From left: audience member at TED2005; Tom Rielly and Chris Anderson at TED2003; Tom Shannon at TED2003
What began as an annual conference in Monterey has grown to a global community, several million strong, focused on exchanging and spreading ideas. Whoever you are, wherever you live, there are several ways to join the TED community ...
TED.com membership
Cost: Free
Requirements: To join TED.com, you simply need to provide your email address, full name and country.
Benefits include:
+ Joining the conversation about individual TEDTalks, Themes and TED Blog posts by adding comments
+ Creating a public profile page where you can talk about your work, save your favorite TEDTalks, and express your own ideas worth sharing
+ Finding and contacting other TED.com members worldwide
+ (Optional) Receiving newsletters from TED
The TED community is based on an open and respectful exchange of ideas. Members are expected to uphold standards of conduct, and to respect other members' opinions, privacy and time. We will use our discretion in removing objectionable comments or content from the site, and reserve the right to revoke membership from anyone who displays offensive behavior or uses the site for inappropriate self-promotion.
TED Conference membership
Cost: $6,000/year
Requirements: All attendees must apply for membership. Numbers are limited.
Benefits include:
+ Attending the TED Conference in Monterey or TED@Aspen in Colorado
+ Creating a profile page and social networking with other Conference members (as well as TED.com members if desired).
+ Enrollment in the TED Book Club, which sends inspired packages of media every two months (starting with date of registration). A typical mailing might include two or three books, CDs or DVDs specially chosen for TEDsters
+ A set of DVDs from that year's TED Conference. The DVDs contain almost all the content of that conference, including introductions, short talks, etc. This allows you to see the talks in the context and order in which they were originally presented, and to share the experience of the conference itself. DVDs will be mailed within three months of the end of each conference that falls within the membership period
+ Access to occasional special offers made available by companies that support TED
+ Invitation to TED Salons (single-evening events held in cities around the world) if and when they are held during the year
Registration for Reduced-Price/Nonprofit memberships will be opened in June >>
Donors
For TEDsters who wish to further support TED's goals with an annual contribution of $12,000 or more, there is a special membership category of TED Donor, limited to 50 individuals.
Benefits include:
+ All benefits of Conference membership plus:
+ Early access to the theatre for all sessions for best seat selection
+ Recognition in the program guide and web site as TED Donor
+ Flexibility with regard to Transfers and Carry-Forwards (see "Terms and Conditions")
+ Invitation to a special event to recognize TED Donors
+ Early opportunity to renew membership
Patrons
For TEDsters who wish to make a more substantial contribution to TED of $100,000 or more, there is a special membership category of TED Patron.
Benefits include:
+ All the benefits of TED Donor plus:
+ Early access to the theatre for all sessions for best seat selection
+ Membership automatically renews annually each year for 5 years without further payment required, regardless of any membership price increases
+ Recognition in the program guide and on the web site as TED Patron
+ Right to purchase (at the prevailing rate) Conference memberships for up to two other guests each year (at any time during the calendar year prior to the conference)
Reduced Price Conference Membership
We are eager to attract to Monterey remarkable people regardless of their ability to pay. We therefore reserve 20 conference memberships to be purchased at the heavily discounted price of $2,000. These will be limited to individuals in the education and nonprofit worlds whose presence would, in our judgment, make a strong contribution to the TED community. Registration for these memberships opens in the summer of the year prior. Places will be granted approximately 4 months before each conference. If granted, they include the full benefits of Conference Membership. Please note we receive many applications and you have a chance of being successful only if you can demonstrate an exceptional talent, achievement or value to the TED community.
Conference Fellows
We hold a small number of places each year for Fellows: people of exceptional talent or achievement who are unable to afford even a reduced-price membership. For Fellows, we will grant you a complimentary Conference Membership for one conference, and cover your hotel (sharing with another fellow). These fellowships will typically be granted approximately 4 months before each conference. Once granted, a fellowship includes all the benefits of Conference Membership. Competition for these places will be extremely tough, and you will need the endorsement of someone who is already a TED Conference member. The fellowship program for 2009 is expected to be announced in mid-June 2008. It will not be possible to apply for a fellowship before then.
