None. I found out that shared interests do not always friends make.

Shockingly enough. It looks like we're all "normal" people who simply talk about SF around other "normal" people.

@aspiringexpatriate: Course, if there was an option to click two, I guess I'd have to click the internet forum thing as well.

@Tiwa: Same boat. I developed my love for SF at a time when most of my friends were doing the same (read: when I was younger).

But as I grew up my friends diversified, and I just have little pockets of shared interests with each of them.

I wander aimlessly in dangerous neighborhoods in my homemade papier-mache Boba Fett costume shouting, "ME LONELY! AM YOU MY FRIEND?"

@Tiwa: Don't I know it, there are many creepers who latch on to me because I pulled some quote out of my ass.

I'm with Tiwa on this one. Liking the same books or movies as me isn't really a criteria for friendship in my mind.

Hell is other people.
Who are nerds.

Yeah well, um...mostly I read io9 and keep my fingers crossed.

I'm thinking about attending this year's Can't Stop the Serenity screening though in Vancouver.

I read io9

I Read books a Dean Koontz fanatic actually.
when you're 16 its kinda hard to find friends that share the same Interests, other Girls of my age Prefers Conforming, flirting and Sex
and Boys I see who likes Sci-fi are just too hard to approach.

so yeah, I seek refuge in the internet instead.

@Amiash: That was me when I was 16--except with no internet (I'm old--email barely existed when I was 16). I remember that I took some comfort in knowing that there were other people buying the books, so there had to be others like me out there...somewhere... Then I went to a few conventions and met some of them--liked some, not others. And then I went to college, and it all got a whole lot better. So, I promise, it will for you, too.

@Grey_Area: Man, if I'd known that was you last night I would've had you up for a beer instead of calling the cops.

Sorry again about the pepper spray. I hope they didn't get too much past the mask.

@Amiash: You can still be a slut and a scifi fan.

@Oxygengrrl: Bah. That's not old. That's age appropriate.

Email barely existed when I was 16 too...

My friends that have the same nerd interest I do I can't stand to be around for more then a few hours at a time. They either have no social skills or poor hygiene.

The friends I grew up with don't see much Sci-fi where there incarc... err located. I can't even tell some ppl that I like World of Warcraft or Neil Gaiman is my favorite author. When I talk about it I get looks that the neanderthal that discovered fire must have run into.

LOL If I delve too far into my nerddom I think my wife might leave me...

CURSE YOU, IO9, AND YOUR RADIO BUTTONS THAT CONSTRAIN ME TO A SINGLE ANSWER!!!!ONE11!!!

@AmericanHector:
Someday i'll be a slut. but i love books they cant be together you see,

@darcymcgee: Nah, that's cool. Turns out they both big Doctor Who fans. We went to the docks shot at rats and sang flik songs until dawn.

Taking a break from the *hysterical* comedy now:
@Amiash: We barely had computers when I was 16 (the 1st Macintosh just came out!) My high school was really small and didn't have a Science Fiction Club so I started one with the help of a teacher who was nice enough to let us use her classroom to meet in. Oxygengrrl is right, high school is tiny Stupid/Boring blip on the screen. The rest of your life will be a lot more interesting and Fun!

@AmericanHector: Tsk tsk! Shame on you.

@Oxygengrrl: do you get the feeling like, when you get to know something and it burns you need to tell it to anybody because you think that it matters and its really important and you look for someone that share the same interests and found none? my friends would just say "yes" and "whatever" and "we'll just believe it if that fiction becomes real" answers? *sigh* good night! thanks though!

Simple.
1) Attend nerdy college
2) ...well that's about it really.

Also helpful is facebook. Want to know if any of your friends share your love of Firefly? Advanced Search it! But this is predicated on Step 1, wherein it is assumed that your friend base is largely nerds to begin with, and you're just trying to locate a nerd subset.

@Amiash: I found high school really useless for finding friends who understood what I was interested in--which I think is why I'm in touch with nobody i went to high school with now. And, maybe like you, I found it hard to be a slut when the boys seemed to think I was really really weird (in retrospect, it was because I was really really weird, and I just needed to meet some really really weird boys--college helped). But you know, if I didn't have science fiction to read, I'd have been an even sadder little geek than I was. And you do have the internet, which is a terrific way to actually reach out and meet other weirdos all over the world while you wait til high school's over...

