Hey Genius, It's Swag-erific!

                       

Everyone loves getting free junk. I am no exception to this rule. Of course, the hardest part about putting yourself on the receiving end of the free-crap-gravy-train is "effort," i.e. you need to ask for stuff. Or reach out and grab it (no, I am not advocating stealing). For example, I was at a  conference in NY last fall, and a co-worker was not shy about roaming the floor, grabbing one or two items from each and every vendor with a booth. The guy had no shame, and filled up the little tote they handed out to all participants. The following day, he repeated this activity. Who needs 4 or 5 mousepads, 3 cartons of squeeze toys, and 2 yo-yo's with flashing lights? Absolutely nobody. But you're missing the point: they're free! I was out in NY a couple weeks back and remarked to this friends that his cube was amazingly free of clutter. "Where is all your junk?"  He replied "Oh, I gave it all away. It's all junk, so no need to hang on to it."

Free is the magic number behind all great deals. Free food just tastes better (I think there are scientific studies that prove this), and free stuff sure beats paying for stuff. I once asked a room of people, somewhat randomly, whether anyone had a gas barbecue they didn't want any more. I didn't have one, I wanted one, and I didn't want to pay for it. So I figured I'd ask around -- but I never thought I'd get a bite on my first try. Someone said "Sure, I've got one you can have." I picked it up that weekend, and used it for about 6 months until, one fateful afternoon, the whole thing caught on fire and semi-melted down in my backyard. But who cares? It was free. A minor annoyance. Only slightly scorched lawn.

So when I caught wind of some interesting swag being put out there by the Hey-Genius college recruiting team, I had to get in on that deal. A little box of soap with funny text? A deck of cards highlighting different roles/technologies at Microsoft? A Microsoft-branded electronic Sudoku game?

An email was strategically placed, confirmation quickly received, and swag was sent interoffice. And it all goes with my Hey-Genius! t-shirt. What a bargain! (of course, it helps that I am an active participant in they Hey-Genius online forums)