Speak Out with your Geek Out

The following I originally posted not too long ago on both Google+ and Facebook but I have decided to post it again because of a week-long internet event called Speak Out with your Geek Out, encouraging all geeks everywhere to post, tweet, blog, and basically speak out, both on the internet and in person/face-to-face, about your geeky hobbies and act as an example and/or mentor to other geeks who might be a little shy about saying "I'm proud to be a Geek". Since, as you will read below, this is an important concept to me, I decided to join in by reposting this. Now, I'm not saying this is my only geeky interest. This was inspired by a contemplation of the general types of geek out there (sports, computer, D&D, video game, Harry Potter, etc.) and a realization of the category I feel most comfortable labeling myself. Enjoy, and feel free to comment and take part in Speak Out with your Geek Out, yourselves.

(original post:)

Most of my life I've had a hard time feeling like I fit in with anyone (Don't run away, this isn't some sob story, just describing background before my epiphany). As I've gotten older, it has come down to what type or group of people I am or want to be. I enjoy playing sports, but I'm not very good and I don't feel like a "jock". I enjoy lots of geeky topics but I don't know how to program computers, etc. And, "geek" still had a negative connotation in my mind (it was synonymous with nerd and dweeb).

But a couple years ago I found the GeekDad blog (wired.com/geekdad) and began to realize I truly am a Geek and proud of it. I also learned that geeks have interest in lots of different topics and not just comic books and computers, and many even enjoy outdoor activities like biking, camping, etc. Furthermore, I even began to realize that the geek community (I like to call it Geekdom) is a very accepting and very diverse community. Since that time, I have really been growing into my geekery and even feel more confident knowing where I fit in. 

Sometimes I still struggle feeling like I fit in with other geeks that have a large depth of knowledge because I am more of the type that was a wide breadth of knowledge of many topics. This post: (http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/04/the-geeks-dilemma-breadth-vs-depth-of-interests/) helped immensely as I saw in the comments lots of others that were jack-of-all-trades type people, too. (If you can't tell, I rely heavily on the authors of GeekDad, and their companion site GeekMom, to guide me through this journey of self-discovery. My largest circle, so far, is the one I have reserved for the writers on those blogs).

Then, recently, I started struggling with the type of geek I am. I'm not a computer geek, because I don't know how to program them, I'm not a video game geek, because I don't own any consoles, I have always enjoyed tv shows and movies about the Marvel superheroes (and Batman, from DC) but I'm not a comic book geek. I don't even own a single comic. But then, from recent experiences, I realized what type of geek I am.

I am an information/research geek. I like to know things and I am good at finding the information I need, on the internet and other sources. I get a thrill trying to solve the puzzle of how to find what I'm looking for. That's why I like reading so much, I like to learn and take in as much information as I can. I am an info/research geek and I'm proud!