If You've Got It, Flaunt It! (Intro to Geek Pride)

So for those of you that would categorize yourself as a geek, let me ask you...

Do you show it?

I mean, on a regular basis. Where you walk the walk, talk the talk, and make sure that nobody gets through a conversation with you without realizing that you're at least a little bit weird.

Maybe that doesn't sound the most appealing to you. Maybe you're the type of person that doesn't mind sitting in the corner, never getting noticed, keeping all of your unique hobbies and interests to yourself.

And really there's nothing wrong with that. If you are completely content with the set-up you've got going on right now, then who am I to tell you that you need a change?

But maybe you feel like you're alone in the world and that there isn't anybody else like you out there. Or maybe at times you feel the slightest bit ashamed of who you are and the things you like.

Pardon my French, but fuck that noise!

Personally, I like being weird. I know that I can be different than a lot of people that I come into contact with. Sometimes it's my personality, sometimes it's my interests, but more often than not I enjoy flaunting those things.

I believe there are a great number of geeks that like to keep to themselves when really they shouldn't hide. There are several ways in which people can exhibit their pride in being a geek on a regular basis that don't require holding a big cardboard sign over their head.

Here's a very simple way in which people can express their interests without having to say a word about them: Geeky Accessories.

These are just a few examples of the pins that I like to show off on a regular basis. The top picture is from the lapel of my fall jacket, and the bottom picture is from my backpack. The pins range from video games to anime to just general geekiness and silliness.

I could probably do an entire post dedicated to geeky accessories and clothing (and I probably will do just that at some point), but this is just a small example of how you can show off your geek pride; little things like pins or jewelry or a shirt that says "Keep Calm And Get Your Geek On!" will do the trick, and you don't have to interact with a single soul!

Another way to show off your geek pride would be to talk about the things you're interested in.

For some, this is easier said than done. For others, it's not even fathomable.

As an example, I work in retail; I try and chat with customers as often as I can, and it comes a lot more easily when I can tell that we have some sort of common interest. And sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't.

For instance, pretty much any time a teenage girl brings up a copy of The Fault In Our Stars by John Green up to the counter, I can easily talk about how much I liked the book, and ask if they're excited for the movie that's currently in production, and they immediately start beaming and are completely eager to start gushing about the rest of the books.

And just the other day, I saw a woman purchasing a copy of Otaku USA. I asked her if she was a fan of any of the Studio Ghibli films (Spirited Away, Castle In The Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, etc.), and tried to talk about how sad I was over the fact that the director Hayao Miazaki would be retiring after his next movie. I got more or less shut down for conversation by her, and I felt kind of crappy after she gave me an odd look and left.

So that wasn't so great... nevertheless, it didn't discourage me from wanting to be open with people about the things I'm passionate about. I guess the moral I'm trying to get across here is that you shouldn't let anything discourage you, and even if you have to be the one to manufacture the conversation, talking is a great step in exhibiting your geek pride, whether it's a stranger you bump into that's wearing a bunch of adorable anime pins, or to your closest friends.

I've got one more for you guys, and it's going to sound kind of preachy, but there is some validity to this statement: Just be yourself.

Cliche and tacky, I get it. But think about it: there's no real geek pride to be found in hiding things about yourself.

If you have the urge to squeal at the new release of Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, even if you're standing in front of EB Games, letting out a tiny squeal is not going to hurt anybody (emphasis on the word tiny). 

And it doesn't even have to be related to your interests, it can just be you exhibiting a bit of that weirdness you've got bottled up somewhere inside.

Maybe you're standing in place talking with friends and you get the sudden urge to twirl in place while still listening to your friend talking about his latest homework assignment. Sure, maybe at first your friends will be taken aback, but soon enough it might just become your signature mood. Again, nothing wrong with that.

All in all, being different is good, whether it's your interests or your personality or a fun combination of both, and nobody should ever tell you differently.

I think that's it for now! And I'll leave behind a single question:

How do you exhibit your geek pride?

Let me know what you think!

~4EvaGeek

With A Little Help From My Friends (Online Geek Groups)

If my existence doesn't already prove it to you, yes, there are others like you out there!

Hard to believe, I know!

