Here are the basics:

Geek Speed Dating

Find love at Gen Con? Sure can! Go on several mini-dates with single geeks like yourself and maybe you’ll leave Indy with a love connection!

Almost all the guy tickets are sold already, but we could definitely use more ladies!  Not surprised the guy tickets sold out first… but I know we’ll have some single ladies who will step up before August. Last year we ended up with more women than men and had to take guys off our waiting list!

Ladies: Worried about creeps? Don’t be. We take this event very seriously and will remove any guy who is making our lovely ladies uncomfortable.

• Speed Dating (ages 21-35) WOMEN Seeking Men (Friday 9-11pm)
• Speed Dating (ages 30+) WOMEN Seeking Men (Friday (6-8pm)

How Speed Dating Works

Before the Event

Please arrive a few minutes earlier than the start time. You will arrive and fill out a short form, which will include your first name, gender, location, and email address. You’ll don a spiffy sticker with a number on it and each lady will take a seat at her designated table.  Since we’re at The House, you can even grab a drink at the bar if you’d like to take the edge off any pre-date jitters.

During The Event

After a brief review of the rules, the dating begins! The guys will rotate from table to table, having 3-5 minutes to chat with each lady.

• Worried you won’t know what to say? Come up with a crazy question that you can ask every person you meet.
• Worried that you’ll have to “date” someone unappealing? It’s 3-5 minutes and that’s it! (You’ve probably had more unpleasant encounters on public transportation.)
• Worried about your personal info getting out? Only what you share with your “dates” gets out. You are in control at all times. Once you’re signed in, you can even stash your GenCon badge in your pocket or purse.

Once each “date” is over, pull out your list and check YES or NO next to that person’s number.

After The Event

Once the event is over, you will hand your list back to the organizers and go on your merry way. We will check the lists to see where the mutual YES votes happened. These are our potential love connections!

• If a mutual YES happens, we will email those two people and get them in touch with each other.
• If someone checks YES for you, but you check NO for them, no information is shared.
• If you check YES for someone, but they check NO for you, no information is shared.

The Right Attitude

Even though we call this speed dating, come into the event thinking of it like a mixer. You’ll get to meet 20 new people of the opposite sex.  You won’t be attracted to all of them, but all of them won’t be attracted to you.  Speed dating is a fun way to practice your getting-to-know-you skills, your small talk skills, and hey, it’s great practice for job interviews if you’re in the market for that!

But the best part is that you could be surprised when you find that ONE person who makes your heart flutter the moment they say hello…

Join us, won’t you? Click now to get your ticket, ladies!

• Speed Dating (ages 21-35) WOMEN Seeking Men (Friday 9-11pm)
• Speed Dating (ages 30+) WOMEN Seeking Men (Friday (6-8pm)

I’m a straight male with a submission fetish. Ideally, I’d like to find a lady who’s willing to explore it with me, but it seems a bit tawdry to put on my OKCupid page, for example. Do I just need to roll the dice and wait to get to know my dates before asking them if they’d be cool with it? Or is there a way I can be more upfront about it without it being an utter turnoff?

- Fetish Guy

Dear Fetish Guy,

I’d like to begin by commending you on your ability to state your game and have no qualms with doing so. As progressed as our society has become, I fear we are still in a sexual dark age. While it is mostly frowned upon to parade around in full-body latex, wield a riding crop and punish a very bad boy for not saying “please mistress,” it is generally not seen as a terrible thing to have some sort of fetish. Particularly control based fetishes, which are fairly common. Believe me when I say: you are not alone!

It is the submissive that has the true power; for he is the one saying “dominate me.”

Writing an online profile is often a daunting task (believe us, we do it for a living). We recognize it is the first impression we make and are often afraid to scare people off by admitting something as “weird” as a fetish.

However, there’s nothing keeping you from making two first impressions. While I don’t believe that your fetish is too “tawdry” for OKCupid of all places, if you feel that you must keep this part of yourself separate, why not have a second profile? You could even make one without a photo, saying that you would gladly share it with a Domme who asks.

