Nick Booth, an early advocate for using social media to foster community relations and civic conversations, has died aged 59 after a fall at his home. A former BBC journalist, he founded the web-based Grassroots channel in 2005 and later created Social Media Surgeries in 2008, which expanded nationwide, helping thousands of community groups. He also developed the Impact Assessment App.
Nick Booth obituary
Social mediaDigital mediaTelevisionTelevision & radioMediaUniversity of SussexBirminghamBBC
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Nick Booth, an early advocate for using social media to foster community relations and civic conversations, has died aged 59 after a fall at his home. A former BBC journalist, he founded the web-based Grassroots channel in 2005 and later created Social Media Surgeries in 2008, which expanded nationwide, helping thousands of community groups. He also developed the Impact Assessment App.
- 1 Born in Bangor, Northern Ireland.
- 2 Family settled in Birmingham.
- 3 1987: Graduated from University of Sussex.
- 4 1990: Accepted by BBC as trainee local radio journalist.
- 5 Within three years (by 1993): Settled at Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham, worked up to deputy editor.
- 6 2003: Left BBC to set up his various ventures.
- 7 2005: Set up the web-based Grassroots channel.
- 8 2008: Created Social Media Surgeries.
- 9 Established the Social Media Surgery Plus website.
- 10 Developed the Impact Assessment App.
- 11 Died aged 59 after a fall at his home.
- His death at 59
- His work led to improved community relations and civic conversations through social media
- Helped about 1,700 local groups and citizens take advantage of the internet
What: Nick Booth, a social media pioneer and former BBC journalist, died at 59. He was known for founding the Grassroots channel, Social Media Surgeries, and the Impact Assessment App, all aimed at leveraging digital tools for community engagement and civic conversations.
When: Died aged 59 (recently, implied by obituary); Grassroots channel founded in 2005; Social Media Surgeries created in 2008; graduated in 1987; joined BBC in 1990; left BBC in 2003.
Where: Died at his home (location not specified); born in Bangor, Northern Ireland; family settled in Birmingham, England; attended University of Sussex; worked at Derby Playhouse; worked at Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham, covering the West Midlands region; Social Media Surgeries held in 60 locations around the UK and beyond; Gateway Family Services in Birmingham used his app.
Why: Nick Booth died after a fall at his home. His career and ventures were driven by his great curiosity, intelligence, and interest in investigating and sharing stories with the public, leading him to advocate for social media's role in community relations.
How: He established web-based platforms like Grassroots and Social Media Surgeries, which involved volunteer 'surgeons' sharing web expertise. He also developed the Impact Assessment App for users to record and rate community service experiences.