Trek Dating is a niche dating site with a clear goal: to bring Star Trek fans together in holy nerdtrimony.
“I'm a huge fan,” said Jonathan Bird, managing director of Warehouse Dating and creator of Trek Dating. “I do speak Klingon. I do have models of the Enterprise, Voyager, Defiant and Deep Space Nine at home and even at the office I have a picture of the USS Enterprise-D on my wall.”
Bird’s passion for Star Trek meant it was easy to choose a coding project that would be meaningful to him. “I wanted to learn how to code but knowing how my brain works I'd only be able to do it if I was interested in the project - that's where Star Trek came in. Little did I know it would become so successful,” he said.
The search system, which has more than 150 combinations, helps people “scan” for their partner and is one of Bird’s favorite parts of the site. Another favorite? The average amount of time spent on the site. “We get on average people spending two hours a week chatting with other members. That's staggering when you stop to think about it,” said Bird.
Bird met his own wife on the site, two days after she joined. That’s not the only success story Trek Dating boasts, either. “We actually received a wedding invite in Klingon about a year ago from a couple who met on the site. That was pretty awesome,” he said.
Trek Dating is open to LGBTQ fans of Star Trek as well. “That wasn't the case before and it wasn't by design,” said Bird. “I underestimated just how different our systems would need to be... I'm pleased to say we've more than made up for it.”
But gay, straight, or any other configuration, Trek Dating has a one-up on general dating sites like OKCupid : a guaranteed shared interest.
“Those awkward silences are over and can be filled with Star Trek related chats and news. With TrekDating.com you know you've got something in common with other members off the bat,” Bird said. “That's a great feeling if you are nervous about dating online.
While Trek Dating isn’t the only site that caters to Trekkies -- StarTrekDating, Trek Passions and Trekkie Dating also cater to the pon farr burning within a Trekkie’s heart -- Trek Dating does also welcome fans of other sci-fi, including Star Wars. “Other people have joined, maybe through curiosity, maybe through fun but ones things for certain the Trek fans don't care. It's just a fun engaging place to be with a key message,” Bird said. “Just don't go waving your light sabers around OK?”
Finally, Bird has a tip for any hopeful Trekkies: put yourself out there. “The top do is absolutely upload more than one picture. Imagine going to see the latest Star Trek movie and only seeing one angle of the Enterprise in every single shot. The same shot over and over again. You'd get pretty bored too right? It's proven that having three or more pictures uploaded gains up to 10x the interaction. If you've got some uniform shots why not upload them also - just don't make them picture one,” Bird said.
Plan to pick up some sweet Trekkie hotties? Check out Trek Dating here (LGBT member directory here).
