Dating Sites for Geeks and Nerds?

[mouser]

I'm surprised we haven't had a discussion on the forum about online dating sites.. I have a friend who is trying to convince me to help him code a new one.

Actually I was thinking that it might be interesting to create a site (or software) that two people could go to *AFTER* they meet in real life, to help them get to know each other, etc.

But it got me wondering if anyone here felt brave enough talk about their experiences or discoveries regarding online dating sites?

[Josh]

Mouser, have you met a special someone you are afraid to chat with IRL?

[mouser]

no.  i prefer to live a hypothetical life.

[Renegade]

I'm surprised we haven't had a discussion on the forum about online dating sites.. I have a friend who is trying to convince me to help him code a new one.

Actually I was thinking that it might be interesting to create a site (or software) that two people could go to *AFTER* they meet in real life, to help them get to know each other, etc.

But it got me wondering if anyone here felt brave enough talk about their experiences or discoveries regarding online dating sites?

-mouser (June 10, 2010, 07:12 PM)

For software, osDate is free. There's no reason to start from scratch. (PHP)

For dating sites, they are different, so I'd say try different ones and find the one(s) that work for you. Paying is definitely worth it.

I don't really want to get into my own experiences in detail, but suffice it to say that they were good.

I actually met my wife in an online war game, not on a dating site.

Maybe there are some "sexy" games out there to "play around" in order to find someone to "play around with"...

Silliness aside, the key to online dating, from my own experience, is lots of communication and playing the numbers game. I dated a lot of different women - some just once, some a few times, some for much longer, some on and off. Some dates were disasters, some were fantastic. It's just a numbers game at the end of the day. Run around like mad until you find the right one.

It can get overwhelming if you're dating a lot of people at the same time though. Especially when you forget someone's name... Ouch... That's one danger with online dating sites -- you can easily end up dating too many people at once.

Dunno. I suppose others have different takes on the topic.

[Target]

...I actually met my wife in an online war game, not on a dating site...

-Renegade (June 10, 2010, 08:32 PM)

that right there's the definition of a nerds dating site

[Paul Keith]

I don't use dating sites but I apologize for laughing.

The topic reminded me of a gk2gk ad that used to be on the Midwest Teen Sex Show Podcast.

I don't know if it's still there since I saw the ad via their Miro shows but if I recall, it used to have a guy tossing around a stuffed animal while the main blonde girl talks about online dating while holding an open book.

Btw the podcast is not really as NSFW as it sounds. It's more sex education humor, see here for a preview:

http://revver.com/vi...-episode-9-syphilis/

[ecaradec]

The main issue of dating website is to get enough people so that people keep coming.

One way to bootstrap it would be to go a nightclub or someplace where people want to meet and to propose them to join the site. That would work great with a site where you can contact people you meet IRL. If you had a crush for someone at this place (and were too shy to ask ) you could go to the site and eventually contact him or her.

[vitalyb]

OkCupid is the best Geek/Nerd/Weird/Alternative/Intelligent dating site I know. It encourages people to write, about themselves, a lot more than other sites and it has a really good matching service that is based on never-ending series of questions.
I found some great dates there - great, as in people with interesting personalty. If you're looking for a pick-up, this is hardly the site for you.

However, my current (and longest running) girlfriend I've met at work.

[Sarkand]

I will second the nomination of OKCupid.  Aside from the reasons mentioned, it's absolutely free (you can upgrade for a few $, but not sure you need to), it was founded by four geeks with Harvard sheepskins (one in business, three in math/computer science), with the ostensible (and somewhat tongue-in-cheek) aim of taking a truly "scientific" approach to solving the ancient mysteries of love and attraction.  They appear to do plenty of statistical analysis to refine their assumptions and matching criteria, and they're not afraid to try new things/make improvements.  Check out their About Us page.  As for pick-ups, "what you're looking for" runs the gamut from "just friends" to "casual sex" to "marriage", and there are plenty of prospects in all categories. Personalities and intelligence also cover the spectrum, as do location, ages, "looks" and "types".  It's a pretty fun site, and at the tender age of 59, I've had good luck with it.  In fact, I'm going on a date tomorrow night with someone I met there (she's buying  ).  Mouser gave me a break on membership, due to my chronic poverty, maybe this will pay him back.  Real life contact sure beats the hypothetical, I can vouch for it.  Do not pay anyone  money for dating prospects until you check out this site.  OK Cupid  Silly name, great site.  Happy hunting.