Here’s a chord

“Here’s a Chord,
Here’s another and here’s a third. Now go form a band!” Mark P editor of the seminal punk rock fanzine exhorted readers to get active, to get involved and to become more than bit part players. Many did and British society and culture endured as close to a revolution as we are likely to get.
Some thirty years later and finally I see what Mark meant. If you are reading this blog you will already be at least curious about how social care and social media can support each other. There may be others who are active but regardless of where you are at my message to you is similar to the message that Mark P sent out.
I have been listening to podcasts for some time. I like the idea of “citizen journalism” there is a freedom of expression that the medium offers that differs from traditional media platforms. You can be researcher, journalist, editor and owner and you can do so with relative ease.
The podcast I have developed is the Glasgow Caledonian University “Talking Social Work” podcast. I was inspired to do so through my involvement in Twitter and my contributions to blogs such as this and Not So Big Society. I have become increasingly convinced of the reach and power of new media and I have become increasingly aware of its accessibility if you wish to use it to create something.
The technical aspect is that I record interviews using an Ipad. I convert the video files into Mp3’s using VLCMedia and then edit out interruptions like ringing telephones using WavePad, a software programme. The software is free, the Ipad is the expense. I have worked in social work for a long time and thankfully have a lot of friends who were willing to tell their story. The only premise of the podcast is; “if it goes on in social work it goes on the podcast”
I have received some support from a colleague within the University with the technical aspect and I would thank David here for his patience with my technical ineptitude.
So far we have five in the bag covering academia, practice and the experience of service users, we have radical perspectives and others we would encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch and we will see if we can include you or your organisation. Remember, the basis of this is “If it goes on in social work it goes on the podcast”
Here is a link to the first podcast. Please follow, Retweet or share using any platform that you have.

http://soundcloud.com/glasgow-caledonian-uni/talking-social-work-gcus-david