Live Services : 10 Case Studies of Featured Mashups

10 Case Studies of Featured Mashups

This year we've featured 10 mashup projects for their innovative and varied use of Windows Live services. These web sites provide real-world examples of what you can accomplish with Live services, from online gaming to social networking, uploading and sharing videos to customized mapping.

To make it easier to get started, we've written up case studies for each one that include code samples. Each case study includes descriptions of which services are being used and why they were chosen.

And these are just a few of the cool mashups that are out there. If you haven't checked recently, take a look at the mashups in the Mashup Showcase. We are adding new ones all the time. We also have a video by the CEO and President of iBloks, Julia Miller, describing why they went with Live services.

Do you have a cool project that you would like us to review or add to the showcase? Is there any additional information you'd like to see in the case studies themselves? Let us know! Drop us a line at devlivfb@microsoft.com.

So, without further ado, check out the case studies below, and don't forget to subscribe to the mashups feed.

SoSo Network

SoSo Network is built on a wide range of Microsoft® technologies including the Windows Live services. Visitors can join the SoSo community using Windows Live ID identity and authentication system, find locations and directions to a business with Virtual Earth, chat online with Windows Live Messenger, upload and watch videos using Silverlight Streaming, or participate in a blog using Windows Live Spaces.

PartyGuide Switzerland

PartyGuide Switzerland is the most visited social networking site aimed at German-speaking young adults in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Windows Live ID is the primary identity and authentication system for both existing and new members. When logging in with Live ID, the member automatically has use of Live Messenger and a free Windows Live Hotmail account within PartyGuide's domain. In addition, members can customize Windows Live Alerts to receive content from other members in real time on their desktop, mobile device, or by email. Windows Live Contacts permits members to share their Windows Live contact information with PartyGuide.ch while keeping control of their data through preferences and settings.

Eppraisal.com

Eppraisal.com is focused on helping consumers make relocation or real estate investment decisions through easy-to-use, intuitive online analytical tools. The site's localized information enables members to personalize their home pages with news, market trends, lifestyle, and professional resources specific to their neighborhood.

Eppraisal.com uses Microsoft® Virtual Earth to provide site visitors with interactive mapping.

Reuters AlertNet

Reuters AlertNet is a web-based humanitarian news network launched by the Reuters Foundation in 1997. Its goal is to keep relief professionals, journalists, and the wider public up-to-date on humanitarian crises around the globe. A core feature of the website is the use of an interactive map to locate current crises and to retrieve the latest Reuters news feeds and other information from the chosen area.

Reuters Alertnet uses Virtual Earth, which has been integrated with a variety of real-time data feeds to allow a user to visually "mine" for headlines in real time by simply zooming into a country or region.

Multimap

Multimap.com is one of Europe's most popular mapping sites, serving more than 10 million users each month. Multimap has begun to integrate on its website Microsoft® Virtual Earth and Windows Live Messenger. Together, these services enable users to view geotagged information-such as the sender's location or a business address-and to interact while using maps.

Fishticuffs

Fishticuffs is a nonviolent combat game that uses animated fish as weapons of choice. Fishticuffs is played through the Windows Live Messenger environment and also uses Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live ID.

iBloks

iBloks Video Messenger, enables site visitors to watch and share videos while logged into Microsoft® Windows Live Messenger. iBloks Video Messenger is designed to connect online video enthusiasts and instant messenger customers with an integrated 3D viewing and communication offering. The video application and user interface was developed using another Windows Live Services component, the Microsoft Silverlight multimedia development platform.

Films for Learning

Films for Learning is an innovative approach to education that combines collaborative movie making, video learning and social networking. The site is powered by Microsoft ® Silverlight browser plug-in development tool and Windows Live ID identity authentication system, two components of the Microsoft Windows Live network of Internet services. Silverlight provides the rich multimedia viewing experience for the viewer, and Live ID provides secure authentication for Films for Learning members who wish to upload content.

Sun Safaris

Sun Safaris specializes in non-hunting southern African safaris, vacations and honeymoons. A key element of the site is a large collection of detailed interactive maps covering all destinations the company offers. Site visitors can view locations, routes, camps, and lodging information by zooming into the destination of interest and clicking on relevant icons. The maps are built on Microsoft® Virtual Earth.

MindTouch Deki Wiki

MindTouch Deki Wiki (a combination of Japanese and Hawaiian words for "smart" and "quick") is the Web's most popular commercially supported wiki platform for creating content and mashups using a wiki interface. The free, open source application is an easy to use program for authoring, aggregating, organizing, and sharing almost any kind of content.

Published Tuesday, September 16, 2008 8:00 AM by JonB