You can also seek out dating sites that are tailored to less “mainstream” tastes. There are plenty of adult dating sites, both national and regional, to choose from. I’ve been active on several and have made some good friends through them.

Whether or not you are upfront about your secret desires, there is always the risk that the relationship is not going to work out, even if you find your domina. Begin by asking yourself what it is you really want. If you just want to explore your fetish with no strings attached, then put it on your profile. If you want a lasting relationship, one way or another, you need to find a partner who is good, game, giving and therefore willing to explore with you.

Happy hunting!

Have a question for Sometimes Y? Submit it anonymously through our Contact Us page. Click here.

Dear Anon-O-Box,

After lots of time on the internet, I have discovered that geek girls are most definitely not fiction. SINGLE geek girls around my age (22), however, most definitely DO seem to be fiction. If a girl doesn’t already have a boyfriend then she’s married or in high school, it seems like. Where’s a guy supposed to meet a girl if there are none available? Help!

Sincerely,

I-can’t-think-of-a-fancy-pseudonym John Doe

e answers:

Dear John,

I hear ya.

As you’ve noticed, we geek girls are hot commodities and don’t stay on the market terribly long.  It requires being on your toes and having your pulse on the singles community to be able to swoop in when one is single.

You’re also in the age bracket where you are still able to date an 18-year-old high school student, but not necessarily interested in doing so. In your 20s, there’s also the split between the people who are settling down for careers and/or family and those who are partying like they’re still in college. This makes finding a compatible single person even more challenging, in my opinion.

There are two ways to go about your quest for a single geek girl. The first is to get out and join some activities where you can meet more geeky people. I say “people” because meeting more geek guys is a GOOD THING for your dating life. Meeting married geek girls is a GOOD THING for your dating life. You’re expanding your social circle. You’re making friends and showing that you can be a friend. And when a single girl comes along – maybe the sister or cousin or coworker of one of those people – then you have people who can vouch for what a great guy you are. You have friends who are willing to set you up. Check out Meetup.com to find groups in your area, or check out the adult education classes at your local library or community center.

The second is to hunt the geek girl in her natural habitat – the internet.  I wish you had mentioned where you live because I could have resurrected a really old series I used to do called Finding A Geek Girl. While it can be difficult to find geeky people in small towns or extremely rural areas, if you live anywhere near a major city, there are often plenty of geek or geek-friendly singles.

The key to keyword searches is not to search for geek. Okay, well, you can START there, but you’ll have to weed out the people who say “I’m not a geek” or “I don’t want a geek.”  Same thing with “games.”  Think of the specific things that you like and search for those. It’s more likely you’ll hit gold searching for something like “otaku” or “battlestar galactica” or “RPG.”

If your dating site of choice allows it, SAVE all of the custom searches you set up, even if zero girls pop up as a result. Saving your searches means less time “working” at online dating and more time getting to the dating part! One day, you may be pleasantly surprised when your search for an obscure anime pops up with a result and it’s your dreamgirl.

Happy dating, geek friend! The unicorns are out there, and in greater numbers than you think.

P.S. to everyone: If you’re interested in me resurrecting the Finding A Geek Girl series, post a comment with your ZIP code (or ZIP of a nearby city) and the age range of women you’re interested in finding. I may just start doing those posts again if there’s enough interest.

As you open up World of Warcraft, launch Runescape, or reorganize your Magic collection for the fifteenth time, you start to wonder what life would be like if you knew some pretty girls or guys (or both, depending on your gender and orientation).

Why not find out? Make a project of it… I dare you. I’ll even help you do it in a logical way that makes sense to your geeky side and doesn’t expect you to be bubbly and cheery around a lot of people. Ready? Here goes…

Theory First

Before you meet people, know your own tendencies. If you’re introverted, like many geeks, meeting people can be exhausting and draining. If you’re one of the extraverted geeks out there, you won’t have as much of a problem, and you find being alone too much to be frustrating.

