So the summer holidays are finally over and we’re all back. The trains and buses are full again and it’s time to get back to business.

And it’s a really busy time for us here at WebsEdge. We’re covering some 20 conferences and events over the next three months on subjects as diverse as education, health and water consumption. We’re also installing a brand new television studio to cope with the demand for our regular local government, global health and education channels.

What makes this year even more interesting is the geographical spread of our work. We’ve grown up here in the UK but our markets are ever expanding. We’re opening an office right now in Washington DC and the US represents nearly 40% of everything we do.

But the really exciting news is that we’re just getting started in China. We have two big projects in the Fall – one in Mining and another in Vaccines – which we’re really looking forward to. And what’s interesting is that the issues – motivation, engagement, social cohesion – are the same ones you find anywhere. Sure the scale is daunting and the cultural barriers challenging but at the end of the day it’s about people and their aspirations.

So as you can see it’s an exciting few months for us here at WebsEdge. But to tell you the truth the event I’m most looking forward to is happening close to home. Our very good friends Sisters Heidi and Monica are visiting us from South Africa. You may remember that we play a small part in helping these two remarkable ladies to look after children living with the consequences to them and their families of AIDS in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. They’re coming in October to join in with harvest celebrations here and we’re hoping to share with them some of the filming we did earlier in the year in Malawi and South Africa..

Their Isibindi project looks after some 1600 children now across three sites and it’s incredible to see the progress they’re making. But there’s so much still to do. And if we enjoy global opportunity – which we do – then we share the same global responsibility. And that’s a message close to our hearts. For if we’re not playing our part using web based television to help the least advantaged in our global society the rest of what we do pales into insignificance.

Just to wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.

Are you sticking to your new years resolutions? One of the things we’re sure of here at WebsEdge is that 2008 is going to be a transformational year for IPTV and we’re resolved to stay at the heart of that. Another of our resolutions is to serve the global comunity we work in. So I thought I would take this opportunity to post some of the pictures from the Isibindi project we support in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Technology is certainly bringing the world closer together and that puts obligations on us all. But do you know what, meeting those can be a whole lot of fun!

A very happy Christmas from all of us here at WebsEdge.

Being our first Christmas as WebsEdge we’ve decided to do something a bit diferent. Instead of sending out the usual gifts to all our friends we’re supporting Isibindi projects in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. As many of you will know Isibindi is Zulu for courage. Isibindi’s are partnerships between the local church and the National Association of Child Care Workers to create circles of care for children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Three such projects are now in operation in the villages of Illinge, Ezebeleni and Alice. Each project has a small building and safe park where children can play freely, receive support, learn, receive understanding and care.

So this year we’re donating money to buy playground equipment for the children of Alice. As producers of global health tv we feel this is particularly appropriate for us and hope to build further links as time goes on. Indeed, we even hope to film some of our programmes there later in the year. I’ll be posting updates of how we get on here on the blog so stay tuned!

The revolution we’re all currently witnessing in television production and disemination is certainly making the world a smaller place. We can all access information that interests us from all round the world whenever we want it. At WebsEdge we also think that places a responsibility on us to do whatever we can to help where help’s needed.

Happy Christmas!