Before the internet, communication between public bodies and citizens was usually one way. Press releases, posters and leaflets were issued – but too often, ordinary people and community groups went unheard.
The web is changing that. Consultation can become a conversation. Bureaucracy can become transparent. Hard to reach groups in isolated neighbourhoods can find a voice and connect.
We help make this happen. We work at every level from the strategic to grassroots hands-on. Whether it’s advising a local authority Chief Executive or helping a residents group set up their own blog – we can do it.
Podnosh was established in 2005 to make the Grassroots Channel podcast for the Birmingham Community Empowerment Network. It has grown from a brand which makes podcasts to a business which understands and helps people use social media for social good.
Social Media Surgery Plus makes it easier to find and run social media surgeries to support community groups, local charities and local active citizens.
Help Me Investigate is a place for you to organise and pursue questions of public interest you think should be investigated.
Podnosh is run and owned by Nick Booth, a former BBC political reporter and television and radio documentary maker.
Nick gives advice on social media strategy and is also frequently asked to speak at conferences.
In 2012 he accepted a Prime Minster’s Big Society award on behalf of the Social Media Surgery movement he founded and was listed in The Independent on Sunday’s Happy List 2012 of 100 “outstanding people whose volunteering, caring, fund-raising, mentoring, charity founding, or selflessness makes Britain a more contented, better-adjusted, supportive, and happier place.”
Nick sits on the independent DCLG Local Public Data Panel – chaired by Professor Nigel Shadbolt of the HMG Public Sector Transparency Board. He is also on the Smart City Commission in Birmingham.
He was one of a couple of dozen bloggers invited to cover the G20 Summit in April 2009. He was among a small group who established the Birmingham Bloggers group in 2007. With this and his experience of telling the stories of active citizens through the Grassroots Channel Nick has been instrumental in establishing a thriving hyperlocal community in the Midlands.
Nick was also part owner and Community Director of Help Me Investigate, set up to allow citizens to ask civic questions and collaborate with each others to find the answers.
He is a trustee of the Birmingham Conservation Trust, on the board of Stan’s Cafe, on the advisory board of the NCVO and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
You can find him on Twitter @podnosh.
A Wolverhampton girl, Steph has worked in digital and social media marketing and communications in the third sector and also put her skills to use for various projects in her spare time, including the hyperlocal website WV11.co.uk. With a passion for community she is a board or committee member of several groups making a difference in her neighbourhood.
Steph delivers training, assists with social media surgeries and helps keep our business organised.
You can find her on Twitter @essitam.