The tips in this article are going to be geared more towards introverted people, simply because extraverts already have such an advantage in social situations, and likely don’t really need any of this advice!

If you’re not sure what your tendencies are, try taking the MBTI test – the Myers-Brigg Typology test.  Human Metrics is a good site to take it on, and there’s plenty of free information available online once you know your four-letter “type” code. The first letter – E or I – tells you whether you lean more towards extraversion or introversion. You can also look up a lot of information online relating to your “type” and how best to interact with and understand other types. It’s almost guaranteed to help your social success.

Step One: Forming a Plan

Now that you know how to cope with social situations in the way that best, you’ll need a plan. The typical introvert doesn’t want to just hang around crowds in order to meet people. Instead, you probably prefer your social time to be scheduled so you can go home after you’re tired and need time to recharge.

This is why clubs and groups are one of your best bets for meeting pretty girls and guys. Think about it for a bit… it’s scheduled, so you won’t be tempted to just stay home until you drop out of contact with your new friends (and possible love interests) again, you have built-in conversation topics to get things rolling with those you meet, and you can have a lot of fun learning a new hobby, sport or game.

What should you do? Well, that’s up to you. You can often find information about different groups and clubs on Meetup.com, Facebook, through any universities or colleges (especially community colleges) you attend or live near, and personal sites. Think about things that interest you, browse these sites with the idea of finding new activities in mind, and stay open-minded. You may find an unexpected passion for trail running, cooking, or electric guitars. There are also geeky meetups like board game groups and computer lovers’ groups, if you want to ease into it or geekiness really rules your life.

Step Two: Execution of the Plan

If the club or group you choose is open, you don’t have to do this, but sometimes you’re required to send an application, call the group organizer, or post to say you’re coming. Remain calm and express an interest in the group, and just about any group will be flattered and happy that there are new members! Even if you’re new to the purpose of the group, many groups are tolerant and will gladly help a newbie out.

The most important thing is this: don’t chicken out. I know, your toe hurts or you worked late and you’re tired, or you don’t have anything nice to wear. Just show up! If you never do this, you’ll have a lot more trouble with meeting girls and guys.

Once you’re there, try to relax and enjoy yourself. Smile a lot, and if you find yourself really clamming up, set a goal for yourself of talking for a few minutes to just three new people each meeting. Before you know it, you’ll have some new friends.

Finally, don’t judge instantly. Even if there’s nobody there who instantly catches your eye, the gems of the lot are often hidden. The girl with the buck-teeth might turn out to be a geek with similar interests and your new best friend! Judging people on their outward appearance rarely ends well.

Step Three: Keep it Up!

You can’t leave it at one meeting if you want to get to know new people. Attend every meeting, rain or shine, and really make an effort to connect with people.

Want to know a secret? Most people are happy and friendly when they’re approached by someone new… but when they see a new person, they’re less likely to immediately strike up a conversation. This means the burden’s on you to start the conversation, but don’t worry. For everyone who “rejects” you or doesn’t want to talk, you’ll meet five or ten people who are flattered and happy that you talked to them first.

How About You?

Do you have any strategies or techniques you use (or have used) to meet new people? Did you get a girlfriend or boyfriend out of it? Or maybe you have an embarrassing story from trying to meet new people (don’t worry, we all do)…

Or does socialization come easily to you, and you find yourself always surrounded by new friends? Share your secrets to success!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Before I get lots of emails wondering when I turned lesbian and what Dave thinks about it, let me point out that this post is the very first by new staff member, D.

She’ll be joining us twice a month with articles about comic books, graphic novels, and LGBT geek culture & dating. We’ll let you guess what this one is about.

Welcome, D!

Ten Percent Is Not Enough (Recruit Geeky Lesbians!)

Let’s talk math. Current statistics state that about 10% of the population is gay (which fails to explain why, of a staff of thirty people, there aren’t at least two other queers for me to hang out with). Of that 10%, it’s about a 70-30 split between gay men and gay women – maybe even more unbalanced. Statistics on geeks vary widely, but let’s go with a generous 15% of the general population being geek or geek-identified.

