Geeks, as the stereotype holds, are said to be socially awkward, freakishly knowledgeable about the obscure and frequently viewed as obsessive — or obsessed with sci fi, fantasy, horror and *gasp* anime. They play card games for hours with no poker chips or money involved. They construct shockingly accurate, intricately detailed costumes from scratch for any fan-related event. They view the same lackluster films multiple times for entertainment and take pride in the stacks of slender white long boxes and unopened action figures lining all four walls of their guest room.

While most might view this behavior as annoying, undeniably weird, and sometimes just #@%!$ strange [who’s pumped about Furry*Con 2009!?] geeks find it infinitely interesting. Apply that logic to a geek’s love life and it’s no wonder the conventions get bigger every year. Where else can you possibly find large concentrated groups of fanboys & girls in which to feel normal enough to pursue a romantic relationship?

The folks who run SoulGeek, a dating network specifically for (yes that’s right…) geeks, have taken notice of the increased attention given to the large conventions and started organizing dating meetups at all the big events (i.e. San Diego Comic Con and Dragon*Con). Yet, rather than wait for conventions, SoulGeek decided to do a monthly meetup for people near the Hollywood, Calif. area, which has it’s fair share of actors and creators willing make appearances. And, in the spirit of convention season, they’ll also be signing autographs, taking pictures, answering questions, critiquing costumes and giving away exclusive prizes.

The first meetup, scheduled for July 11, features former Battlestar Galactica cast member Richard Hatch, best known for his memorable roles as the original Apollo and later as Tom Zarek in the modern series. In addition to Hatch’s multifaceted creative talents in the film and television industry, many fan’s may not know about his 25-year professional history of giving relationship seminars, classes and doing team building sessions — thus making him ridiculously qualified to host.

“I do a lot of workshops teaching people to get up in front of large groups, overcoming their shyness and their fear of public speaking. It’s kind of a professional hobby of mine that I’ve always had a talent for,” Hatch said, adding that he first got involved with SoulGeek after discussing his own efforts to create his own geek social network with founder Dino Andrade.

*EDITORIAL NOTE: More info about Hatch’s geek social network developments will be posted soon. -TechGOnzo]

Hatch said he’ll speak to the gathering about his own experience with relationships in an attempt to show them they aren’t the only ones with difficulties. “Dating situations bring up everybody’s insecurities and fears so I’ll generally just try helping debunk some of the mysticism in dating situations of any ilk,” he said.

Star of anime series Hellsing, Crispin Freeman, creator Ben Paddon of British webcomic Jump Leads and creator JE Draft of 3-D fantasy webcomic The Challenges of Zona will also be feature as special guests at the meet up.

For more info about this and the SDCC meetup, check out the SoulGeek meetup page.