You Know You're a Geek If You...

I’ve discussed the problem of geek control of Web 2.0, along with many others including Umair Haque, Pete Cashmore, David Beisel, and Fraser Kelton. (Hit tip to Pete for pulling together the threads.)

This new Geeks for Non-Geeks movement got me thinking about the evolving definition of a “geek.” The following is just a first draft, so please feel free to add, subtract, and amend as you see fit — realizing, of course, that if you do so, you are a geek.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A GEEK IF YOU…

**1. Have a blog **
Yes, blogging software has made it “easy,” but it’s still an inherently geeky thing to do

2. Knowingly use RSS
Or if you know what RSS stands for

3. Understand Web 2.0
Even having heard of the term probably qualifies you

4. Think anything built with Ajax is “cool”
Again, knowing what Ajax is also qualifies you

5. Think blog “A-Listers” are “cool”
We are what we aspire to be

6. Use a “memetracker”
Or if you can define the term

7. Want to own your “attention data”
Or if you know what that means

8. Podcast
Or even if you listen to podcasts

9. Use a beta version of anything
Or if you know what that means

10. Were ever picked on in school
Most of us have been geeks all our lives

Geeks are the trailblazers of the world — the problem is, we’re not nearly as good at mainstreaming our discoveries.

So be proud to be a geek — geeks are the new “cool kids” — but don’t make the mistake of thinking that everyone else is as “cool” as you are.