So. For the geeky lesbian in search of another geeky lesbian (and assuming that there exists a similar population demographic), your dating pool is 15% of 30% of 10% of the world. That’s 0.45%. Feel like your potential future significant other is a purple unicorn? By just looking at the numbers, a fraction of a fraction of a fraction doesn’t sound all that promising. But 0.45% is slightly more than Buddhists and only slightly less than Muslims in the United States, and they manage to fill temples and mosques. All is not lost. Sometimes, you just need to know where to look.

Get up and go outside. No, really. I know, I know. It’s hard. Geeks, as a group, tend to cluster on the mildly-autistic end of the social interaction scale. It’s hard for us to get out and meet people. But I’m not talking about heading down to the local dyke bar to hook up with a random leather queen who hopefully is into D&D. While you can go that route, I, personally, would spend the night paralyzed as I nursed the same beer for four hours in the corner of the room.

Luckily for you, the queer community loves to get together. Whether as a chance to network and hook up, to celebrate a step forward, or to protest a step backward, queers will congregate. If you’re in university or college, or live near one, chances are there is some kind of LGBT group on campus. Many hold mixers or information nights towards the beginning of the school year for new members, even if you aren’t a student. Check out your local university’s student life pages to try and find one.

Volunteering is another route to go. Events like pride parades and rallies need volunteers, and for a socially shy geek who isn’t a pro at jumping into conversations, volunteering can give people working together an opportunity to relax and get to know each other with the social pressure (or loud thumping music) of the bar scene. Most big festivals and groups have an online presence turned up by some quick googling. For example, Toronto Pride currently has an open call out for volunteers. And Toronto Pride has a entire ‘Gays Are Geeks Too!’ contingent, complete with Klingons. Find your people.

Still not sure about jumping feet-first into the gay community? Understandable. Even from the relatively safe starting point of small groups and volunteering, it can be scary. That’s where the luck comes in: you are geeks, girls. And geeks, like gays, love to congregate. Only when we do, it’s called a convention and there are some even stranger costumes going on.

There is a growing trend in conventions – and if you live in or near a major city, there should be at least one big one a year, if not more – to include a panel or discussion group on the growing subject of gay characters and themes in mainstream media. At AnimeNorth, a large anime convention in Toronto, the con-within-a-con, YaoiNorth, has been going strong for the last five years. YaoiNorth’s topics include not only gay romance in anime and manga, but also a late-night panel entitled Gay Sex 101. And somewhere, in the middle of the fag hags, there are guaranteed to be people like you, gay and geeky and feeling as lonely as, well, a purple unicorn.

And of course, if 0.45% is not enough for you, recruit recruit recruit! A mainstream gay girl who might have a passion for musical theatre and video games probably has the kind of passion and devotion that she can recognise and appreciate in her partner (I’m talking about you!). Geeks come in many shapes and sizes and saturations. If your crush or potential partner doesn’t seem like the kind to whisper sweet Elvish nothings into your ear at night, that doesn’t mean they won’t make a compatible and wonderful partner for a geek. Your purple unicorn could be entirely happy with a mauve unicorn, or even a pink unicorn. Or would that be a purple horse? I’m not sure where I’m going with this metaphor any more.

Find your people. Be upfront and true about your life, your likes, your geek. And you’ll find that 0.45% suddenly grow, and the unicorn hunt won’t be such a drag any more.

Where do you find your people? Have you found any purple unicorns?

GenCon 2010 Dating Events

Geek Speed Dating

Find love at Gen Con? Sure can! Go on several mini-dates with single geeks like yourself and maybe you’ll leave Indy with a love connection! Almost all the guy tickets are sold already, but we could definitely use more ladies!  Not surprised the guy tickets sold out first… but I know we’ll have some single ladies who will step up before August.

BONUS: Ladies who attend speed dating at GenCon will receive a free Plastic d20 Package ($29 value), so even if you don’t find a guy at GenCon, we’ll review your dating profile and pictures and give you some tips to make it even better!

Ladies: Worried about creeps? Don’t be. We take this event very seriously and will remove any guy who is making our lovely ladies uncomfortable.

Friday 8/6 from 9 pm – 11 pm

Dating Doctor Clinic

The doctor is in! E. of Geek’s Dream Girl will answer your questions about dating, online dating, and relationships in a private one-on-one 20 minute confidential conference.

Thursday 8/5 from 9 am – 11 am
Friday 8/6 from 11 am – noon
Saturday 8/7 from 2 pm – 4 pm

Geek’s Guide to Online Dating Success

Are you single? Learn the tips & tricks to writing an irresistible online dating profile and capturing the partner of your dreams.

Friday 8/6 at 10 am

Fit4GenCon 2010 Events

Fit4GenCon

Join our weight loss and fitness group! Want the support of other geeks looking to lose weight or get more fit? We’ll set goals at Gen Con 2010, chat online at fit4gencon.com during the year, and meet up again in 2011 to celebrate our success!  Darya from SummerTomato will be there to give some tips on how to jumpstart your new healthstyle!

Will your new healthstyle involve moving more and getting sweaty? (Ooooh, we hope so!)  The folks at GeekyClean have donated some awesome soaps for us to give away during this seminar.

Friday 8/6 at 2 pm

Easy, Healthy Gaming Snacks That Taste Awesome (by SummerTomato!)

What’s the point of eating healthy if the food tastes bland and boring? Healthy eating can be easy, delicious and satisfying if you know the basics of nutrition and have a few simple recipes. Darya Pino of Summer Tomato will explain why eating fat is good and how to make healthy snacks your gaming group will devour.

Friday 8/6 at 5 pm

GenCon 2010 Gaming Events

Girls Wanna Get Their Game On!

Please ignore the description on the GenCon registration site about this event. I didn’t write it!! This will be a panel of gamers of the female persuasion which may or may not include a Jell-O wrestling match between me and my arch-nemesis, Shelly Mazzanoble of Wizards of the Coast.

Thursday 8/5 at noon

See you in Indy!

If you have any questions about my events, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll address your concerns!

I was very happy to get an opportunity to speak with Dino Andrade, voice actor and founder of the niche dating site SoulGeek.com.

e.: Tell us a little about your geek cred. What flavor of geek are you?

Dino: Life-long. I was born September 16th, 1963 the very day the original Outer Limits premiered.  I have been in love with works of great imagination all my life with a particular love for animation.  Which is why I chose animation as a profession.  In acting class while everyone was reading Onoel, Ibsen and Shaw, I was the clown reading Batman comics.  I own cels from the original Star trek the Animated series. I stood in line for hours at Disneyland along with Rob Zombie and Greg Nicetero to get a limited edition Haunted Mansion print.  I saw Star Wars in the Theater 27 time when it opened in 1977 – once dressed as a Sandman from Logan’s Run.   I have a Planet of The Apes Trash can from 1974… shall I go on?

e.: Geek cred, check!  So what made you want to launch a geek dating site?

Dino: I wish i could say that it was this happy burst of inspiration but I’m afraid that’s simply not the case.

I am the widower of voice actress Mary Kay Bergman whom we lost in November of 1999.  She and I shared a love of geekdom that was a major part of our lives.   We would go to any number of geek events from Disneyana events to Star Trek Cons (yes, we owned a pair of Starfleet uniforms).  She was the gal who create all the female voice for South Park and performed them in the first three seasons and the movie so we were very close to fantasy entertainment. It was a world we reveled in.

When I lost her I was completely hollowed out. Life was just existence – no real life – for about 5 years.

When I finally decided it was time to reconnect with humanity I started joining dating sites and it was a nightmare. Being a widower was bad enough, adding “geek” status and forget it.  It got to the point that I had two profiles on every site – a geek profile, and a non-geek profile.  In short, I resorted to denying who I was and what I loved just to avoid loneliness.   In the end, I gave up.

Eventually as luck would have it by sheer happenstance I ran into – of all people – my old high school sweetheart whom I hadn’t seen in 26 years.  The spark was still there and we fell for each other all over again – and best of all – she too is a huge geek. I was thrilled to see she owned a set of Kirk, Spock and McCoy figurines on her mantle.

For Father’s Day (I have a daughter – a 21 year old blackbelt!),  Casey (that’s my old high school sweetheart) took me to a Battlestar Galactica music event at the Mint in Los Angeles.  This event was pretty cool because I love film music and most of the band members who did the score for Galactica used to be in the band Oingo Boingo who I used to work for back in the 80′s.

It was at this event that we ran into a gal who saw us hand in hand and commented “I hope I can find a geek of my own here.”  This knocked me for a loop.  This gal was cute, came to Los Angeles from San Diego (it turned out) for a Galactica event – be still my heart! – why was this girl single?  That’s when all the memories of the hell I went through on all those dating sites came flooding back.

I told Casey that somebody should build a massive dating site tailor made for geeks. I searched online but I couldn’t find anything on the scale I wanted. To this Casey said, “Then why don’t you?”

I felt Casey was right so I quite literally took the money my wife left me and began construction of SoulGeek.com which was designed by myself, Casey and my daughter.  In effect, the site is a multi-generational family affair and very much a part of my wife’s legacy.

e.: How many members does SoulGeek have?

Dino: We are right on the edge of 17,000 worldwide and we’re just under two years old.  We began construction in June of 06, and the site made its premier at San Diego Comic-Con July of 07.

e.: Other than the obvious geek bent, what makes this site different than other dating sites?

Dino: First I would say that it is completely geek-centric. Many sites I’ve seen that claim to be for geeks are quite obviously the same cloned software of all the other dating sites just skinned with public domain images of flying saucers and such.

But when you look at profiles it’s all the same questions:

• How much do you make?
• What level of school did you achieve?
• How much do you make?
• What color hair to you have?
• How much do you make?  …etc…

Not SoulGeek!   Our profiles are based entirely on geekdom and you can go on and on about yourself in up to 18 areas of fandom: sci-fi, horror, fantasy, cosplay, animation, conventions, video games, collectibles, anime, webcomics, comic-books, table top RPG’s etc…

e.: (18 area of fandom reminds me of eharmony’s compatibility… hehehe!)

Dino: Yeah…don’t tell those guys!!!   The site was originally coded from the ground up just for the geek to include galleries for fan-art and conpics, there’s fan-fiction. Over a dozen geek forums, almost as many geek oriented chatrooms, we have original webcomics, geek dating tip newsletters, geek news and so on.

In fact in the language section of your profile you can choose both Elvish and Klingon.

Plus I’m in my mid-40′s, my daughter is 21. I bring a very old school geek mentality influenced by Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, Ray Bradbury, D&D etc… while my daughter brings an anime, cosplay, MMORPG younger vibe.  In the end, the site has a multi-generational feel as opposed to other sites that tend to only favor the young, hip crowd.   SoulGeek has just as much appeal for the 20 somethings as us old school dudes.

e.: How does membership work? Are there different tiers of membership?

Dino: Membership works no different than all the other security based sites such as Match.com, American Singles, eHarmony, etc… Joining is free and the free membership is all about observation. You can search all the members you want, read all the fan-fic you want, read all the geek news you want, enjoy the webcomics.

You can even submit questions to our gurus.  The gurus are part of a program we have to help geeks who want to get into areas of fantasy entertainment. We have working professional gurus in digital special effect, on-camera acting, voice acting, creating webcomics, graphic art…we even have a geek dating and relationship guru – all free.

