Yet again this weekend, I hung out with a group of journalists and found myself amazed at how this band of story warriors can be, all at once, each others’ competition and the very best of friends.

I am lucky because my job allows me to talk with journalists all over the country. This weekend, a very cool group of them met almost in my backyard.

I was asked to speak on Multimedia Storytelling to a group of women sports journalists, public relations folks, and educators at the 2013 annual convention for the Association of Women in Sports Media (AWSM). This was the 25th anniversary of the organization and they gathered at the Montelucia Resort & Spa, a gorgeous resort in the shadow of Camelback Mountain.

The location and the anniversary meant the atmosphere was understandably pretty special, but I got the feeling that this sisterhood of sports journalists is a collegial bunch every year.

Here are a few highlights from AWSM’s weekend in the Valley of the Sun. And below, I’ve added the slides from my presentation and a few links for people who want to know more.

Thanks, women of AWSM. I was honored to be an honorary member for a couple of days.

Amazing speech by #AWSM2013 Pioneer award winner Lisa Olson. grace, class, wisdon. THANK YOU LISA

— Joanne C. Gerstner (@joannecgerstner) June 22, 2013

“Be kind to each other, lift each other up, support each other.” #lisaolson #womeninsport #AWSM2013

— Romy Titus (@romytitus) June 22, 2013

1st student chapter gathering in #awsm history. Reps fr 6 colleges exchanging ideas @ @AWSM_SportMedia ‘s #AWSM2013 pic.twitter.com/t6mf8bdo07

— Stefanie Loh (@StefanieLoh) June 22, 2013

Received great advice from Gina (Chappin) Lehe at #AWSM2013: Go into the room knowing you have 2 strikes (young, female) & prove them wrong.

— Amanda Brooks (@BrooksAD) June 22, 2013

Sharing my love for the Dbacks with some #AWSM2013 girls! #GoDbacks pic.twitter.com/GfpPkygWDH

— Kari Osep (@KariOsep) June 22, 2013

Learning how to look through athlete’s bankruptcy files is more entertaining than you’d think… #AWSM2013

— Jenny Dial Creech (@jennydial) June 21, 2013

Fun fact of the day: The NCAA is a 501c3 nonprofit charity. Isn’t subject to open records requests outside of the IRS 990. #awsm2013

— Rachel G. Bowers (@RachelGBowers) June 21, 2013

Listening to @pinepaula’s session at #AWSM2013 about investigating universities. As an SID, it’s really interesting to hear the other side.

— Amanda Brooks (@BrooksAD) June 21, 2013

Remember to honor the people that came before you and pave the way for those after you. – Kristin Huckshorn #AWSM2013

— AWSM at Missouri (@AWSMMissouri) June 21, 2013

My slides (so no one had to take notes):

Below are a few links that I hope answer one of the most common questions from my session. (I also had a specific question about some iPad broadcasting software. I am still looking for the answer to that and will update here when I get it.) And, many people wanted to know about an image I showed of a reporter broadcasting live from her iPad. I found that here at NewscastStudio, Reporters broadcast live from mobile devices with new app. Good luck with it. Let me know if it works as promised.

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS
I recommend that journalists make friends with their social media editors and whoever analyzes your web analytics. Find out what is working and what isn’t. Here are a few other social analytics tools to explore:

• Buffer: Free for 3 accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and 10 updates on each. $10 monthly premium account.
• TweetStats: Graph how you’re performing on Twitter (number of tweets by day, time, etc.)
• FollowerWonk: Extensive analytics. (freemium model/ $99 a month)
• Simply Measured: Some free reports (must tweet about the service to get the report). Free trial.
• Hootsuite: Organizes social tools. Helps you track topics. Free.
• Bit.ly: URL shortening tool. If you register, it tracks analytics on the links you share.
• Twitonomy: Detailed information about your tweets.
• SproutSocial: Free trail. $39/month.
• PeerIndex: Rates your authority and reputation on social media.

AND A FEW SWEET TWEETS FROM MY SESSION:

Multimedia does not have to mean chaos. Do one thing at a time. — Robin Phillips on multimedia storytelling. #AWSM2013

— Jena Janovy (@JenaJ34) June 22, 2013

You can be personal on social media tools but you can’t be private. – Robin Phillips. #AWSM2013

— Paula Lavigne (@pinepaula) June 22, 2013

Get your own domain name–advice from @RobinJP to #AWSM2013 multimedia session. “It’s a flag you can plant and use later.”

— Curley Center/PSU (@CurleyCenter) June 22, 2013

And this one I LOVE:

Amending my personal motto, thanks to @RobinJP: Stop freaking out. Be freaking awesome. Share your awesomeness! #AWSM2013

— Jane Allison Havsy (@WriterJane74) June 22, 2013