Thread by @ClareSudbery

So, a lot of things happened in 2021, not all good (obvs), but one really GREAT thing happened for me.

I'd been thinking that I'd love to host a podcast. I thought that, like *everything always is*, it would be harder and more time consuming than you might think, but still...

I saw an opportunity to create a podcast for @madetech, proposed the idea, and they said yes! This was December 2020.

I started researching and experimenting. I asked the wonderful @Kat_Arney for tips, found a willing volunteer (@jessitron) and recorded the first interview.

We experimented some more - with format, with extra content, with editing and transcription.

To give it a little something extra we added Storytime, which meant that I got to indulge in my love of storytelling. We focused on people with Hack of the Month and Making Life Better.

We recorded more interviews (@paulapaultweets , @jonskeet, @kitterati) and more extra content. We found a theme tune. We created some marketing materials.

Finally in April 2021, we had four fully edited episodes and launched with them all at once.

#MakingTechBetter was born!

tinyurl.com/making-tech-be…

Since then we have published 21 episodes (soon to be 22! Watch out for Episode 22 on 4th Jan with @LouDowne on Good Services). We've given you 21 Making Life Better segments, 10 Hack of the Month clips, and 11 storytime offerings.

tinyurl.com/making-tech-be…

We've told you stories about an all-female team at a hackathon (ep 1), a millennium party (ep 5), a Chinese maths lesson (ep 7), some lost journals (ep 11), a sneaky two-faced coward (ep 15), a stolen van (ep 19), a noisy neighbour (ep 21).

We've told you about what it's like to be the only woman in an all-male workplace (ep 13), how it feels when people make assumptions about who your friends should be based on your colour (ep 17), and why allies need to listen and not make assumptions (ep 9).

And then there's the guests! Our lovely lovely guests, without whom we would be nothing.

I spoke to @jessitron about team learning, symmathesy, why learning is exciting, and hair! hubs.ly/H0K-W4w0

I spoke to @paulapaultweets about legacy transformation and why being a consultant can sometimes feel like being a psychiatrist: hubs.ly/H0K-WBz0

I chatted with @jonskeet about home coding projects, drum machines, stack overflow, experimentation, compassion and inspiring women: hubs.ly/H0K-Xmq0

I asked @kitterati about tech for the common good, how it feels to live and work in the same neighbourhood, digital transformation and Ruth Bader Ginsburg: hubs.ly/H0K-Y3p0

I communed with @daverog over toxic technology, systemic prejudice, why people learn to accept rubbish tech, toenails and gardening: hubs.ly/H0LhK_n0

I talked to @apaipi about retrospectives, octopii and other cephalopods, repetition, Prime Directive ignorance, teaching and cognitive load: tinyurl.com/twitter-aino-c…

We had a LIVE LAUNCH EPISODE (exciting!) with @estherderby on people and patterns, containers, blaming people because it's easy, and there was that unforgettable "smoking meat" misunderstanding: tinyurl.com/esther-derby-t…

I chatted with @KevlinHenney about balancing change, enacting rituals without understanding, stirring up the pot with external skills and owning change: tinyurl.com/kevlin-henney-…

I talked to @aimafidon for Women in Engineering Week about becoming digitally literate, getting into the room to have an influence, invisible women and why periods matter: tinyurl.com/anne-marie-ima…

I chatted with @Geek_Manager about changing legacy systems, big band cutouts, new constraints, team motivation nd why people aren't muppets: tinyurl.com/meri-williams-…

I spoke to @vonRunte about service design, why not all services can be digitised, why seeing is understanding, why the best design is invisible and why naysayers are not the enemy: madetech.com/resources/podc…

My co-host @kjdchapman had a good old natter with @ewebber about communities of practice, assisted serendipity, learned helplessness and quality over quantity: madetech.com/resources/podc…

I spoke to @jonhassell during disability awareness week about digital accessibility, personalisation, accessible tools, javascript and transcripts: madetech.com/resources/podc…

I had a lovely chat with @mia_out about crowdsourcing at the British library, being involved with something bigger than yourself, online communities, threshold fear and gatekeeping: madetech.com/resources/podc…

I made a Brand New Friend in the delightful @GeePawHill when we talked about #TestDrivenDevelopment, trunk based development, the "lump of coding" fallacy, substance abuse and why #BlackLivesMatter: madetech.com/resources/podc…

I talked to @matthewpskelton about team topologies, the fast flow of change, what happens when your teams are not clearly defined, the inverse Conway manoeuvre and team sizes: madetech.com/resources/podc…

I chatted with @charlenephunter for black history month about #CodingBlackFemales, diversity in the recruitment pool, companies who aren't committed to diversity, our @madetech academy programme, mentorship and how diversity is not about one-size-fits-all: madetech.com/resources/podc…

I spoke to @tastapod about when a test is not a test, why Example Guided Design is a better name than TDD, why testing is for stakeholders, why TDD is like mountaineering, and what a 10x tester is: tinyurl.com/daniel-t-north…

I chatted with @emilybache about refactoring, trunk based development, how to find the safe route, the value of the ensemble and why you need tests to refactor: tinyurl.com/emily-bache-tw…

I talked to @craigjbass about the @madetech academy programme, why experience isn't everything, why we mentor people to help them apply, unconscious bias and how to challenge it: tinyurl.com/craig-brass-tw…

My co-host @kjdchapman stepped in again on a great conversation with @samnewman about microservices, why there's always a schema whether you think there is or not, what your boss does / doesn't care about and how not to eliminate cross team communication: tinyurl.com/twitter-sam-ne…

Phew! That was one hell of a podcast year. Very looking forward to adding a ton more good content and speaking to many more wonderful guests. Coming up on Tuesday we have @LouDowne on Good Services and then I have the great honour of chatting to @cattsmall about many many things!