Which instantly expands the topic and provides you with other things to chat about, which was exactly the point ;-) I would qualify myself as slightly introver

Which instantly expands the topic and provides you with other things to chat about, which was exactly the point ;-) I would qualify myself as slightly introvert but adequately sociable (I value my 'alone time' but I'm very easy around people as well), and personally I think smalltalk is the easiest part of making friends, there's an infinite amount of things you can talk about. Just start out with lighthearted topics, don't overthink the situation (it's just chit-chat), try to tease and joke a little, and probably the best advice for geeks: forget about talking about nerdy stuff like sci-fi, games, computers etc. Most people (especially girls) have no affinity with them, know nothing about them, and might get the impression you are stuck in your own world if they are the only thing you can come up with. The things that are really important or interesting to you will come up some time later, they usually don't make for good 'get to know each other' conversation.