InformIT published an interesting article that highlights the difference between Nerds and Geeks. First I reproduce below the definitions:

Geek: 1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake; 2: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disapproved of.

Nerd: perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children’s book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel): an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits. 

Then the article lists some reason why one should not be a nerd:

• A nerd can’t tell when other people are angry.
• A nerd can’t dance, and possibly doesn’t know he can’t dance.
• A nerd is easily made fun of because he is initially unaware of mockery.
• A nerd can’t tell when it’s time to go home, in spite of significant cues (like a yawning host who has changed into his pajamas). 

And the paper finish giving some typical geeky behavior:

I’m going to characterize geeks as people with fairly normal social skills, but with a fascination for technology that is puzzling to non-geeks. Here are some examples of "geeky" behavior:

• Programming a VCR without reading directions
• Carrying a PDA, Blackberry, and cell phone
• Writing a blog about technology
• Sending Mark Cuban emails
• Contributing to open source software projects on your own time
• Playing Zelda, the Ocarina of Time, for 72 hours straight

The bottom line is that it’s more convenient to be a geek .