Quick Manual for HXRC Network

Mar 3, 2023

This quick manual helps you get started with the use of HXRC Network, a newly established networking platform that brings XR providers and customers together.

A Quick Manual to HXRC Network

As you might know, Helsinki XR Center established a new networking platform, HXRC Network, during the last half of 2022. The main objective of the HXRC Network is to collect stakeholders of the Finnish XR community together in one place to find clients, start cooperation, share knowledge, and promote their products. The platform will also be a portal for customer organizations, like educational institutions, to connect with XR companies, and find talents and solutions for their needs.

If this is the first time you hear about the network, we suggest you read the article about the launch of HXRC Network, or browse through our HXRC Network dedicated web page, and sign up to HXRC Network.

To help you get started with the use of HXRC Network, we created this quick manual. It focuses on the main points of the use of the platform, but more detailed instructions may be expected later on.

If you have anything else to ask about the use of the platform, please contact: janina.rannikko(at)metropolia.fi

Getting started

  • You can find the platform in https://network.helsinkixrcenter.com/.
  • Without signup and login you can browse through the organizations, offers and requests that are on the platform by clicking the corresponding number on the landing page.
  • To use the platform for its full potential, sign up and login.

Profiles

In the sign up process you create a personal profile for yourself. 

  • Photo & Introduction: We recommend using your own photo and writing a short introduction of yourself.
  • Contact information: Email addresses are not automatically visible in your profile, so if you want others to find it, write it in your About me -section.
  • Chat: You can approach others via the chat function, but if the other has turned off notifications, it may take a while to get an answer.
  • Tags: Add ready made tags to your interests for better matching algorithms.
  • Organization: Assign yourself to an organization to access all platform content.

HXRC Network is primarily for B2B networking, so organization profiles are important. Without an assigned organization a private user can not create offers or requests. You can either join an existing organization or create a new one.

  • Organization admin rights: The first person to create a new organization profile becomes the admin of the profile. In a situation where someone has already created a profile for your organization, but you don’t know them or they do not approve you into the organization, please contact janina.rannikko(at)metropolia.fi.
  • Add information: We recommend you to fill in as much information as possible for your organization, especially ready made categories and custom types so the matching algorithms can suggest your organization to others.
  • Category tags: Add category tags that include words VR or AR to get your company in the “XR Company” listing.

Offers

Offers are key elements in the platform. Offers are always made by an organization, which means that private profiles can not make offers. In an offer an organization can promote their overall competence, or do separate offers for all their services and solutions.

  • Offer type: You can do an offer in different types, for now they are: Service, Software, Hardware, Patent, Research Result, and Expertise.
  • Offer category: Ready made offer categories help matching algorithms suggest your offer to the right people.
  • Contact information: Add email or other contact information in the description, if you wish people to contact you outside the platform.
  • Create a general offer: Ideally each XR provider organization would have at least one active offer, which promotes their competence.
  • Expired offer: If an offer expires, please remove it.

Requests

Requests are other important elements in addition to Offers. Requests are used to find specific solutions, funds or talents. When a request is ready, the matching tool will try to find relevant matches for your request among the members of the platform.

  • Request type: Requests can be made in different types. For now these types are: Investment Case Request, Funding Request, Solution Request, Partner Request, Project Request, Hiring Request and Other Request.
  • Request visibility: Requests can be visible, invisible or anonymous.
  • Contact information: If you desire to be contacted outside the platform, remember to write the contact information in the description section.
  • Matching tool: When your request is ready, you can see the matching tool calculating matches for you on the right side of the My requests -screen.
  • Expired request: If a request expires, please remove it.

News

News are short posts that any member can write. We hope that members would share news on the platform to reach potential customers, but also share knowledge for the XR network.

  • Content: News can be anything you would like to share with other members of the network!
  • Image: If possible, use catchy images!

Groups

Groups are smaller clusters of members inside a network. You can create private or open groups for example around a specific topic or for project work, or a smaller network for a specific set of people.

  • Private news & events: Groups can create own news and events that are visible only for the group members.
  • Share documents: Groups are a good way to share documents within the HXRC Network. Only the group members have access to these documents.
  • Group chat: Group members can start private or group chats within the group.
Four people talking at Match XR 2022 event and having fun. One of them is wearing a virtual reality headset.

Photo: Kira Vesikko

And that’s it! Now you know the basics of the HXRC Network.

If you and your company do not already have a profile on the platform, we encourage you to create one and start networking right away!

If you need any help with the use of HXRC Network, please contact janina.rannikko(at)metropolia.fi.

For the common good, spread the word about HXRC Network! Only together we can help the Finnish XR scene shine, thrive and expand to new heights!

All articles about HXRC Network

HXRC Newsletter: October 2023

HXRC Newsletter: October 2023

In October’s newsletter we share updates about events and initiatives at the Helsinki XR Center, including the Exhibitor Open Call for Match XR 2023, the Generative AI themed FIVR meetup, our involvement in European research projects, and the creation of the Finnish National Metaverse Strategy, along with reminders about HXRC Network and the Guide to Buying XR.

HXRC Network: Offers & Requests

HXRC Network: Offers & Requests

Our series of HXRC Network related articles continue! This time we are deep diving into HXRC Network’s Offers and Requests functionalities.

HXRC Network: Make your Organization profile shine like a diamond

HXRC Network: Make your Organization profile shine like a diamond

A well designed organization profile creates a much bigger chance in finding clients, starting cooperation and promoting your products within HXRC Network. By reading this article, you will learn how to elevate your organization profile to its full potential!

The funding for HXRC Network and its upkeep has come from Assisting XR Entrepreneurs Forward (AXE4) and PedaXR projects.

Find more of our news in the News section.

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