Truth be told, I didn't really feel like a true blue geek until I joined an online group where there were a whole bunch of other geeks just like me. I not only got to share my own interests and opinions with a bunch of like-minded people, but being part of a real community introduced me to even more amazing and geeky things. That's how I got into vlogging, which has really given me a sense of pride about all the unique interests I have that I share with a good amount of people.

You might have friends that you know In Real Life (IRL) that share in the same interests in you, and if you do, than that's great!

You Get To Be Weird Together! :D

And I totally get it! I personally have friends that are a kooky bunch of weirdos just like myself. We all have interests that are similar or different and we get along great and bond over our weirdness all the time.

As for the rest of you that find this to be the norm...

FEAR NOT!

Believe it or not, there are other weird, geeky people to connect with, even if they don't live within walking distance of you.

Today I've going to go over just a small number of the popular online groups that I know to be out there. One of them I am a proud member of, and the other two I am not myself involved with but have heard various glowing reviews from each. One of them is meant strictly for girls, another is completely gender neutral, and the final one is directed towards girls but boys are both welcome and encouraged to join.

So here is the master list, and we'll get to tackling them in order. Click on the names for a direct like to the site:

Wonderly

Nerdfighters

International Geek Girls Pen Pal Club

So let's start with Wonderly.

You may have seen this trailer on YouTube in the past, depending on what sorts of web series you tend to gander at in your spare time.

Most of the current members of Wonderly have their own channels on YouTube, both separate or connected to Wonderly. You might recognize Kristina Horner from a few things including her role in the series Job Hunters, and there is also the series Squaresville involved with the site, along with the woman behind Overly Attached Girlfriend.

So this site is directed towards female geeks with a varied spread of tastes, hobbies and interests, and there's plenty of ways to get involved. It appears to be quite the close-knit community of ladies, all of them quite passionate about the things they love, such as crafting, cooking, reading, and so much more.

Their main connection to each other is through video, so if you're the type that feels too shy to sit and record yourself with a camera, this site might look a bit intimidating. However, it says right on the site that "While video is our common ground, you and we are so much more. We're talking about putting pen to paper, making music, cooking, drawing, painting, dreaming, and doing."

These guys have a lot going on, so if you're a geek girl that has a knack for creativity, I recommend you taking a nice long look at their website.

Now let's look at the Nerd Fighters.

So, this video is a good introduction to Nerd Fighter culture. And if you want to know anything about Nerd Fighters, first I'll give you a quick intro to John and Hank Green.

Better known as the vlogbrothers, these guys are in fact brothers and they post video rather frequently on YouTube and have been doing so now for many years.

They not only post videos covering various subjects regarding nerdom/geekdom, life and other awesome things, but they have a lot of other projects credited to them, things like VidCon, a convention about web video in the states, and an annual charitable event called Project Awesome.

A large fan base has surrounded many of their creations, such as John Green's Young Adult books, one of those being The Fault in Our Stars which is currently being made into a movie, along with the Emmy Award-winning web series that was originally Hank's brain child and has taken off considerably since then, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

((I'm semi-obsessed with this series, so I HAD to post a video up here))

So if you watched the vlogbrothers video above, you'll know that all it takes to be a Nerd Fighter is to want to be one! So congratulations to anybody who saw the video and had the slightest urge to join in, you are now a proud member, myself included!

Okay, video overload, I know, but videos are so fun!

Alright, now time for the group that I have been a proud member of since April, and that would be the International Geek Girls Pen Pal Club, also known as the IGGPPC

So I'm going to do my best not too be too biased with my description here, but I have to say that I really do love this group of girls and it's helped me to meet a lot of amazing people.

Now, this group was founded fairly recently, as you can see from the video, and there are four main girls heading this organization of geekiness. One of them, SparklegirlJen, is actually Canadian and lived in the same city as me for a time, now I believe she lives about an hour or two away. She's very down to earth and we occasionally chat on twitter.

