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Posted April 5th, 2007 by NMC
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NMC offers a wide range of benefits and services to members in support of innovation and colloboration between and among its member institutions.

Community Resources

NMC is first and foremost a community of innovators, and the NMC provides many resources and benefits in support of the NMC community as part of the membership package.

  • NMC Summer Conference. Unlimited registrations at the deeply discounted member rate of $349 (non-member rate is $699 each).  The Summer Conference is one of higher education's most distinctive and practical technology-focused events.    
  • NMC Regional and Pachyderm Conferences. Unlimited registrations at the deeply discounted member rate of $249 (non-member rate is $399 each).
  • NMC’s Series of Online Conferences. Members receive ten complimentary registrations for the NMC’s Series of Online Conferences, as well as discounted registration rates for the Annual Director’s Meeting.  (Not available to Legacy members)
  • NMC’s Campus in Second Life. (http://sl.nmc.org/) NMC member can use the extensive NMC Campus as a virtual location for member events, space for classes and presentations, and a Second Life venue to accompany real life events.
  • Forums and listservs. Dynamic, active member discussions on technology, technical challenges, and issues of the day.

To take advantage of NMC Community Resources, contact us via our web site or call us at 512-445-4200.

Web Resources

The NMC’s newly revamped website includes a host of web 2.0 and social networking components, and many new services like profiles, RSS feeds, rich media.  Some of the new features include:

  • Dynamic Content.  Virtually every page is updated instantly on loading.  The home page features the most current NMC and member news and information, and a “tag cloud” that updates based on user tags.
  • Imbedded NMC Initiative Framework.  Large portions of the site are organized around the NMC’s seven major initiatives.  Content across the site is associated with these initiatives and pulled into each initiatives pages.
  • New Conference and Proposal Systems.  These functions are completely integrated with the site now, enabling fast and easy submission and updates to registration and other information.  Once your profile is established, registration and other form-based processes will pull the info automatically for you and give you a chance to update it if need be.
  • User Profiles. Users can update their own contact information, enter a bio, upload a photo, list job skills, provide account names for web services (Skype, AIM, del.icio.us, flickr), and even list their Second Life avatar and image.  Other users who are online can start a chat sessions with other members who are online at the same time.
  • Member Created Content. All authorized users of the site have capabilities to contribute a wide variety of content.

To access NMC’s Web Resources, contact us via our web site or call us at 512-445-4200.

Free Member Services

NMC members enjoy a wide range of free services that are included as part of the membership package. These include:

  • Exclusive printed copies of NMC research reports, newsletters, and other publications.  Non-members only have access to electronic versions of these reports.
  • Advisory Services from NMC Virtual Worlds (http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/) related to immersive 3D environments, including planning considerations, configuration/security, and design considerations.
  • NMC’s exclusive online discussion groups, which explore emerging technologies, solutions to technological challenges, management challenges and issues, staff development and training, and pedagogy. 
  • NMC’s Custom Survey Service, which provides members a mechanism to quickly assess the pulse of their peers on issues of the day. Included in this service are the Annual Salary Survey and the Annual Survey of Members. 
  • Free grant writing consultation services, as well as assistance in identifying partners for funded projects.

For additional information, contact us via our web site or call us at 512-445-4200.

Fee-Based Services

The NMC currently offers two suites of fee-based services. Each is heavily discounted for qualified educational, cultural, and not-for-profit institutions.

NMC Virtual Worlds provides a range of fixed-rate services  (http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/services/) in Second Life and other virtual platforms, including:

  • Land lease plans for educators and institutions, see chart for pricing (http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/docs/services.pdf) 
  • Daily sim rentals for event overflow ($250/day)
  • Event management ($10 per participant with $250 minimum)
  • Basic terraforming & landscape services ($1500 per sim)

Pachyderm Services The NMC developed Pachyderm  (http://www.pachyderm.org/) as an easy-to-use multimedia authoring tool designed for people who have little or no multimedia authoring experience. Pachyderm Services provides Pachyderm hosting and support services to colleges, museums, and Pachyderm users, including:

  • Discounts for the annual Pachyderm Conference
  • Access to the Pachyderm Help Line
  • Membership in the Pachyderm User’s Community

For additional information, contact us via our web site or call us at 512-445-4200.

NMC Virtual Worlds Custom Services

The NMC provides a full suite of services in support of virtual worlds targeted expressly to the needs of educational and cultural institutions. Qualified educational institutions and museums receive a 25% discount on these services; NMC members receive an additional 10% reduction.  The education and learning full-service provider for Second life, NMC Virtual Worlds  (http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/about/) specializes in educational and learning-focused projects of all kinds, large and small, and provides a comprehensive palette of custom services, including:

  • Full-service sim and estate development
  • Full spectrum design services
  • Architectural modeling and rendering
  • Custom terraforming and landscaping
  • RL object replication and modeling
  • Custom scripting & animations
  • Custom avatar creation
  • Property management services

Detailed proposals will be provided on request. Visit the Virtual Worlds web site for client case studies. (http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/).