Microsoft is "LIVE" in Higher Education..

By Don Burnett

In case you haven't noticed it in all the Microsoft Yahoo news online, Microsoft's Live services has been making some serious in-roads into education.. They now have a website that brings this together.. it's called My Live@EDU. Besides being a great example of a website UI done completely in Silverlight, the site details a plethora of services Microsoft offers both individuals and schools in  higher education.

 

 

Without paraphrasing the site, Microsoft is offering students, staff, and faculty things like

• 1 Gigabyte of online storage for free (that's like over 1000 free files of online storage), using web accessed SkyDrive that works on Mac, Linux, and Windows.
• Office Live online collaboration, for both faculty, staff, and student projects requiring group collaboration (again completely cross platform). I can't say how exciting this really is because you can also preview just about any document online in the browser, including Word, Excel, etc. and share it with others and collaborate right there online.
• 5 gigabyte Hotmail accounts (including university domain branding), with special functionality for Staffing, students, and even Alumni.
• Free PC to PC calling services with Windows Live Messenger
• Mobile access to Live Services on your cellular phone.
• Live Spaces (create your own home page and blog)
• Live Photo Gallery for photos and video storage import and catalog (along with some cool photo manipulation including creating panoramic shots).
• Live Writer for writing blog entries

Is anybody really using these? Wow they are! Even close to home!

Well check this out, there are colleges and universities out there already using these services campus-wide and Microsoft has profiled some of these great institutions on the site, folks like Ball State, and Indiana University.. Wow this is pretty cool, check it out..

Away at College and Need Extra Cash? Microsoft is putting money back in students pockets with contests and affiliate deals and Student Film Contest..

Beyond this Microsoft is offering a couple of really cool contests to promote these new capabilities.  One of these is the Microsoft Mashup contest.. Create a great web based mashup  application and you could win CASH or an XBOX, both things people want on campus. I have never heard of a poor college student turning down MONEY, or a great game console like the XBOX 360. All the tools required are a free download including web hosting..

Microsoft's Online Campus Film Festival

Not a web developer guy? More into performance arts?  Microsoft is offering a very cool contest for the budding film student in all of us, put your own short film online and win up to $12,500.. Now, that's a bit more than a semester of lunch and dinner money at the student center..

 

Now if all of that doesn't really get you excited, you should check the deal through on Microsoft Office that they have for students through April 30th, get Office Ultimate (yes that's every single Office Application out there (not just the home and teacher edition) for just $59.95. That's like over 90% off the purchase price. Also if you sign up for their affiliate program and you sell your friends on buying Office at that deal you can make money back off of it yourself. Now that's some dough at the end of semester when money is tight.

 

 

Say it with a SMILE! and put some dough back in other needy pockets!

Microsoft also is promoting "Operation Smile" a charity program that donates money for every picture with a smile you send them. Microsoft has received over 613,000 smiling photos to date.. go to the page and put your smiling picture up and help someone out today..

Windows Live Smile Page and if you like to use instant messaging, then

IM it and support your charity with Windows Live Messenger.. Each instant message is a donation to a charity that you choose..

TOO BAD SO SAD! They'll never do it on My Campus..

So you say to yourself this all cool but my school won't go for it? Never say never, Start your own campaign at the LIVE@EDU site today.. Get you and your friends to send email to your IT Administrator and start a campaign to get this, that will convince them that you want this all available on campus. Including on your cellular phone.

 

Technorati tags: Windows Live, On Campus