College Sports Information Directors of America

During the San Antonio Convention, Heather Hirschman from the ACC and Frank Kay from Raycom Sports shared some ideas on how athletic communicators can find a balance of functions (media relations, marketing, website, video services, public relations and social media) while maintaining  control of their message in an "instant access" world.

Hirschman and Kay write:

The SID’s job is to manage the publicity of the athletics program. A big part of that is establishing
relationships with the media members of the outlets. As technology has evolved to a “now” culture,
it is harder and harder to control and steer the publicity train. Fan sites, bloggers, unofficial
websites, etc. all cut into the message you are trying to put out. In addition, when media looks for
instant answers through new technology, specifically websites, it is hard to maintain a personal
touch.

What are some solutions? Below, they suggest that sports information personnel look at their website  as a destination site and conduct it as the school's own wire service;  as a media tool; as entertainment; and use it for effective social networking.

The Virtual SID: Balancing Media Relations in the 21st Century (PDF)