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Geek seeks same for LTR

Marketplace Staff Jul 27, 2007
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Geek seeks same for LTR

Marketplace Staff Jul 27, 2007
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TEXT OF INTERVIEW

Lisa Napoli: They say there’s a pot for every lid — even if you’re one of those pocket-protector type kinds of people. Actually, in the age of the Internet and online dating, especially if you’re one of those pocket protector types of people.

Case study: Joyce Dales fell in love with her husband online when they met on a dating site and discovered a shared love of Star Wars. Then, they gave birth to a dating site called Sweet on Geeks.

Joyce Dales: Well, a geek is someone whose decision-making and lifestyle are all based on their passions — and their passions, hobbies and interests are sometimes outside of the norm, or obscure.

Napoli: So this might be a place, say, if I were really into Dungeons and Dragons, and really looking for a guy who’s really into Dungeons and Dragons. Right?

Dales: Exactly. No matter what your type of geek, you’re going to find somebody on our site.

Napoli: Online dating has become such an enormous thing. It’s a huge business now, too. How have you as a small startup tried to get a slice of that action?

Dales: Well, first we read about it — we read and read and read. We brainstormed as a family and as a team. Just through word-of-mouth, through social networking sites telling friends, that’s how we’ve attracted almost 4,000 users at this point.

Napoli: This sounds like a great idea. But how do you make any money at it?

Dales: Well, we hope to be advertiser-supported very soon. And yeah, we may not get rich doing this, but we’re having a lot of fun doing it — and we think we’ve got a quality product.

Napoli: You know the guy who founded Match.com many years ago says he did it because he wanted to find the perfect woman. I understand that your brother is one of your partners, and hasn’t necessarily found the perfect person yet.

Dales: That’s right, I have one 38-year-old brother. He’s six-foot-one, blue-eyed, available and single. He has a really great sense of humor and he’s very strange. I’d like to find him a wife.

Napoli: Thank you so much, Joyce, I appreciate it.

Dales: Thank you.

Napoli: Joyce Dales is the co-founder of Sweet on Geeks.

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