We stepped away from our computer screens and turned our offices into a playground by hosting a celebration for Sports4Kids’ tenth anniversary on October 19th. Sports4Kids is a terrific athletics program that works with schools to bring children the outdoor play they need and the sports they love. The party included supporters and friends of Sports4Kids in the San Francisco area, and introduced our associates to the positive work of this program. When we first heard of Sports4Kids, we were impressed by what a great idea it is, and are thrilled to be able to support the program in such a fun way. After the video and meeting some of the coaches, the 100 or so party guests were inspired to support Sports4Kids and the great work that they do. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out to support this great group! For more information on Sports4Kids, please visit www.sports4kids.org.

CataList Homes

At Marker Seven we are helping to bring a tech edge to the lagging real estate industry with the Web site developed for client CataList Homes Inc. The timing of the site and recent news about how the real estate market is struggling highlight the need and potential of advances in Internet based realty services.

The Internet has delivered huge changes for the real estate industry, exampled by how the public now has some access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that was once accessible only to real estate professionals. Most realtor Web sites offer information on their specific listings and community information, in a “bare bones” way. The site that Marker Seven developed for CataList Homes Inc., www.CatalistHomes.com, is set apart from the crowd by being three dimensional and interactive.

We incorporated a Virtual Earth feature into the home search, allowing sellers to list their properties, and buyers to have access to that information. Virtual Earth is a tool to view properties in specific areas, down to a specific block. Searches can be done with this virtual map, a zip code search, or a basic map. From a technical viewpoint, interactive mapping is what sets this site ahead of the trend. For consumers, the ease of use, simple listing process, All Access viewing features and a polished look are must-haves.

“The ‘cool’ factor with Virtual Earth technology is high, so it is no surprise that the mapping was my favorite aspect of the project to work on. From the testers, I heard that they thoroughly enjoyed zooming in on childhood homes and favorite parts of the world, planning their dream homes. That sort of playing is what makes this technology popular, and what gives this site a nice industry edge,” comments Scott Abbott, Marker Seven’s Creative Director for the CataList site.

This project was challenging and inspiring to work on; the developments in what Virtual Earth technology can and will do are reminders of how the Internet is changing how business is done.

San Francisco Education Fund Success

We at Marker Seven are conscientious about working on projects that have a positive impact on the community, and have been doing ongoing work with San Francisco Education Fund (Ed Fund) since developing their Web site in October 2005. The Ed Fund Web site project is a way for us to use the professional skills to support the community. The site has become an open avenue of resources, a forum for sharing ideas, and a way for the community to get and stay involved in education.

The new site, www.sfedfund.org, is designed to play an integral part in supporting the relationship of San Francisco school teachers, students and the community. “The Ed Fund is an important group, and their Web site reflects the role they play in the educational support of San Francisco schools. Marker Seven takes seriously the opportunity to work on a project that makes such a big, positive difference for children,” comments Marker Seven founder John Clauss.

The Ed Fund’s Lori McGilpin has rave reviews for the positive changes that came with the new Web site, "Marker Seven helped bring the Ed Fund into the 21st century. We went from having a Web site that was easily overlooked to having an award-winning interactive resource that is an invaluable tool for educators, students, and community members."

Since 1979, the Ed Fund has been a bridge between the classroom and the community. The resources that the Ed Fund makes available through www.sfedfund.org allow the community based non-profit to continue its work to improve the San Francisco public school experience.

Supporting education holds a special meaning for us at Marker Seven, as our management team has educators in each of their families and were instilled from a young age with a respect and understanding of the power of education. Working with the Ed Fund is important, and brings great joy to all of us here.

The work on their sites includes a simple way for the Ed Fund staff to access and update the information. We built a custom MySQL (an open source structured query language) database to support their event calendar and document repository requirements. The San Francisco Teaching and Learning Community Resource Center, the site’s resource library, is now an online tool for all San Francisco educators, students, and community members, containing more than 300 downloadable sources. Keeping in mind the end users will be school children as well as parents and teachers, the design and flow of the site is easy to navigate as well as attractive. Learn more about the site at www.markerseven.com/sfedfund.

We are happy to say that we are continuing to work with the Ed Fund and San Francisco schools. Our current project is designing a microsite to feature the Maisin Scholar Award for San Francisco School Alliance. The award is offered to 75 students each year.

Curious about AJAX?

The term has moved from under the sink to the Internet as an acronym for “Asynchronous JavaScript and XML”. One of the new trendy technology terms, AJAX is a kind of programming platform based on Javascript.

What is cool about AJAX? The buzz orients around how using AJAX allows Web sites to function more like desktop software, adding a level of manipulation and control not generally afforded to a site visitor. With AJAX, Web sites also work interactively. By loading features one at a time, the loading process is also sped up.

"We are in the middle of a boom time for Web applications that provide a desktop-like experience in the browser,” says programmer Catherine Block Daves. “Users' expectations for usable, intuitive Web applications, like those made possible by AJAX, will only continue to rise. The quality of the JavaScript powering an AJAX app is critical to giving the user a quality experience. JavaScript has a bit of an image problem. Many programmers view it as sort of a "toy" language. This is a misperception; JavaScript is a powerful, flexible and expressive language. For Web developers, every additional bit of JavaScript knowledge multiplies the power to create usable, beautiful designs and interactions."

If you are interested in learning more about using AJAX, please consider attending Catherine Block Daves’ hands-on workshop on AJAX that we are hosting at the Marker Seven offices for SFWoW on November 16th.

• November 16th: AJAX workshop at the Marker Seven offices. SFWoW teaches a hands-on workshop November 16th. Event information and RSVP at www.sfwow.org.
• Marker Seven is excited about the holidays-and welcomes them with an event celebrating all the good of 2006, and all that 2007 is set to offer. Keep an eye out for your invitation to our annual Holiday Party in January.
• In the holiday spirit of giving, we are making an in-kind donation to the San Francisco Alliance toward the cost of the Web design for their new site featuring Maisin Scholar Award. The site launches next month!