Using polls to make a point is rarely good form, and will not win you any friends.

[andrewducker]

Before I retire to bed, having thoroughly enjoyed this evening's Heroes ("Six Months Earlier"), a quick question for the wisdom of the crowds.

I have a friend who works in a job closely connected to IT, checks their email about a hundred times a day, goes to SF conventions, chose their last phone largely on the quality of the email client and loves comics.

[Poll #967747]

Comments

[chuma.livejournal.com]

Yes, though it has been said before in previous poll by you: I don't have any negative associations to the word Geek. Nerd however I consider someone to be an excessive Geek at the expense of social skills.

[andrewducker]

Geeks = people who are into something.
Dorks = people with no social skills.
Nerds = Geeky Dorks :->

(my definitions, anyway)

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

No no NO
geeks = people obsessed with It/sf/media

dorks = people with no social skills
nerds = people into something (eg Chinese, maps. fossils) which ISN'T IT/sf

[nmg.livejournal.com]

nonono!

Geeks are the guys in the circus sideshows who bite the heads off chickens.

[chuma.livejournal.com]

Hate to play devils avocado, but I side with Andy on this one :)

[marrog.livejournal.com]

iawtc

Although I would generally make a sort of qualatitive judgement on which of nerd or geek you are not based on what you're into but how you're into it - that is, if your interest is purely academic, then it's nerdy, and if it's fangirly, it's geeky.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Hrrmm, interesting. My distinction was formulated with my ex ex who was extremely geeky by my definition about Chinese culture, but *was* a Chinese academic - and incidentally not at all interested in sf or IT till he met me when he read most my sf books, but ptobably in restrospect an INTP.

Maybe we should just go back to biting the heads off chickens!

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I'd say this person was you.

[sneakingyoda.livejournal.com]

Long live geeks.

[makyo.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't, but that's mainly because I regard the term 'geek' as derogatory, and thus don't use it. However, your friend does appear to share most of the criteria that people who do use the term non-derogatorily use it for.

[wychwood]

I probably would; I consider it descriptive rather than derogatory, though *g*. In general, I think that "geek" is a term best self-chosen, but I'd expect pretty much anyone in SF fandom to be a geek, really.

(and addendum to your comments above, I'd tend to say:
geeks = people who are into something
dorks = people who are trying too hard to be cool (for whatever value of cool)
nerds = people with no social skills)

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

How could you possibly tell from that? You know NOTHING about their clothes! :-P

[nmg.livejournal.com]

I'd say that this person is clearly a geek (by the non-chicken beheading definition) even if they did happen to wear yellow a lot.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Bah!!!

*chews chicken gristle*

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Well, you just defined geekyness above as an enthusiasm for certain passtimes/media, not an indication of fashion sense or coolness or social savvy...

I'm about six different sorts of geek, and I'm incredibly cool, So...

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

I stil just think not many geeks voluntarily wear yellow. I bet you don't, for example :-P

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Apart from a slight penchant for black, I've never seen male geeks at least being particularly bothered what colour teeshirt they're wearing as long as it has a cool slogan on.

I also just don't think geekery has anything whatsoever to do with fashion.

Unless you're a fashion geek. Heh.

Still norrageek:-P

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

I might be actually. A fashion geek that is - quite a nice subtitle for my LJ.. Among other things. And I never ever wear tee shirts with slogans on them - that is not what clothes are for.. (also Andy does it enough for the entirety of edinburgh LJdom)

Re: Still norrageek:-P

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Well, the slogan teeshirts thing is mainly a guy-geek thing, among my lot in any case. But then, most of the girl-geeks I know are pretty 'high functioning' - that is, they pass for 'normal'.

Butanyway, often the geeks with bad fashion sense are... well, dorky. I just don't think it's an important marker for geekdom.

Re: Still norrageek:-P

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

See if we're being momentarily serious this is why I really really don't identify as a geek. I'm not "high functioning" on the Aspie scale - I'm an extrovert, I'm empathic and I'm socially skilled. I like imagery more than words, direct conversation more than mediated conversation. I'm more low attention span than obsessive compulsive. I just happen to be excited by new technology. This is why I mostly dn't talk in terms of "geeks" but in terms of Meyers-Brigg (as you know) - I'm not INTP but ENFP (like, I seem to recall, you?)

Re: Still norrageek:-P

[marrog.livejournal.com]

aspergers =/= geek

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

A geek is passionate about their area of geekdom, to the extent that they are generally disinterested in conforming to social norms. Unqualified, the area of geekdom is assumed to be some aspect of maths, science, engineering, technology or related.

Your description gives no definitively geeky features.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Of course she is...

[spaj.livejournal.com]

Cryptic answer - Is his father Alexander? Then he's r Geek.

More interestingly, on the Geek / Dork / Nerd discussion; commonly agreed definitions at my place of work are

Geek - extremely capable and knowledgeable with technology, probably likes sci-fi.
Nerd - dresses as a wizzard, understands what THACO means.
Dork - hasn't been discussed (but rest assured, will be). Think the social-skills issue will be the key answer though.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

I think everyone agrees dork's the worst.

Maybe it's like the old conjugation

I am a geek
You are a nerd
he is a dork?