GeekSugar

Watch Out For Fraud When Trying to Score a Date Online

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:12:16 PST

There are lots of ways to find your geeky love match online, but as they say on The Bachelor, not all online daters are there for the right reasons. According to a new report, online dating fraud rose 150 percent in 2011, making Internet dating sites a hotbed for fraudulent links and phishing scams.

With over three percent of interactions being of fraudulent nature - including those misrepresenting themselves to get personal information via links or spamming - how are you supposed to tell who is genuine and who isn't? I mean, you're there to meet new people, right? Some red flags to consider are the use of the word "love" early on in correspondence, someone urging you to take messaging off-site to email or Facebook (where hackers have easier access to your personal information), and weird syntax and language discrepancies. Basically, if their message sounds like one you might find in your spam folder, keep your guard up.

Of course, the only way you'll really be able to tell if someone is really into you, or if you're flirting with disaster, is to trust your gut instincts. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Tips For Building an Effective Online Dating Profile

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:02:33 PST

In this digital age, men and women aren't just hitting bars and coffee shops to snag a date. More and more, they're heading to the Internet. In fact, 50 percent of men have met a woman online according to a recent survey. It's obvious that online dating has become the norm, and for good reason - the Internet gives you more options because you can cover a wider area of partner possibilities (as in, the entire globe). And while your chances are better of finding a compatible mate on the worldwide web than, say, your small town of 13,000 people, the Internet can't help you if you don't give off the right signals. First impressions are everything - even virtual ones. Beef up your online dating profile with these tips, and snag yourself one of those "many fish" your mother is always talking about.

Make sure you're fishing in the right pool -You wouldn't go to Craigslist's Casual Encounters to look for a serious relationship, so don't go to Match.com if you're just looking for a little fun on a Friday night. Sites like eHarmony and Chemistry have had a lot of success by getting scientific about the dating process (taking your likes and dislikes and matching you up with someone who's compatible), so make sure you're ready to commit before diving in!
Lose the negativity - No one wants to meet up with a Debbie Downer, so if your online dating profile is riddled with sarcasm, negativity, and pessimism, you can be sure that you won't be getting many date requests any time soon. This doesn't mean you have to be fake, just keep the "I'm too cool for school" attitude to a minimum.

See a few more tips, including some important dos and don'ts for your profile photos, when you read more

13 Geekiest Pickup Lines

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:05:16 PST

Geeks are generally stereotyped as socially awkward with an inability to strike up a conversation with the opposite sex. These 13 geekiest pickup lines, compiled from McSweeney's Ineffective Pickup Lines For the Modern Internet Persona and our GeekSugar community, might just prove that fact. Pro tip: you might not want to use these when trying to score a Valentine's Day date.

Have you ever heard a totally geeky pickup line at a tech conference, geek convention, or meet-up? Share them with us in the comments!

"Do you come here often? I do. I’m the Foursquare mayor, actually, which means I come here more than anyone else. That reminds me, I need to check in . . . "
"My Klout score is an 83, which makes me a Thought Leader. There’s a lot of pressure to stay relevant and forward thinking, when you’re that influential. A few subpar tweets and I could be downgraded to Specialist. I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with being a Specialist . . . You’re not a Specialist, are you?"
"My US Alexa ranking is 22K, which is fairly impressive for a blog about soft cheeses. It’s not always smooth sailing, though. It can be difficult coming up with compelling content. Brie sort of loses its luster after a few years, you know?"

Check out the GeekSugar Community's favorite science-loving pickup lines after the break.

4 Places to Find Your Valentine Online

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:01:05 PST

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and you haven't secured a companion for the evening. No sweat! There are plenty of websites that will help you find a crush-worthy date to accompany you to your dinner for two; all you have to do is have a great online profile and an open mind. Of course, you could always hit the town with your best girls instead (which may be a lot less stressful), but least you have options. Check out four sites that will do the trick in a jiffy.

Where Are All the Single Geeks? 5 Places You Might Find Them

GeekSugar — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:18:03 PST

In my social circle, I hear the same question often: "Where are all the single geek boys?" If you're a single gal, you may be asking yourself the same, so I'm taking a stab at playing matchmaker. Below, you'll find five possible places to uncover scores of single geeks, hopefully bringing your dating search to an end. By the way, you can still leave your other tech-related questions on our Facebook page, in the comments, or in our Ask a Geek Girl group to get the answers you need!

