Lightkeepers: 8 Swag Stores From The Biggest Web Brands

OK....I admit I'm a geek...

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8 Swag Stores From The Biggest Web Brands

via MakeUseOf.com by Tim Watson on 5/22/09

So, you consider yourself a true geek? You've got your expendable red shirt and a functional lightsaber. You proudly own a Dreamcast and play old NES games on your PC with an original controller. You even have a Weighted Companion Cube all your own.

How cute.

Anybody can be a Trekker, wannabe Jedi, or gamer. Why not prove yourself to be a fashionable geek with some genuine stuff from some of your favorite Internet companies? Let's look at some examples.

The Digg Shop

The Digg Shop has shirts, hats and hoodies from your favorite social news site, and you need not be MrBabyMan to appreciate that. When sitting down to watch this week's Diggnation, why not crack open and enjoy a cold beverage with this pint glass and bottle-opener combo?

The Reddit Store

reddit-baby

If you're not down with Digging and Reddit's more your thing, I haven't forgot about you. The Reddit Store has nice, stylish tee-shirts and offers free shipping. How could you resist this uber-cute onesie for your little Redditor? It has karma points written all over it.

The Google Store

Google Pocket Puzzle

Google remains the top brand on the Web according to Nielsen Online, and the Google Store boasts worldwide distribution of many fun and/or practical items, some of them earth-friendly, such as lip balm, recycled notebooks, Blogger beanies, YouTube hoodies, lava lamps, bike jerseys, and yo-yos. Unfortunately, Google Gulp is still in limited-release beta.

Yahoo! Company Store

Yahoo Company Store

Yahoo! isn't far behind in Neilsen's ranking. The Yahoo! Company Store sells lots of knick-knacks, lots of pet-toys, and lots of… purple.

The Microsoft Store

If you're looking for Microsoft programs and operating systems to purchase, the Microsoft Store has what you're looking for. If you're looking for Microsoft-related merchandise, such as shirts, mugs etc., you're better off checking eBay because I couldn't find a Microsoft company store besides the one at the company's Visitors' Center in Redmond. Oddly, Microsoft doesn't take orders on the Web.

Source: eBay

In fact, eBay may be one of the best places to find memorabilia from certain high-profile companies, including defunct companies, such as the above Webvan-branded pen or items featuring the former spokes-puppet for Pets.com. Just type your favorite company's name in the search and you'll likely find some rare stuff that the public usually can't get.

The Mozilla Store

Free software fans, don't feel left out. The Mozilla Store sells tee-shirts and accessories, as well as software CD bundles and extremely-cute Firefox plushies, the proceeds of which go to support the Mozilla Foundation. In keeping with the open-source spirit, Mozilla also has a community store with user-submitted designs.

The Winamp Store

Winamp Gear

The Winamp is one of the most popular media players around. The company has a swag store as well. You may buy T-Shirts, Mugs, Bumper Stickers, Mousepads, Posters and Stickers.

The Wikimedia Store

Wikimedia store

Finally, Wiki fans, you're in luck. The Wikimedia Store on CafePress is open for business and naturally, user edits. Show your support for free and open culture by purchasing shirts, posters, mugs, mouse pads and messenger bags bearing the logos of your favorite Wikimedia projects.

I've only scratched the surface of the kinds of stuff that you can purchase from your favorite companies. Tell us your favorites that I may have left out. What's the most unusual piece of "swag" you've ever received? Shout it out in the comments.

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