We've posted some pictures from our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on our Facebook page. Thanks, once again, to the Cedar Valley Chamber of Commerce and their Ambassadors for a great event!

Far Reach Technologies designed and developed a new website for Karsten Real Estate & Insurance in Independence, IA. The new website went live Monday, Feb. 1st. 

Read more about the project on our Clients and Portfolio pages and be sure to check out Karsten's website. 

 

Silverlight – For Your Business?

If you are looking at building a new business application, you will definitely want to consider utilizing a Rich Internet Application (RIA) platform such as Microsoft Silverlight. Silverlight has been synonymous with rich graphics and streaming media scenarios, but it also serves as an ideal business application platform.

Silverlight allows for the delivery of sophisticated web applications that increase user productivity and accuracy by providing an attractive, easy-to-use application user interface that mimics the behavior of desktop software applications. It provides the best of both worlds – the rich, interactive feel of a desktop application with the simplified deployment and maintenance of a web application.

Silverlight includes of a comprehensive set of features for the development of secure, data-intensive, business-centric applications:  

Enhanced Data Support - Easily load, sort, filter, and page data.  Includes a new set of services for performing complex operations against server-side data. Out of Browser - Install your application on desktops and never be more than one click away. Run applications seamlessly without connectivity. Improved Performance – Run more extensive and complex applications than possible in a normal Web application.

Compatibility - Works with every major operating system and all major browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Printing Support -Ability to send formatted content directly to your printer. Richer User Experience – Contains 3D graphics and animation features to create next-generation business intelligence applications.

Silverlight brings a new level of rich user interface and experience, moving beyond the browser and offering a robust, interactive platform for your business application.

For more information about how Rich Internet Applications can benefit your business, contact jason@farreachinc.com. 

When we started Far Reach one of the goals was to have some fun.  So last year we started "Far Reach Fun Day".  Each month we try to get out and have some fun outside of work.  This month we went bowling.   Here are a few photos of our fun. Check out our bowling shirts.  My favorite photo is the one of Heather trying to get some candy out of the candy machine that was stuck.  No, our track star was not able to get the candy out.  The manager had to come out and help her.

The Greater Cedar Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at Far Reach Technologies' "new" office.  Here are the details for this event.

When: Wednesday, January 27th at 1:00 p.m. 

Where: Far Reach Technologies, 208A Main Street, Cedar Falls  (view map)

Who:  This event is open to the public.  Refreshments will be provided!

 

Many companies and groups use DotNetNuke to power their website.  It makes sense for many people since it’s free and comes with lots of built-in modules (e.g. Blog, Announcement, Calendar).  What happens when you want to add a new feature to your website, but the built-in modules won’t do the trick?  Many people purchase and install third-party DotNetNuke modules.  Snowcovered.com is the place to go to purchase these. 

 

Okay, so you spend some time on Snowcovered and still you cannot find the functionality you need.  What’s next?  The simple answer is “create a custom module.”  Although the answer is simple, though, finding someone who can create that custom module may not be so simple.

 

The MyEntre.Net website runs on the DotNetNuke platform and the MyEntre.Net team wanted to add a Money Map for the state of Iowa which would allow entrepreneurs a single access point for grants, loans, and incentives to start or expand a small business in the state of Iowa.  Great idea, right? As an entrepreneur myself, I think this would be a most useful tool. 

 

The requirements of the Money Map were so specific, however, that no pre-built, third-party module would work. So, the only viable solution was to build a custom module which would provide the required features.

 

MyEntre.Net hired Far Reach Technologies to create the Money Map custom module.  I worked directly with the MyEntre.Net team to determine the requirements for the Money Map and then created a customized module that interacts with a database, displaying the data exactly how they want, and includes an interactive map. After some testing, the new Money Map module was installed on the MyEntre.Net DotNetNuke website and the MyEntre.Net team took it from there.

 

If you are using DotNetNuke for your website and think you might have a need for a custom module, Far Reach can help you either find a module that fits your needs or create a custom module specifically for your site.

http://www.myentre.net/tabId/87/itemId/517/Its-Finally-Here--One-place-to-find-grants-loan.aspx

 

Check out the new Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office website, designed and developed by Far Reach Technologies. In an effort to better keep the public informed, the new website connects with the department's back-end system to provide advanced functionality allowing visitors to see who is currently in jail, search the list of people with pending arrest warrants, and view the Sheriff's “Most Wanted” list.

The site also includes a “How do I?” section that provides a plethora of information answering frequently asked questions, which Sheriff Tony Thompson hopes will cut down the number of phone calls the department receives as the public has easier access to this information online.

The site was paid for with assets seized and forfeited in Black Hawk County.

Have you ever wondered if others are talking about your company or product out on the Internet.  I never gave it a second thought until a colleague told me about Google Alerts.  Google Alerts is a free service which sends you an email any time Google finds something meeting your criteria. 
 
Currently it searches News, Web, Blogs, Video and Groups.  Basically, if it shows up in a Google search then you will get an alert.  I just recently set up several Google Alerts to keep track of "Far Reach Technologies" and "Chad Feldmann".  Several others in the company have alerts to keep track of "Silverlight" and keep up to date on its latest developments. 
 
You can also pay for services like Trackur which will notify when you are mentioned on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn.

Far Reach Technologies is now listed as a Microsoft Silverlight Partner.  We specialize in the design, development, and delivery of custom solutions utilizing Microsoft technologies such as ASP.NET/AJAX and Silverlight. We focus on delivering rich internet applications that are database-driven to provide a dynamic, flexible Web presence. Our work includes a Silverlight solution developed for PogoBoards.com.

Check out the article in today's Courier about Pogo Boards, a web-based board-making solution designed to help individuals with speech impairments communicate. Matt Dunning of Talk to Me Technologies had the idea and Far Reach had the technical know-how to bring it to life. We're proud to have played a part in the creation of this amazing software.