Podnosh

Podnosh specialises in using social media for social and democratic benefit.

We strive to work at different ends of the scale. On the one hand we have customers such as the Audit Commission, Be Birmingham, the Environment Agency or Futurebuilders, on the other work with neighbourhood groups and schools.

That way we can connect policy makers with real people and in the process all of us learn faster about the implications of everyone having the potential to publish online.

Podnosh was established in 2005 to make the Grassroots Channel podcast for the Birmingham Community Empowerment Network. Since then it has matured from a brand which just made podcasts into a business which understands and helps people use social media.

It 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 to a wide range of clients, helps them implement the advice with training and other forms of support. He is also frequently asked to speak at conferences on social media and was one of a couple of dozens bloggers invited to over the G20 Summit in last in April 2009.

He works with a wide range of freelancers; specialists in teaching social media as well as media making of various forms.

Nick was among a small group who established the Birmingham Bloggers group and organises the regular free Social Media Surgeries for community and voluntary groups in the city.

Nick is also part owner and Community Director of Help Me Investigate, a 4iP funded project to work with neighbourhood champions and active citizens to develop crowd sourced civic investigations.

He is a trustee of the Birmingham Conservation Trust, a Governor at Ninestiles School, on the advisory board of the NCVO and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.