AWSM, social media analytics and creating a personal brand

Posted on June 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

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.

awsmfoundersI 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.

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:

And this one I LOVE:

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Boston bombing lessons for social media

Posted on April 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

SocialMediaLessonsBombing

Happy to help my friends at 12News and azfamily as they were trying to make sense of a very crazy news week and how it played out on social media.

Boston bombing makes history on social media for speed and inaccuracy.

Social media has once again proved to be a critical way for people to stay informed during a tragedy.

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KipCamp revisited: 2-day Social Media Summit

Posted on November 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

I just returned from a two-day Social Media Summit presented by the Kiplinger Program at Ohio State University – known as KipCamp to its friends.

It was wonderful. And although I was there because I was asked to teach, I came away full of new ideas, new tools and a better understanding of what’s going on in newsrooms around the country. I learned so much.  And made new friends.

A career in journalism today takes more than a well-placed byline. Editors, producers, publishers, and readers want and expect more from the journalists who tell our stories – they want to know you.

Journalists are expected not only to continue to deliver exceptional work, but also to use the digital and social media tools to get their work out there. It’s essential to understand  how to convey what’s unique about you.

Here are some resources that might help you figure that out.

GOOD BLOGS ON BRANDING & JOURNALISM

BRANDING / SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES

And one final word. This two-day KipCamp was self-selected and made up of a great group of journalists and communications specialists who were at all different places on the social media spectrum. They were very engaged and helpful and I think they represent where newsrooms are right now in regards to using social media — some people get it, others want to know more and there is less and less resistance to social media and other online tools as time goes by.

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Social is a conversation, not a message

Posted on August 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

I contributed to Fast Company’s The Rules for Social Media recently and people seemed to like it.

 

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I am a lesbian journalist. Hear me roar

Posted on July 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

I originally wrote this article for NLGJA News.

By Robin J. Phillips

Apparently Rachel Maddow is so far out of the closet she’s out of mind.

As the news broke about CNN’s Anderson Cooper formally coming out, Twitter erupted and columnists began posting. Two main narratives took shape quickly: 1. Well, duh! and 2. Is this relevant?

Anderson Cooper on ForbesIn no time, Forbes had a piece up by Jeff Bercovici who wrote, “It’s not often you can make news by telling the world something it already knows.” The Forbes headline was “Anderson Cooper Comes Out As TV’s First Openly Gay Anchor.”

Oh yeah? What about CNN’s Don Lemon? MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts? Or Steve Kornacki who co-hosts at 3 p.m. for MSNBC.

Or what about Jane Velez-Mitchell from Turner’s HLNTV? Or how about MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow?

Later in the day, the headline was changed to add “Prime Time” and a correction on the post was added to point out that the original version omitted Lemon and Roberts. But while it might be simple to change a headline, or offer a correction, it is not so easy to change the original impression that there are no lesbian anchors on Network and Cable television.

SPLITTING HAIRS?

Forbes argues that Maddow isn’t officially designated as an anchor. So I guess she doesn’t count. And they didn’t even mention Velez-Mitchell who CNN calls an anchor.

I get that Cooper is a household name and reporting on what they consider a “First” is more exciting than reporting on the “Fifth” or “Sixth” or “Yet Another”.

I get that discussions about whether journalists should be out (in their newsrooms and the world) are important. And his coming out did lead to a lot of these types of discussions and the impact they have on the way we cover the news. One of the most important things NLGJA can do is help young journalists navigate these waters.

Yet, what does a young LGBT broadcaster learn from the past week? Well, it may just depend on whether that broadcaster is a young woman or a man.

A young gay woman may come away from last week thinking that no matter how hard she works as a journalist, no matter how she proves herself or what job she lands, there is something about her being either a woman or a lesbian that will make her invisible.

We are not invisible, we are here. We are in newsrooms in all positions, from the bottom to the top, running websites, running papers, running newscasts and anchoring them. We want to be counted when big stories break, not discounted. Continue reading →

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Those who can, teach the teachers

Posted on June 21, 2012 | Leave a comment
And I’m thrilled to be able to talk about social media to a group of high school teachers who are taking on the task of teaching budding journalists.

I know that schools can be nervous about social media and some school districts don’t have the resources to jump into journalism in the same way they may cover other subjects and activities, but this group of 35+ teachers chose to spend a chunk of their summer in balmy Arizona learning about new tools and tactics from faculty and staff at the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

More power to them.  I’m posting this so they can easily carry these tools home with them.

This presentation was part of that session given to high school journalism teachers, part of the ASNE Reynolds Fellowship in Phoenix in the summer 2012.

Social Media for Teachers

Here’s the Social Media for Journalists handout for this class.

And below are some more resources. These are the links that appear on the final slide of the presentation.

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Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Reporting

Posted on April 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m visiting Ohio State University this week to talk with a group of 25 journalists from around the country who are here attending the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism

The Kiplinger program offers short-term fellowships to help make better use of new online tools. This one’s about a week and we’re talking social media, personal branding and cutting through the clutter.

I know it’s going to be crazy fun and I’ll have much more to say after I meet everyone.

But this post is to share the resources and tools from my talks.

RESOURCES: The slides below are for this week’s sessions.

And here are more resources about personal branding: JAWS Branding U. That’s a blog I put together in the fall for JAWS Camp – a conference for women journalists. There is lots more at that page on personal branding.

Cutting through the clutter handout (PDF)
More info on Personal Branding for Journalists

Journalist branding – Kiplinger

Social Media Clutter – Kiplinger

UPDATED WEDNESDAY MORNING AS I STARTED HEADING HOME:

And there we go. It was a great couple of days in Ohio. The Kiplinger Program was wonderful. I leave feeling a little jealous of the fellows who will be together the rest of the week. But I’m headed home.

Brutus Buckeye and me

I made many friends at Kiplinger including Brutus Buckeye.

I always learn something new after a presentation – either about presenting, teaching, sharing. Or I have an insight about the topic.

Two things stand out from yesterday’s session.

1. Everyone truly does have some unique wonderfulness inside. And until they get comfortable with whatever that is, it doesn’t matter what they are trying to do with the stuff around the edges.

2. Don’t forget to fill my pockets with breath mints.

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