Online - According to new research, 66 percent of Gen-Y daters know someone who found love online, and there are lots of places to look. From Cupidtino to DateCraft (the insanely popular World of Warcraft dating site), you're sure to find that special geek wandering the Internet. You may even stumble upon a geek worth talking to in forums and comment sections on your favorite websites. Keep your eyes peeled - they're out there.
Sunnyvale, CA - OKCupid's recent Valentine's Day poll shows that there are more eligible geeky bachelors in Sunnyvale, CA, than anywhere else in the country. It's in the heart of sunny Silicon Valley, so if you're ready to settle down with a hard-working software engineer, tech expert, or entrepreneur, then head west my friends. You may also get a good tan in the process.

See the rest of the list when you read more.

68 Geeky Dating Tips, Facts, and Insights to Help You Navigate 2012

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:30:08 PST

Dating is hard, but these 68 dating tips, facts, and insights may make it easier to navigate. Especially helpful in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, these facts about where you're most likely to find a nice geek to date to how technology is affecting the way we look at relationships, get ready big year of dating wins (and fails) ahead.

Meet Your Perfect Music Match on Tastebuds

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:21:14 PDT

The matches resulting in your current online dating profile seem sweet enough, but what do you do upon learning that they love Justin Bieber and haven't even heard of MGMT? Since music is so much a part of the digital generation's lives, Tastebuds was founded to help single people find their match with locals in their area who share the same musical preferences.

The site makes finding love as easy as personal music selections and can be uploaded directly from a last.fm user account. Of course, you can opt to add artists and bands manually when building a profile. Profiles can also be synced with upcoming concerts and live acts. Telling the Tastebuds world you're headed to a Black Keys show on Friday night could result in an impromptu date scheduled with a future perfect match.

6 Ways to Initiate Love the Techie Way

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 05:20:27 PDT

We often talk about navigating dating in a digital world, and just when we thought we had it mastered, the witty folks at McSweeney's come up with a list of ineffective (in our techie circle that's debatable) technology pickup lines. Here are our top three come-ons from McSweeney's, plus three crowd-sourced from the GeekSugar Facebook page. If someone approached with you these gems, would you run for the hills or stop to learn more about the Casanova's Klout score?

McSweeney's Ineffective Pickup Lines For the Modern Internet Persona

"Do you come here often? I do. I’m the Foursquare mayor, actually, which means I come here more than anyone else. That reminds me, I need to check in . . . "
"My Klout score is an 83, which makes me a Thought Leader. There’s a lot of pressure to stay relevant and forward thinking, when you’re that influential. A few sub-par tweets and I could be downgraded to Specialist. I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with being a Specialist . . . you’re not a Specialist, are you?"
"My U.S. Alexa ranking is 22K, which is fairly impressive for a blog about soft cheeses. It’s not always smooth sailing, though. It can be difficult coming up with compelling content. Brie sort of loses its luster after a few years, you know?"

Check out the GeekSugar Community's science loving pickup lines after the break.

Digital Breakups: 5 Ways Not to Drop the Breakup Bomb

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:49:05 PDT

A recent study shows that breaking up the old-fashioned way (aka face-to-face) is going the way of the pager. In fact, 10 percent of iOS users, 15 percent of BlackBerry users, and 18 percent of Android users say they've broken up with someone digitally instead of talking it out in person. On the bright side, at least you didn't get the breakup bomb via Post-it? Here are five ways smartphone users throw dating etiquette to the wind, and break up via technology. Tsk, tsk.

The breakup text: Although a majority of right-minded people say that breaking up over text is heartless, it happens. I'll put it to you this way: if your significant other checks his texts during sexy time, it's pretty likely that he'll use his favorite way of communicating to do the breaking up as well.
The Facebook fiasco: If people think it's OK to fire employees over Facebook, it's likely that there are plenty of Facebook breakups happening as we speak. If that's not bad enough, you then have to go ahead and change your relationship status and sit through the barrage of condolences from your friends.
The voicemail substitute: Here's to hoping that all those sweet voicemails you saved at the beginning of your relationship don't turn into the one you'll never forgive. Breaking up over voicemail is just gross. Don't be "that guy."
The email explanation: There's nothing worse than getting a lame breakup email explaining everything your ex couldn't say in person. Well, maybe there are worse things. Take for example . . .
The Twitter trick: Breaking up in 140 characters is probably the most humiliating way to end a relationship (albeit very on trend wouldn't you say?). Hopefully, your now-ex would have the decency to send a direct message instead of a mass tweet for all his followers to see. Hopefully.

4 Ways Not to Handle a Breakup Online, and 1 Helpful Suggestion

GeekSugar — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:33:03 PDT

Ah, Summer lovin'. A time to cozy up to your sweetheart and celebrate a new year of blossoming love . . . unless it's not. If your Summer love is no longer a blast, here's a little advice for what not to do online.

I won't publicly claim to have experienced any of these firsthand, but anyone who has experienced the sting of a love lost could be susceptible to one of these no-nos.