Backbone and KPMG are assembling the only ranking of Canadian Web 2.0 pioneers. They are looking for the companies who are leading the way across four implementation categories:

1) Problem solving: customer response, idea generation, solution brainstorming 

2) Innovation: crowdsourcing, market prediction, participatory feedback
3) Collaboration: jams, customer input, user rankings

4) Knowledge sharing and management: teamware, wikis, blogs and collaborative content creation
They need your help.

Help strengthen the Canadian Interactive Media Industry by completing the 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile Questionnaire!
The Canadian Interactive Alliance is looking to build a complete profile of Canada's interactive media industry, including all companies in Canada that work in or service the interactive media industry, either
completely or partially.

Come explore the multiple opportunities of the kid‐ and family‐friendly content market by
attending KidScreen Summit, the largest and most important event of the year for kids’ entertainment executives and professionals. In 2008, the conference set a new attendance record, welcoming 1500+ delegates from 43 countries.

Grande Prairie Regional College will be hosting its Fourth Annual Computer GameXpo on Feb 6 and 7 of 2009. This will be a two day event with both an educational component on the first day (game industry speakers) and an all day game computer game tournaments on the following day.

WiTec Alberta and the Alberta ICT Council are launching an ICT Commercialization Pilot program that will run February and March, 2009. We are looking for just a few companies to participate in this pilot and they will have the benefit of working with a team of talented technology commercialization experts at no charge. Any interested companies MUST RESPOND IMMEDIATELY. In order to be considered, companies must fit the following criteria:

Join Leanne Elias, Digital Alberta Executive Committee Member, and Rene Smid, Digital Alberta Program Manager, as they head to Austin, Texas, March 13 – 17, 2009 for five (5) days of exciting panel content and amazing networking events. Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. Whether you are a hard-core geek, a dedicated content creator, a new media entrepreneur, or just someone who likes being around an extremely creative community, SXSW Interactive is for you!

Digital Alberta has partnered up with our friends at DemoCamp/BarCamp and have shifted to a bi-monthly format. The first DemoCamp of 2009 will be held Feb 24th at 6:30 PM at Seven Resto Lounge (607 8 Avenue SW) and is being dubbed SUPER FANCY PANTS DEMO CAMP. Not because they don’t want to call it DemoCamp13, but because it is going to be SUPER FANCY PANTS. Watch for more details to come!

Last Thursday's Web 2.0 Marketing Strategies & Top Business Trends event saw over 100 people in attendance and was a great success! Special thanks to our friends at The Bissett School for Business for allowing us access to their facility and to our informative presenters, Jeff Nelson and Andrew Breen.

Digital Alberta, The Banff New Media Centre and the Graphic Designers of Canada teamed up to offer a workshop led by New York designer Laurie Rosenwald - and it was a smashing success! With almost twice as many participants as expected, there was twice as much creativity and energy flowing through the old Dining Hall at the Banff Centre. What a way to say goodbye to the beautiful building!

Alberta’s Action Plan for Bringing Technology to Market
Are you a technology or knowledge-driven business developing new products or services for growing markets? Did your business make less than $5 million last fiscal year? Do you have less than 51 employees?