Go To Guy

goto Guy is one of the most straightforward, yet simultaneously sneaky, dating design patterns around.

Note: Before anyone gets bent out of shape and points out the classic article, "Goto Considered Harmful," be assured that there are safeguards built into this pattern.

The fundamental principle of goto Guy is that in any tech company there are many semi or nontechnicalpeople, many of them women, who need technical information they do not know in order to get their jobs done. Become the man who knows and will also explain that information, and you will become extremely popular. You have to target yourself, for instance, at a particular department of marketing women you really like, or at the hot new brunette techwriter.

Strategies include:

"I'm soooooo committed to the documentation as part of the product." Get this going and any given techwriter will melt in your arms.

"There's a new feature in the latest API that I think customers would really like, but obviously you would know better than me how to market it." This one is nice because it's proactive.

Just make sure that when you volunteer to help out the target female that you mention your time resources are limited, you have an Angry, Vengeful Boss, etc. Depending on the company, you might want to clarify from the beginning that some chats regarding just what a web app is anyway, for instance, might have to be done outside of work areas and/or over lunch or beers.