter. So what's a true nerd to do in their quest for love, a lay, or light conversation over authentic sushi? What everyone else does: go online. We set out to find where those dates are to be had. — John Constantine
Geek 2 Geek (www.gk2gk.com)
By far the most polished online dating resource for nerds, with a feature set and general design that is every bit as outwardly professional and usable as the biggest names in the business. Anyone who's spent time on Nerve Personals will feel right at home with the wink/message system.
Most impressive feature: Their authentically nerdy profile creation tool, with built-in check boxes to denote favorite boardgames, comic books, SciFi/Fantasy film or novel, or anime. There's even a space to mark your preferred videogame controller.
Average Geek 2 Geek lady: Profile name A Little Sunshine, no picture, nineteen years old. Like most users on Geek 2 Geek, Sunshine is very descriptive about who she is and what she's looking for (about four paragraphs for each section) and makes no bones about her proclivities, from videogames to The Simpsons.
Average Geek 2 Geek gent: Profile name Musicphile, no picture, twenty-five years old. On average, the guys here devote less raw text to their profiles and are more self-effacing. Lack of confidence — ever the enemy of the nerd.
Conclusion: While Geek 2 Geek doesn't suffer from what the majority of other dating sites of their ilk do — an incredibly small pool of users — it does reveal the truth of a classic nerd stereotype: nerds are shy people. The vast majority of profiles don't have a picture of the poster attached.
Nerdpassions/Trekpassions (www.nerdpassions.com, www.trekpassions.com, etc.)
Although less inviting than the polished Geek 2 Geek, Nerdpassions scores points for legitimacy. The site's banner ads tout online shops selling official Star Wars prop replicas. The real heart of the network — which hosts a number of different URLs (i.e. Trekpassions.com) — comprises the devoted message-board communities for specific aspects of nerd culture. Want to chat up a Harry Potter freak? They've got you covered. If the Nintendo Wii's your joy du jour, you're hooked up. A caveat: profile features are a little barebones compared to more mainstream outlets.
Your average Nerdpassions lady: Profile name THEWINELOVER. A close-up headshot, little body in frame, thirty-four years old. Very little text and what's there is prototypical datingsitespeak: "I'm looking for someone new to meet but hoping for love, etc." The nerdiness is there, with an emphasis on computers.
Your average Nerdpassions gent: Profile name AZRAELDARKANGEL. Almost full-body photo with a messy room in the frame, thirty years old. Only devotes two sentences to talking about himself, but the first one says it all: "Explore the Darkness with me..." There be nerds here, folks.
Conclusion: Dating on Nerdpassions is like going to the same bar year after year; eventually everyone will have hooked up with everyone else. Plumbing even so rich a vein of nerd culture as New York city yields just over a hundred profiles, male and female, straight and gay. The heart's there, but the warm bodies aren't.
Sweet On Geeks (www.sweetongeeks.com)
A touch more on the traditionally nerdy side, Sweet On Geeks feels personal as soon as you see its logo: the name of the site topped with some mussed up hair with a pair of Lisa Loeb glasses beneath. It just feels right, especially if you're the type of person who grew up riding the bleachers at the school dance. Like other dating sites devoted to the intellectual introvert, there aren't a whole lot of users here, but the personality of the entire community shines through. If you don't attach a photo to your profile, your online avatar is a little red toy robot for the fellas and a pink one for gals. Adorable.
Your average Sweet on Geeks lady: Profile name Sexadecimal, no picture, thirty-two years old. Sexadecimal has l33t speak right in her introductory section. Do you really need to know anything else?
Your average Sweet on Geeks gent: Profile name MetalCrusader, no picture, thirty-four years old. Doesn't give potential dates a visual, but lays it all out with tons of text and a sense of humor. A true and classic nerd.
Conclusion: The profile setup is one of the best, requiring a user to free-response most of their personal information instead of choosing from pre-determined options. Their search engine is just as laudable, with basic and advanced searches all on the same, clean page. Even if you can't find a date there, it's still worth checking out for a few minutes. You might even get lucky.
©2007 Nerve.com, Inc.
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