I don't. I love sci-fi, but it's just one part of me. I don't really seek out people who fit with any specific aspect of me; people just drift into my sphere of experience and I into theirs. If we get along and share interests, great. If not, buy them a drink and wish them a good time.

I joined a fraternity of engineers... at a nerdy all engineering school.

AHHH! I'M STUCK IN LIMBO! I voted, now I can't go back to the comments!

@Log1c: +3.. Hi everyone.. I'm back.

I picked the last answer, only replacing "undergrad alma mater" for UFO cult. And it was a liberal arts college in New England no less.

Looks like I'm in the majority.

Depends where you work -- some places are SF friendly and some aren't.

I met my best buddies -- RL friends for decades -- at cons.

And then a bunch online, which also didn't exist when I was in high school and college.

SF is a starting point; obviously I don't hang around with people that I don't also have more in common with.

It's just nice to have friends who get it in conversation.

I tend to simply make friends that either already like Sci-Fi (happens less often) or people that are somewhat inclined to it... then I convert the crap out of them in a slow process that can last a few weeks to a few months. I've already converted people to Firefly, BSG... even TNG. Where I live, Sci-Fi isn't very popular, so I have to make it, one person at a time.

I feel like I cheated, yes I talk to people about sci-fi at work. Oddly pretty much everyone is interested. Now how does that go for everyone who doesn't work in a comic shop?

@Amiash: "Boys I see who likes Sci-fi are just too hard to approach."

I wouldn't take all the "slut" advice too much to heart. But then again, when I was your age, punch cards were all the rage, and Bill Clinton had not yet redifined sex. (So in other words, I'm an old fuddy-duddy).

One bit of advice (from one who knows), those boys aren't hard to approach, they're awkward and shy (with girls) and would be thrilled to death if you approached them. Ask them what they're reading, or if they've read what you're reading. Start a club. Talk about Sci-Fi and let nature take it's course.

Sometimes, when I'm really depressed, I head over to Quarks Bar & Grill at the Hilton. That both cheers me up, and makes it easier to meet other SF Fans/Nerds.

Even though I do go to conventions. But thats ok.

I grow my own vat-friends, and program their personalities with Twilight Zone marathons.

I don't really know anyone else that likes Sci-Fi. I am alone.

Strangely enough, I don't choose my friends based on what fictional genres they're interested in. (This way, I don't have to worry about the inevitable Batman vs. Superman debate ruining my new friendships the way it did the old ones.)

@Amiash: Don't worry, the boys you see that like SF prefer sex too- they just haven't worked their way around to it, yet.

@taxbaby: variety of interests is good.

and yes, we do, and no, we still haven't.

@all: hey guys, thanks for all the advises! i'd take it from you who knows what's really out there. :)

Yeah, I don't really struggle to find people who like sci-fi anymore. It's kind of cool among the degreed crowd to like sci-fi where I live.

My big problem is video games. How many mothers with small children like fps games and d.o.a.? Not many. And if I want my kid to make friends before college, then she has to play with kids on a regular basis. Which means hanging out with their moms and dads who only talk about being parents. They mostly don't like it when I bring up how awesomely therapeutic it can be to blow away the bad guys with the biggest gun ever or to kick the ass of a videogame 'vixen.'
*sigh*

I make friends, go over to their house, and scan the shelves. My tastes are varied enough that I usually find something I like, even if it is not Science fiction.

If the shelves are empty of books, they had better have games or some good movies on them. Otherwise I bolt the hell out of there, because that person is devoid of entertainment and likely wants to skin me alive and eat my spleen.

That is all.

@Amiash:

"Boys I see who likes Sci-fi are just too hard to approach."

Perhaps if you pretend you are a robot, or an alien girl, they will take an interest?

@denisegp: I know some mothers who play games. They say it's one of their only ways of relieving stress.

Come to think of it, my mom was hooked on Tetris for a long time when I was younger.

@Dunny0: Do they play Dom-jot and Dabo at Quarks?

I enjoy SF a lot, but it's not my entire life. I have friends who I can chat about SF for days, but others who don't give a rat's ass.