But it is our paid level of memberhsip where things really take off. With our uber membership you can compose messages to any member you want, create geek blogs, fan-fic and galleries. You can participate in all the chatrooms and forums. In short uber membership is all about participation. Again the model is the same as say Match.com with one huge exception – the price.

While most of those guys charge upwards of 40 to 60 bucks month, a Soulgeek Uber membership is only $9.95.  So you’re talking about finding the love of your life for less than the price of two tickets to a movie.

e.: Very nice. I’ve noticed that in the sign-up, you give the option to select dating men, dating women, dating both, or non-dating member. Has the bisexual option always been there? (It seems to be absent from many dating sites!)

Dino: Yes, that was planned from the very beginning. What was not planned were the non-dating member options. I was literally sooooooo focused on dating like a man obsessed, that it never occurred to me that anyone would want to become a member just to be on a site like ours. After getting a lot of requests from non-daters we finally went back and coded in non-dating categories.

e.: Do you have any favorite success stories?

Dino: Several, but the very first is that the simple fact that the site is working. Six months after we launched we had no idea if it was working.  That was when I noticed members in the forums talking about throwing a SoulGeek party over Valentines weekend in Las Vegas.

I chimed in as the creator of the site as asked “Hey Guys, mind if I tag along?“  The event was literally put together and executed by SoulGeek members themselves and I had very little to do with it.  When Casey and I got to Vegas we had the shock of our lives. I was greeted by a number of couples who had traveled across the country to thank me for building the site because they had found their significant other on SoulGeek. This was how I learned the site was actually working.

At the gathering, I saw a bank of monitors as Dick’s Bar and Grill where every monitor was tuned to various sports channels except for one that was showing the first season South Park Halloween special which featured my late wife rather prominently. Meeting all those couples and then seeing that was a real ass-kicker. That night back at my hotel room I bawled like a baby – I was very happy.

e.: awww    (I have to admit, I was a little choked up reading that!)

Dino: The event was actually chronicled in webcomic form by one of the couples.  This comic was created by webcomic artist Jennifer Walker who found her love on SoulGeek.  She has since created an original comic for SoulGeek Webcomics entitled “Where the Geek Girls Are.”

Jennifer and her guy Todd are obviously another great success story. We also have at least two couples that are engaged, one married and numerous couple who have traveled huge distances to be with each other.  In particular, one who traveled from Canada to Japan, and one who traveled from the US to Australia.  I think we’re doing a lot of good.

e.: Is there anything else about SoulGeek you’d like to share?

Dino: We’re doing a lot of expanding. Battlestar Galactica star Richard Hatch is about to join the SoulGeek family.  Together Richard and I will be doing a lot of video promotion and such.  Plus we are about to launch monthly SoulGeek bashes in Hollywood. These gathering are slated to begin the second Saturday evening of every month starting in July at the 10 Forward Cafe at Hollywood and Vine.

e.: Very sweet. Do you ever do meetups at conventions?

Dino: People should also visit the SoulGeek booth at this years upcoming San Diego Comic-Con (booth 2517).   After SDCC we will be at DragonCon but for next year we plan to start throwing con parties.  We are about to scrap and relaunch a brand new conventions page so please feel free to send me any info on any upcoming cons.

Mind if I bring up one last thing about SoulGeek?

e.: Go for it

Dino: We have on the payroll a tiny staff and systems admin who monitor the site 24/7. None of the profiles are auto-approved. The profiles are all approved by human eyes, so we can maintain a zero tolerance for spammers, scammers, porn jockeys, and yahoos who try to create profiles that are actually fronts for companies trying to sell you crap you don’t want. In short we do our very best to ensure that each and every profile on SoulGeek is authentic.   SoulGeek is a VERY safe place to find a geek of your own.

e.: I love your passion for geek matchmaking. Nice to see someone like me who is all about the geek love

Dino: The feeling is mutual.  You’re doing the world a lot of good. Think about it. These couples you are helping bring together will like start family and so there will be people in the world all thanks to you. You should be proud of yourself. Cheers to you.

e.: Cheers to you too!  Have a good night!

