Digital media in Alberta has grown to become both a significant part of our domestic economy and an important element in the daily lives of many Albertans. Going forward, this sector will undoubtedly continue to help shape Alberta from the applications and services we use to the digital content that we consume. Digital media also impacts other industries including culture, health, education, and entertainment.

As a result, we needed to widen our reach and speak to both creative and technology-based industries but also be able to reach the broader population across the province. Our brand needed to reflect the fact that digital media is all around us.

And so, we are proud to announce that we are launching a new brand identity for our organization called "Digital Alberta".

The Digital Alberta "hub" emblem represents the creative convergence of digital arts, science, technology and business for human expression, communication, social interaction, and education. The hub also symbolizes convergence of seemingly unrelated industries and professionals under a single entity, working together in collaboration towards a digital future in Alberta.

The hub is made up of squares representing "pixels". Pixels are single points that when combined together create a graphic digital image. These pixels will play a major role as we continue to develop our visual brand identity.

The colors of Digital Alberta are made up of a warmer palette of red, orange and yellow, representing excitement, optimism, and the broader digital media ecosystem - as opposed to the cool greens and blues often associated with technology.

The new Digital Alberta brand identity was developed by our partners at Calder Bateman Design in Edmonton. You can see the new identity in action at our new website at www.digitalalberta.com.

Crowdsourcing is a new idea about how work can get done by leveraging the brainpower of the Internet community at large. Crowdsourcing allows people everywhere and anywhere to get involved with projects they otherwise wouldn't be able to. Enter Calgary-based Cambrian House. Cambrian House has been described as the "YouTube" of crowdsourcing. We had an opportunity to interview their marketing and communications prestidigitator, Jasmine Antonick. Jasmine was able to give us some pretty cool insights to Cambrian House and share her perspective on Alberta's digital media ecosystem. MORE »

Earlier this week, NAIT President Dr. Sam Shaw introduced the virtual world Second Life to the classroom. Dr. Shaw's classroom is on a beautiful tropical island, NAIT owns in the virtual world. It is a high-tech campus equipped to handle podcasts, Powerpoint presentations and play video and audio. It is a space where Dr. Shaw and other NAIT staff can connect with students involved in the popular social medium. NAIT’s involvement in Second Life was initiated by Dr. Shaw. While doing research for one of his Technology in Action columns, he came across Second Life. After interviewing a key player in the virtual world, Dr. Shaw was hooked. He quickly created an avatar for himself. There are a few other schools in Canada with campuses in Second Life, but none have the President of the institution using it as a teaching tool. Check out a video tour of the virtual campus here.

Playback Magazine features a story on the Alberta Film Advisory Council and the new mandate of developing long-term strategies for film, television, and interactive media in Alberta:

"The 16-member AFAC, formerly called the Film Commission Advisory Council, is tasked with guiding Alberta's $165-million film and television industry by developing long-term strategies and advising the provincial government on ways to strengthen the industry.

Damian Petti, president of IATSE Local 212 in Calgary, was appointed new industry co-chair last week, serving alongside Conservative MLA Gary Mar (Calgary-Mackay) for a term of three years. One of their focuses will be to increase TV series production in the province.

"TV series generate more training opportunities and year-round employment. The government sees value in growing the industry through expanding production activity, which seems to be limited to warmer summer months," Petti says, noting business has continued to pick up despite the high loonie.

Petti says the AFAC's "new set of players," including new media specialist (Digital Alberta current president) Ken Bautista, also reflects a concerted effort by the government to capture and exploit the burgeoning interactive market." [Playback Magazine]

Join Cybera Inc. September 19 (with TRLabs in Edmonton) and September 24 (at the Chamber of Commerce in Calgary) for CI 2.0 -- a showcase of how Cyberinfrastructure (CI), Web 2.0 and Next Generation Internet (NGI) technologies impact nearly every aspect of business today. This workshop is aimed at Alberta companies looking to reach customers in new ways, and increase their return-on-technology investment. Find out more at www.cybera.ca to register for this event.

The Massive Technology Show is an annual event that provides a user-friendly environment to explore technologies for business. It is the largest B2B technology show of its kind in Canada, held in Vancouver, Toronto and now, Edmonton. In this action-packed day of interactive exhibits, informative presentations and networking opportunities, companies learn how to achieve their goals faster using technology.

Please join us for sociables and snackies at 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 20 when we will announce what the DMAA has in store for the upcoming 2007-2008 Program Year like our Storytelling and Social Networking Workshops, our involvement in the Tri-Media Conference, ICE Conference, Market Access Programs, Awards Festival and much more! Calgary's Mixer will be held at Brewster's on 11 Avenue SW. Edmonton's Mixer will be held at Hudsons Downtown (Oliver Square). For more information and to RSVP, contact rene@dmaa.ca. Hope to see you there!

Calgary blogger Kempton Lam reports that DemoCampCalgary3 was a great success. Held on August 30 at the University of Calgary, several Alberta companies and digital media pros demoed their software including MoboVivo, Popfly, and FrameBuyFrame. Be sure to register today for DemoCampCalgary4 being held Sept 27.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada's Intensive, One-Day Course In Social Media Marketing, is designed to simplify and demonstrate the many new channels of marketing, advertising and communication that make up the Social Media and Web 2.0 space. This year, the course will be offered in Calgary, on September 7. Attendees will learn about Online Social Networks, RSS, Tags, Consumer Generated Content, Blogs, Podcasts, Wikis and Virtual Worlds – and more importantly, how to leverage these marketing channels for optimal results.

We are planning a market access program focused on featuring and connecting Alberta's digital media industry to international markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong. In-market program activities would include several workshops featuring Alberta digital media producers and other international experts in the field, with sessions exploring multiplatform digital content in entertainment, education, and industry. In addition, Alberta companies will have the opportunity to meet with local companies. We are looking for 2-3 Alberta companies to participate in the program, which will include presentations to the industry in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Funding for travel assistance is available to selected companies. If you are interested in participating, please contact rene@dmaa.ca by Friday, September 7.