Meet New Friends with the Nerd Nite Austin Ambassador Program

WE ARE ON HIATUS

Please read the details below to see what it will be like to participate in future events!

What is it?

Here at Nerd Nite Central we hear this all the time: “I went to Nerd Nite and the presentations were great and I had a good time. But, I didn’t meet other nerds, which I was hoping to do.”

One of the hardest ways to meet new friends, particularly if you are an introverted nerd, is by sitting in the audience of a presentation. So, we asked the Googleplex Starthinker in the Seventh Galaxy of Light and Ingenuity “What is an easy way to meet new friends?”, and it told us “Being introduced by a mutual friend.”

And so we present, the Nerd Nite Austin Ambassador Program! The Nerd Nite Ambassadors will act as mutual friend to all nerds and will introduce our friends to each other.

How does it work?

You fill out a short survey so our ambassadors know a little something about your interests. Other nerds will do the same. The ambassadors will take the survey results and match up people who could potentially become friends based on mutual interests. If we have found you a potential friend, we will email you the Tuesday before the next Nerd Nite and let you know. You will need to confirm you received the email in order to move onto the next round of MEETING YOUR NEW FRIEND! Confirmation must be done by midnight the Tuesday before Nerd Nite.

At Nerd Nite, before the presentations start, an ambassador will introduce you to your new friend and get the conversation started. After that, it’s up to you! You can talk about whatever you would like and maybe walk away with a new buddy, activity partner, or arch nemesis! If you have questions, you may email the Ambassadors:

What do I do?

Go to this link and fill out a short survey that will help us decide who might make a good friend for you. Simple!

**By the way, the introductions happen at the same time as Nerd Speed Dating, so you can not do both in the same month. Nerd Nite Ambassador is NOT Nerd Speed Dating and we do not treat it as such.**

Our matching is so good that we sometimes match people who are already friends (it happened twice one month). So, if you know one of your friends is also signing up for the Ambassador Program the same month that you are, then you might want to mention that in your survey (maybe in the last question).

So just to break it down for you:

1. Submit a survey to the Ambassadors before the Sunday before the next Nerd Nite.

2. The survey CLOSES the Sunday night before Nerd Nite. You will receive a confirmation email that you have signed up for the ambassador program on Monday that you must respond to. Be sure to add nerdniteaustincentral@ gmail.com to your address book. Do NOT forget to respond to the confirmation or you will not be participating!

3. REPLY to the confirmation email by midnight on Monday before Nerd Nite. You MUST reply, or your survey answers will be released to the ether, friendless and unmatched.

4. Receive an instructional email the day before or early on the day of Nerd Nite. Follow the directions. You’re one step closer to a new friend!

5. Arrive at or before 7:30pm (don’t be late!) the night of Nerd Nite at the North Door and meet your potential new friend/s!

What are good examples of survey answers?

Specific, unique and interesting answers will make it easier for us to pair people up. Sharing things you’re passionate about will make give us the opportunity to make better matches, and allow us to pair up people who could really become a dynamic duo (or trio!). You don’t need to be an expert in your interests, just share something you’re interested in. One-word answers typically jam up the matching system, so even if you feel your answer is not unique – share it anyway! The better information you give, the easier it will be for us to find someone who could potentially be your new best friend.

How specific?

Broad categories like TV, music, electronics, or model building are not very specific. Tell us what types of TV shows or music you like, and what types of electronic things and models you like to build. If you are into all things cooking, then “cooking” might be a specific enough answer, but if you are specifically interested in vegetarian and vegan cooking, or cooking with bacon, then say that. Vague or joke answers make difficult matches, tell us about YOU!

Am I guaranteed an introduction?

We try to pair people up, or get groups of three if the number is uneven, however there’s always a chance that there just isn’t a good match for you yet. If that happens, please just try again next month. The best way to avoid this is to give good answers. While we all love to be clever (and how!), something that is sincere is the best way to get our matching system to work for you.

I liked that person, what do I do now?

You don’t have to do anything, just say “Nice to meet you. See you next Nerd Nite.” If you really hit it off you could exchange phone numbers or emails, but that is up to you.

I didn’t like that person, what do I do now?

Because we will not disclose your contact information, you just walk away knowing that you did a good thing by being here and we’re proud of you. Have a drink.

If you have questions, cannot attend after submitting your survey, or want to send us a love note, please email the Ambassadors here: