I thought it would be easy to find reviews of social work related mobile apps to share. I was very surprised to find little written about social work specific apps. I found a lot of social work blogs have written about general work productivity apps or wrote about apps specific to a specific field of practice like working with individuals with ASD. What I found missing was a discussion of generalist apps.
Social Apps For Moms
Besides, social media gives you a great way of connecting with your friends and family members from anywhere in the world. There are some social media apps for Mac on the market too. If you are a Mac user, you can use some of the best Mac Apps for socializing to connect with a wide group of audience. Social Media All-In-One is an application that pulls all your social media feeds into one inbox, allowing you to cross post to multiple networks at once, or even forward a post from one network to any of the others. If you are tired of not having control of your social media feeds then you will love.
One resource I found helpful in my search was a Pinterest board of social work related apps created by Dorlee M, MBA, LMSW and Nancy J. Smyth, Ph.D, LCSW. Smyth has written a lot about social work technology and is dean of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.
Smyth was interviewed for a very thorough article in Social Work Today entitled “Mobile App Technology for Social Workers.” Written in 2012 the article’s author Lindsey Getz says: “The use of mobile technology in healthcare has secured a foothold. But while opportunities exist for social workers to adopt these technologies in their practices, acceptance has been slow. The reluctance is not surprising as the foundation of social work is built on human interaction. But the research and experience thus far indicates that mobile application technology has the capability to support the social worker-client relationship.”
All social media apps in one app free download - Social Media All In One, Social Media All in One App, All In One Social Media App, and many more programs. Use Social apps like Snapchat on your PC and Mac with BlueStacks Android Emulator. Today, we’ll talk about the best social media tools for the Mac OS. Social media tools are ubiquitous now. A lot are online applications that help in creating content, posting content, and creating systems of automation.
In the same article Smyth says: “People want to know if there are mobile apps available to support them, and social workers are going to have to start familiarizing themselves with the technology as clients request it. Digital life skills is a new skill set that we need to have as social workers”
While Getz’s article is an important read, if you are looking for specific recommendations of apps for your field of practice you should check out The New Social Worker magazine. Their new technology columnist Ellen Belluomini, LCSW has started a new section called “Accessing Apps”. In her first two columns she has already covered a lot of ground, tackling Private Practice in the Spring 2013 issue and School Social Work in the Summer 2013 issue.
I’ll let you search for apps within your area of practice, but I wanted to whet your appetite a bit by highlighting a few general social work apps that caught my attention. I’ve not used any of them so this isn’t an endorsement. But here they are:
Test Prep: Both iTunes and Google Play Stores had several different apps that would help prepare you to take a licensure exam. I would spend some time looking at reviews before installing (and paying) for any of these apps. The few I looked at mentioned they are “not affiliated with nor is this app endorsed by the ASWB” and almost all cost money. (Guide to Social Work – iTunes, Google Play)
Social Work Social Media App uses a game approach to teach social work ethics around social media. The user watches scenarios and tells the team manager how to respond to different situations. Your decisions lead to the success or failure of the agency. (iTunes, Google Play, website)
The Savvy Social Worker is currently only available on Android devices (iTunes app coming soon) but claims to ”help you stay current with new developments in social work practice, especially evidence-based practices and best practices.” The app is developed and curated by the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. (Google Play)
Social Work Companion is designed for those living in the United Kingdom. However, it claims to offer “a comprehensive directory of social work and social care related news, events, practice reference, social work theories, law and guidance and information about services and resources in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.” (iTunes, Google Play, website)
iGrade is an iTunes app that “is packed with features and give[s] you instant access to client evaluations, notes, progress status, statistics, and all the functionalities you need to take control of the information.” I would carefully read their privacy policy before putting any confidential information into an app like this. (iTunes)
DSM-V official app is available in both iTunes and Android formats by the American Psychiatric Association. (iTunes, Google Play). The DSM-IV app is still available for $121 in the Google Play Store
Social Work Helper is an interactive app that aggregates social work related content and allows users to discuss and import content for others to see. (iTunes, Google Play, website)
Social Work Jobs for Android “lets job seekers find social worker jobs, social services jobs, counselor jobs in hospitals, medical centers and free-standing clinics. Review social work salary information. Learn about social work professional education requirements. Leave a business card and resume for hiring employers.” (Google Play)
I asked for some ideas of apps you use on NACSW’s Facebook group. Here are a few you mentioned:
PEPID has a whole host of medical related apps for both iPhones and Androids. The recommended app was their Portable Drug Companion. PEPID Portable Drug Companion (PDC) is a “proven reference tool and drug database. In addition to an exhaustive drug listing, PDC includes herbals, nutritional supplements and antidotes, as well as information on overdoses, drug-induced toxidromes and drug-related labs.” (website)
iTriage is a symptom checker, doctor finder, medical dictionary tool, and personal health record keeper all in one app. Created by ER doctors it lets you access a wide variety of medical information quickly. (iTunes, Google Play)
PFA Mobile can help first responders provide PFA (Psychological First Aid) to adults, children, and families following a disaster or other emergency. This app is for trained PFA providers and is adapted from the 2nd edition PFA Field Operations Guide. PFA Mobile is currently only available in iTunes, but the Google Play app is scheduled for 2013.
PTSD Coach has information about PTSD including symptoms and treatments. It also includes tools to track symptoms and screenings. The app also includes “direct links to support and help.” This app is listed on the Veteran’s Affairs website along with several others. (iTunes, Google Play)
Thought Diary Pro helps people record and change thoughts that cause distress. Developed by a clinical psychologist and CBT therapist the Pro version allows users to identify and modify thinking errors. The Pro version also allows the user to e-mail their reports directly to the therapist. (Pro: iTunes, TD: iTunes)
Wow, talk about app overload. That is a lot of different mobile applications to throw your way. What ones do you currently use in your practice? What apps do you wish were available for you today? If NACSW created an app what would you like to see it provide?
* I want to be clear that I’ve not used any of the above apps and NACSW nor myself endorse them.
Nick C., MSW, is Program Coordinator at Sanford Middle School in Minneapolis and social media consultant. He has been a member of NACSW since 2003. Find Nick on Twitter @crossn81
If you're a Mac user and a social media addict, what's better than social apps for the Mac? Free social apps for the Mac, of course!
In this post we'll take a look at 10 gratis programs for connecting to your social world via OS X. From file sharing to instant messaging, from Twitter to social television, there is very likely something on this list for you.
Do you know of any great free social Mac applications that are not listed? Let us know about them in the comments.
1. Dropbox
Looking for a dead easy way to share even large files with people quickly? Check out Dropbox, a great utility app for the Mac (it actually runs on Windows and Linux as well) that essentially gives you 2 free GB of unrestricted cloud file storage.
A bit of a Swiss army-knife type of app, Dropbox does a lot of other things besides file-sharing. It can serve as a great automatic backup utility for important files as well as one of the easiest ways to synchronize a set of files between two computers, even across platforms. You also get a web-based interface for accessing your files, which is useful if you're using a machine without Dropbox installed.
Further, you can increase the amount of your free space by 250 MB for every new user you refer to the service. Anyone who signs up via a referral link also gets an extra 250 MB.
2. Skitch
We really can't rave enough about Skitch (we recently profiled it in our fun image generators list). Part screen capture tool, part easy doodling app, Skitch is also a dead simple way to quickly share screencaps, images and illustrations with others.
Included in the cost of this free app is server space for file storage, so in one click you can send an image to the web. There are privacy controls for your images as well, so you can make specific things public, or keep them private from anyone who doesn't know the URL. You can even get an embed code or forum URL if desired.
Skitch also keeps a history trail of the images you send to the web for later retrieval and you can set it up to upload your pics to your own FTP server instead of the Skitch servers.
3. TweetDeck
Everybody has their favorite Twitter client, and the one I keep coming back to always seems to be TweetDeck. It's certainly worth doing the TweetDeck vs. Seesmic Desktop head to head comparison for yourself (as well as checking out some of the other Twitter clients out there), but the interface and functionality of the former has won me over.
It's got all the standard features you'd expect like inline URL shortening and the ability to send and receive tweets, plus goodies like multiple columns, groups, multiple account management, Twitscoop trends, short URL previews, and even a way to sync multiple instances of TweetDeck between different machines and your iPhone.
Disclosure: TweetDeck partnered with Mashable to create MashDeck, a branded version of the software.