What sets this site apart from a lot of other geek groups is that you can sign up for your very own pen pal! You put in your top 5 geek loves, and your age, and you get matched with somebody based on having similar interests. I received my own pen pal in round 3, and we have been writing each other (yes, I'm taking good old fashioned Snail Mail) ever since. There are rounds set up every month to get a pen pal, and both membership and getting a pen pal are completely free, although you can pay a small fee to get into a V.I.P group in order to get early access to signing up for a pen pal, since it does tend to fill up each month. Even with the large number of members, however, so long as you're not trying to sign up the day before the round closes, you shouldn't have difficulty getting in.

And you don't need to sign up for a pen pal in order to be a part of this group. Another big focus on the main IGGPPC site is the forums, where geek girls (commonly referred to as iggles) and guys (miggles) can chat about anything and everything! It's an easy way to connect with people, seek recommendations on new things you can try, and much more!

The forums aren't the only way to get involved with the IGGPPC community, however. On the activities tab on the site there are many other opportunities to become involved, such as an iggle book club on GoodReads, Igglebugs for people that enjoy photography, a traveling journal you can have sent to you, and of course the Vlogging Iggles, of which I am a proud member.

Joining this group of Vlogging Iggles gave me a fun way to connect with other people like me, as well as introduced me to a great group of girls that I regularly get to message on Facebook. We even send mail to each other on occasion.

So that's about it for online geek groups! I'm sure that there are many more, and if you know of any or belong to any other groups that I may not have heard of, please let me know over twitter or in the comments section below.

I hope you guys found this informative, or if you were bored the entire time than I'd like to know that too.

I'll leave you guys with a few questions before I go:

#1: Are you a member of any of these groups? If not, would you ever consider joining in and connecting with people from any of these groups? Why or why not?

#2: What kind of geeky interests would you like to have friends, either IRL or online, share in common with you?

I think that's it for now! Don't Forget To Be Awesome!

~ 4EvaGeek

What's In A Name? (How We Define Ourselves)

 

Why am I using Emma Stone gifs to kick off this post, you might be asking yourselves?

Not only am I a big fan of her work, but like a lot of actresses and actors, she has many faces she can put on for the world. And one of them appears to contain adorable glasses that popped up when I Googled 'geek gifs' :)

And that got me thinking more about geek culture, and how a lot of people who have this interests that aren't shared by the majority of people might at times feel ashamed of their likes and interests and at times may even try to hide those things about themselves.

And when you look at the other end of the spectrum, you've got people who are more than welcome to flaunt their interests with the world, even if, and sometimes because, it sets them apart from everybody else.

I'd like to think I'm closer to the 'If You Got It, Flaunt It!' end of the spectrum, but I'm certainly not perfect. Still, Simon Pegg seems to agree with me!:

Simon Pegg is the best - those are words of wisdom to live by right there!

Anyway, both this typical situation that people who self-identify as geeks and a forum post from my professor got me to thinking about self-identification in the geek world, and how everybody is such an individual even when some of us share the same interests.

Let me say this loud and clear:

There Is No 1 Single Definition Of A 'Geek'

There are so many types out there, it's pretty crazy!

Plus there is almost a sense of being able to evaluate just how much of a geek a person can be. But don't get me wrong, geek-dom is not some sort of exclusive club you can only belong to if you own so many anime figurines or have gotten so many XBOX achievements. If anything it's the exact opposite; we're a friendly, inclusive bunch.

So anyway, my professor asked me on our school forums if blogs were the preferred communication medium for geeks, and after I explained to him that we're pretty much everywhere and there's no one communication medium that will contain us all, he wrote back with:

- well I guess eventually you will need to poll your readers to see how many self-identify as geeks......it would be an interesting sociological experiment

From there, I really got to thinking about the potential readership of what I'll be writing here.

As I explained in my first post, I'm going to be trying my absolute hardest to write posts that vary greatly from one another so that I can expand the number of viewers I'll get by hitting on a bunch of different interests.

However, I never really considered the fact that people that might not consider themselves geeks might be among my readers as well.

Ergo, I thought I would do a little write-up here and talk about how we might define ourselves, full-blown geeks or otherwise, and in what ways we might even categorize ourselves among the many sub-topics of geek-dom.

To tell you guys about the sub-topics themselves, I thought I might share with you a book I recently picked up that labels these 'types' of geeks in existence.