Dating IRL

If you're at all like me, you spend most of the day in front of a computer. The Internet plays a huge part in your life, both professionally and personally. You're connected to the Web in many ways, and you feel totally comfortable with that. You could even say that it has become a vital and intricate part of who you are and how you see yourself.

In a world where the Internet and Internet culture is becoming more and more prevalent in the day-to-day lives of regular people, keeping up with the latest online trends is just natural -- second nature, even. This means that, in the dating world, you're bound to run into tons of potential mates who are just as knowledgeable as you -- they saw the vid, they read the blog, they bookmarked the site. However, there is going to be the occasional encounter with a less-than-savvy cutie who has read all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books but has no idea what "I Can Haz Cheezburger?" means.

Inevitably, when this occurs, you'll be a little disappointed. And it's understandable. After all, it's a whole part of your world this person is missing out on -- a whole part of your world that is almost impossible to explain. How are you going to make them understand why it's hilarious that cats can't spell? Or why you follow Ashton Kutcher on Twitter? Or why it's important to Digg things? Internet love cannot be taught; it must be experienced.

Hold on though -- don't give up on the cutie just yet. One of the pitfalls of being so Internet-conscious is that you can quickly lose sight of culture that exists beyond your computer screen: things that don't rely on keyboards or links. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that being Internetty (or Internutty, am I right?) isn't the most important thing in the world. There are other subjects you could talk about, and there are other ways to express your interests. You can refrain from talking about the last awesome thing you saw on Geekologie for one evening, can't you? So what if he doesn't have a Facebook page -- surely he has a cell phone, right? And even if he doesn't, having a regular phone still makes him part of the modern world.

Take a minute to remember what it was like before you became such a tech-geek, and you'll be sure to find a million other ways to communicate with your n00b hottie.