If I look at strictly SF friendship, then it depends on level of fan. If we're talking a somewhat intellectual approach then I'm there. If we're talking nothing more than Fan "Whoohoooh Fill-in-the-blank is the greetest (sic)" Boy/Girl approach then not really.

I just went to my first Science Fiction Convention (Arisia!). I had a ton of fun, but I had some difficulty connecting with anyone. I've never been with that many fellow fans before, and I didn't really know what to do. So I just ended up wandering the convention for a couple days, going to some panels, and occasionally visiting the con suite for free snacks.

It didn't help that I tend to be somewhat shy, and it certainly didn't help that I'm more of a morning person and I usually left the convention by 9pm. After a while, I grew comfortable enough to just hang out in the con suite and talk to people, but by then the convention was over.

My wife and I go once in a while to conventions, but it's not really to meet other geeks, it's to look at stuff, or maybe see a speaker.

We're not that social.
-and by that I mean not at all.

I've never had a real group of sf-f friends. I've always been that nerdy guy who everyone thought was just a dumb jock. As such, I've depended on the net for years to put me in contact with like-minded people. This site is the best so far! I love this place.

I just read io9. What else?

Having attended a convention alone once, I can tell you that it was not a place for me to meet people. Maybe I'm too shy. And when you attend with friends you tend to just hang out with them, so no help there.

I work in sort of a techy field, so that tends to attract fellow geeks. So that helps.

@Amiash: NERDS ARE NOT HARD TO APPROACH. if you are a human female and walk up to them and say "hi!" they will pay attention-- i SWEAR TO GOD. Sure, they are standing around doing their own version of primate sociology (i.e. bottoming each other with their "knowledge" of geekdom in an effort to establish an alpha male in a pack of what are essentially all omegas)-- but that shouldnt intimidate you. All that social posturing and competition is ultimately about you: alphas get better access to mates, so if they start being jerks it's to weed out each other to get closer to you, dig? Remember that they might be weird if you start talking to them but that's because THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING. girls dont talk to them. most men fling actual physical hazard their way. so if you approach you will literally have the pick of the litter. they will eat scooby-snacks right out of your hand, my little Velma; just by being a human female you are like 80% in. and what self-respecting nerd cant get an 80% on a test?

I leave a trail of Star Wars figurines to a camoflaged pit in my basement.

@Spakkenkhrist: LOL. There is a new comic-toy place open in town and I was thinking they should have something very obvious on the sign to proclaim their nerdness, like a banner that says: Robosexuals Welcome! or One that says, Do You Grok It?

@DSTRYA: The four poster above you would disagree. Some girl just walking up and saying "Hi" to me would be... awkward.

I've been pretty lucky I guess... the geeky friendships I made in high school (in the early 80s) still exist. A few of us still play games online most Fridays, and we try to get together twice a year for "lost weekends" that mainly involve more gaming, scifi movies, pizza, beer, and reminiscing about the glorious, care-free days of after-school D&D games.

I was also lucky to meet a woman whose just as much of a geek as I am. We've gone to cons together, but like others, we're rather introverted so we just pal around together, listen to a panel or two, and just people-watch.

The only place I really seek out others with like-minded interests is the internet.

@Amiash: Oh yeah, as others have mentioned, the boys are weird because they have no social skills; especially with girls. Observe the individuals and see who you think likes the same authors, movies, games you do. Approach them and try to strike up a conversation about your shared interest. Be careful going into any sort of group conversation though, as social skills tend to deteriorate even faster as the density of nerdiness increases.

Also, remember who you are, and don't change for anybody because they want you to. Whatever you do, do on your terms, and for yourself, and not because other people want or expect it.

Alas, as a genuine Solipsist, I don't have much choice in me being a pathetic intorvert slob. Though even if I had, I would probably stay away from fandom *shudder*.

I hide my inner geek from my friends. They found me out when they came into my room late night and I was watching Trek on my laptop (they had assumed I watching porn). My girlfriend falls asleep 5 minutes after turning on BSG and my friends laugh when I put on skiffy, so I've given up on finding anyone who shares my interests who's not on the internet.

"bring up SF in social gatherings and at work, and see who seems interested." get my vote. Im most of the tiems surprised of just how many people know what im talking about. :)