Geek 2 Geek

Searching for a Han Solo of your very own? Or the gal who can reformat your hard drive? Geek 2 Geek ( http://www.gk2gk.com ), an online dating service for self-proclaimed nerds, is for you. The three-month-old site aims to help bookworms, obsessive gamers and other pocket-protecting types nationwide find love.

The rules are simple: Members come up with user names like "Tall, Dork and Handsome" or "Preppy Trekkie," then create a free profile that includes information such as their favorite board game, Web site or gadget. The only thing not allowed? Posting a picture. "Typical match sites -- they base it on how somebody looks," says Spencer Koppel, Geek 2 Geek's creator, who hails from Chicago. "Geeks just don't care about that."

Matt Porter, a 26-year-old from Springfield who works for a government contractor, is one of approximately 100 local members to date (nationally, there are nearly 5,000). Porter joined because he is a "single geek" whose hobbies, like playing games and surfing the Internet, make it difficult to meet women. Other dating sites, he says, are just not for him: They're geared to "people who are more normal."

Geek 2 Geek members aren't looking for a "romantic, walk on the beach date," Koppel explains. "They are looking to see if you have an Xbox." Caitlin Carroll