4. Gruml
Gruml is a desktop application that synchronizes with Google Reader for feed reading and brings many of the social features of gReader along with it. There are some who think RSS's usefulness has been usurped by things like Facebook and Twitter, but to many it's still the bread and butter method of staying up to date on what's going on in their field.
Gruml brings the Google Reader RSS experience to your desktop and includes its social features like starring, liking, and sharing posts with notes and/or tags. You can also see headlines from stories that your friends have shared with you.
Gruml also comes with built-in Twitter integration, letting you tweet articles directly from the app itself after conversion to a short URL. It's in beta for now so there may be the occasional bug or wonky bit here and there, but overall it's a promising way to take your RSS experience to the Mac desktop if you already use Google Reader for your news-gathering.
5. NetNewsWire
If you don't already use Google Reader and are looking for a good desktop RSS and Atom client for the Mac, check out NetNewsWire. Featuring a number of OS X integrations, attention filtering, delicious.com integration, blog posting integration, and more, NNW sports a familiar Mac-style three-paned interface.
6. Flock
Flock is a social web browser we recently profiled in our alternative browsers that are not IE6 feature. It features tight integration with a plethora of social sites including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Wordpress and more.
If you basically live on the internet, which we completely empathize with, Flock might be a great web browser to add to your arsenal. Remember there's no reason (that we can think of) not to use multiple browsers at once, especially if you run a lot of cloud apps and so on.
7. Adium
If you use more than one instant messaging service regularly, you're going to want a chat client that can support multiple protocols and accounts seamlessly. Not only does Adium deliver that, but its default sound when your contacts log in or out or send you a message is a quacking duck. What's not to like?
The free and open source Adium supports a boatload of chat services including AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Gtalk, Facebook Chat and more. With a customizable look and feel and a number of user-created themes and icons to choose from, Adium is my IM client of choice on the Mac.
8. Boxee
Television over the internet is all the rage these days, and if you're a Mac user into video content, one app you'll definitely want to check out is Boxee. Boxee is basically a socially-enabled media center for your Mac, allowing you to browse both your personal media collection as well as your favorite online video services in one convenient and easy to use interface. It's designed to give you a great experience for internet content on your television screen, and works with the Apple Remote control that ships with a number of Mac models (and is available for purchase separately).
It's also a highly socially-aware app, giving you the ability to broadcast what you're watching to your Twitter, FriendFeed, or Tumblr accounts. You can set fine-grained controls about what to broadcast, including recommendations, watched items, music you've listened to, and items you rate.
Besides pulling in content from various video services like YouTube, Comedy Central, Revision3, CNN, MTV and more, Boxee also connects to social music services like last.fm and Pandora (as well as to your local music collection).
9. Hulu Desktop
Unfortunately, one thing Boxee currently lacks is a great integration with the uber-popular TV and movie streaming site Hulu, thanks to an on-again off-again contentious relationship between the two. Hulu continues to do everything in its power to block Boxee users from accessing Hulu.
However, for users there is hope in the form of the Hulu Desktop app. If you're a television and/or movie buff with a penchant for streaming content, the desktop app offers a nice fullscreen viewing experience as well as support for operation via the standard Apple Remote.
Once tied to your regular Hulu account, you have access to your queue and subscriptions as well as the ability to rate items and get recommendations.
10. Skype
Social Apps For Facebook
We'd be remiss for not mentioning this staple voice calling app. Skype is one of the leading voice over IP (VoIP) services on the web, and you can use it to make free voice calls between any two computers running the software.
For an astonishingly small amount of money you can do a lot of other cool things with Skype too, like send text messages from your computer, get low-cost international calling to landlines around the world, forward calls to your cellphone, get a 'Skype In' number your friends can use to make a local call to you from regular phones, get voicemail services and more.
Apps For Apple Mac
But since this list is about free apps, let's not neglect the fact that you can place Skype-to-Skype video calls at no charge, along with group conference calls and group instant messaging as well.
As usual, this is just the tip of the iceberg. What other free social Mac apps are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
Top Apps For Mac
More Resources from Mashable
- 10 of the Best Mac Apps for Bloggers - 10 of the Best Adobe AIR Applications - Web Development Toolbox: 120+ New Tools for Web Development - GTD Toolbox: 100+ Resources for Getting Things Done