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MediaTrust Adds ELC Technologies’ OpenSocial Container Plug-in Support to bookQube
ELC Technologies Instrumental In Building Relevance Engine that Powers MediaTrust’s Social Networking Applications
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (December 4, 2007) – ELC Technologies, the California-based consulting firm with the industry’s largest global team of dedicated Ruby on Rails developers, today announced that MediaTrust, Inc., is the first company to adopt its recently announced OpenSocial Container plug-in. Over the past several months, ELC used Ruby on Rails and its agile software practices to develop the relevancy engine that forms the basis for MediaTrust’s bookQube and other social media platforms. The addition of the new OpenSocial Container plug-in enables third-party developers to create their own plug-in applications for bookQube using the Google OpenSocial standard.
MediaTrust’s bookQube connects its users to relevant book reviews, blogs, discussions and recommendations and introduces users to other book lovers who share common interests. It operates on proprietary technology developed by ELC for the company. The technology makes it possible for web site owners to easily incorporate social networking into their sites and to make recommendations for relevant content, users and ads. When released in early November bookQube included support for the new Google OpenSocial standard. The innovative new OpenSocial Container plug-in from ELC allows MediaTrust to leverage the emerging OpenSocial standard.
According to Joseph Matheny, chief technology officer for MediaTrust, ELC Technologies has been instrumental in bringing bookQube online ahead of schedule and with expanded capabilities by using Ruby on Rails and agile software development techniques.
“When we began formulating our original social networking concept two years ago, Ruby on Rails wasn’t a consideration,” explained Matheny. “The original project was created using .NET, but it was too rigid and did not have the modularity we needed to achieve the vision we had in mind. With Ruby on Rails and ELC’s agile software practices we were able to broaden the spec for the original project to create a more robust platform that can scale to handle millions of users without losing any development time. Without ELC and their Ruby on Rails expertise, we would still be struggling to launch bookQube and create the kind of relevance engine that is the foundation of the MediaTrust’s vision. ELC’s OpenSocial Container takes this vision another step forward – allowing third-party developers to quickly and easily create new applications based on MediaTrust’s patent-pending relevance engine.”
“Our work with MediaTrust demonstrates the versatility and scalability of Rails for commercial applications,” said Ryan Garver, chief technology officer for ELC Technologies. “Working with Joe and the MediaTrust team has allowed us to stretch our creative capabilities and deliver something unique and powerful for social media in the MediaTrust relevance engine. Adding our new OpenSocial Container to bookQube is just the first step in enlisting other developers to take advantage of the platform we helped MediaTrust create.”
About MediaTrust
MediaTrust (www.mediatrust.com) is an ecosystem of online media properties. MediaTrust combines innovative interactive media and advertising technology with human service and expertise. Companies that choose MediaTrust benefit from relevant and intelligent online campaigns that deliver higher ROI and greater success in acquiring customers, creating brand awareness, generating sales and driving traffic. MediaTrust is comprised of Advaliant, a performance-based affiliate marketing network, leading-edge media technologies and the MediaTrust Integrated Solutions Group (ISG). The ISG is comprised of specialists that analyze customer needs and build custom performance-based campaigns that optimize returns for each advertiser and publisher.
About ELC Technologies
Founded in 1991, ELC Technologies (www.elctech.com) is powering the hottest Ruby on Rails web applications. From Cisco to TuneCore to Live Nation, ELC Technologies is bringing Ruby on Rails to business-critical applications. The company’s team has years of technical experience and more than 50 years of team Rails experience. The company has assembled developers who are Rails Studio Alumni, Scale with Rails Alumni, Advanced Rails Studio Alumni, Enterprise Rails Studio Alumni. ELC Technology is also a RailsConf Sponsor in the U.S. and Europe. The company has one of the largest and most experienced Ruby on Rails teams, tuned in to the latest web technologies and aesthetics, with a broad palette of agile practices to help client projects succeed. ELC Technologies has its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California, and international offices in London, England.
