nerdy nerd nerds...

Firstly - there is nothing, absolutely nothing none nil zip wrong with nerds.

In fact nerds often throw the best (industry) parties... it is one of the few professions that you can claim 'playing games' as work, that full strength Pepsi/ Coke is a food group and the femme fantale is exactly that (come on, who has the portions of Lara Croft... oh, yes, Angelina).

Though there is one thing nerdy nerd nerds don't do well - and that is vocalising.

First encountered this lack of vocalisation at my gatecrash of the Bay Area Ivy League social (see earlier blog, where i recalled trying to chat with 4 MIT grads and it turned into a monologue on my part)... and then again last night at the Netvibes party, as part of the Web 2.0 networking events.

Through some connections, I got into the party without an invite (and on the VIP guest list). Typical mix of people who are there for work (jeans, shirt) and those who are there for the free booze (girls in top like dresses, inadequate tops to hold their boobies in, men sitting in the corner drinking in quantities).

Even though its officially a networking event... no one broke up of their immediate circles to speak with people they don't know! And there were absolutely no desire to do so... what kind of networking is that? I mean, it takes more than one brave soul to make it happen...

This, btw, is not from the lack of trying on my part. There were these two guys who were standing right in the doorway of 111 Minna... I overheard one saying something about Darth Vader and from my years of Star Wars training*, I said something which could be interpreted as witty. Maybe its the accent, but he was just not quick enough to reply. I gave up and moved on.

So my conclusions;

Nerdy nerd functions are like Internet dating....
You email each other over months, maybe chat on the phone once or twice... pick a party you'll both attend, tell each other what you're going to wear, AND bring a posse with you. Your group will meet his group, and your combined group will pretty much stick together at the party for the entire night.

Advertising functions, on the other hand, is like speed dating...
You crash into a stranger, start with something witty, he'll say something witty back. You learn everything about his agency/ account he works on/ political view/ favourite drink/ next Saturday's plans in 5 minutes.
Then you both spot someone else on the other side of the room and end with a 'see you round' and go your merry ways. If they made good enough of an impression you might email them the next day.

Was fun, regardless :)

* = no I'm not a Jedi knight. I worked on the Star Wars product range campaign for couple of years. It was my job to know the characters... so I guess that makes me a nerdy nerd also.