Dino: You too – Stay Animated!

Thank you to Dino Andrade for taking the time to chat with me about SoulGeek!   If you’d like to learn more about Dino, his voice acting (he’s been in several video and computer games, including WoW’s Lich King expansion), and SoulGeek, check out this interview at Examiner.com.

Do any of you use SoulGeek?  How has your experience been on the site?

If you’ve ever been to Vegas, you know it’s got a certain eerie charm to it.  The excitement, the expectation, the heightened emotion… You like it, but you don’t like it.

So what can Sin City teach us about online dating?  Plenty!

Sometimes, it’s all in the numbers.

Since you’re not having to physically approach each interesting woman, it’s acceptable and time-saving to email more than one at a time.  And heck, why stop with one dating service?  There might be some overlap, but it still increases the options.  Just make sure you put thought into each one, and don’t copy and paste!

If you sit at the slot machine longer, it doesn’t increase your chance of winning.

Ok, so maybe if you sit for hours… or months.  But by then the return isn’t nearly as much as what you invested.

Similarly, if you’re doing something wrong in online dating – the wrong message in your profile, an intimidating picture, or even the wrong site – it doesn’t matter how much time you spend winking and waiting.  A change in strategy is necessary.

That super hot girl who is too good to be true is probably an escort.

You may be scoping a girl from your own home, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible that someone could take advantage of you.  In matters of the heart, it’s important that you don’t lose your head.  Is she more interested in your yearly earnings than your favorite hobbies?  Being careful is not being paranoid.

Everything looks better at 2am.

It’s late, you’ve had a few drinks, and you’re looking for adventure.  There’s this one girl who’s interested, and her profile was giving you a creepy vibe earlier, but she’s looking better and better by the minute…

Stop!  Relationship choices are best made when you’re fully awake and clear-headed.  And while poor hookup choices might be the norm in Las Vegas, your decision to meet a girl locally could well have longer repercussions.  The internet isn’t completely anonymous, after all.

Sometimes you get a bad beat, but it’s just the nature of poker.

That girl who really seemed awesome might have gone on a great date the day before she got your email.  Another girl might not have updated her profile in months, and now she’s married.  Or maybe you two really hit it off online, but in person there was zero chemistry.  In the end, it’s a bit of a gamble.  These things happen, and rather than going on tilt you need to pick yourself up, keep a cool head, and try again.

You can do just-for-fun keyword searches, of course!  Some of these might not be your own personal interests, but if girls like these, they might have other interests that coincide with yours.

Geek

Now, not every person with similar interests is necessarily going to proclaim themselves a geek, much less on their profile.  However,  many of them do, or they say they’re looking for a geek guy.  Hence, the word “geek” is a great start.

Star Trek / Star Wars

For many people, this is less an entertaining TV show or movie, and more a way of life.  These aren’t necessarily recent, but you’re more likely to find people who will mention these than, say, Dune (though I’ve seen Dune listed, I swear).

Galactica

Basically, it’s the most recent cult sf show, so it has a good chance of being listed.   If you really like an older show like Sliders, it has less of a chance of being listed – but people who like Galactica might like older sf shows.

Whedon/Buffy/Firefly

What does it say about a person if they like Joss Whedon shows?  What does it say if they like them so much they mention him by name?  Lots!

Gamer

If a girl calls herself a gamer, chances are she means it.  Unless she’s really, really confused, and means player.

RPG

This can mean many things, but mentioning it at all means it’s worth a look.

Anime / Otaku

In my experience, people who have an interest in anime also tend to have interests in sf, or fantasy, or both.  Cosplayers might have started out as tabletop gamers, and vice-versa.

This is just a small sampling of what you can come up with.   When doing searches of any kind, I like going as broad as possible, and then narrowing, just so there’s no lost opportunities – and that applies to geeks, too!   Just because you’re one flavor of geek doesn’t mean you can’t search for all kinds – there’s much more crossover than you might think!

Happy hunting!