The final day of the CoSIDA Convention - Digital Summit Day on Wednesday, July 7 - provided impressive digital communications discussions, hands-on breakout sessions, interactive social media panels with great tips to engage with your public online - and the "CoSIDA Cares" community service project. The convention concluded with a Farewell Reception and Happy Hour, sponsored by the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Heisman Trophy.
Highlights of the panels, discussions and breakout sessions included the following.
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Convention Digital Summit Day Resource Guide: Finding digital solutions for your size shop
The convention's final session were a standing-room only breakout session/mini-panels on digital media. The following resource guide - a PDF packet for easy download - contains the handouts and instructional guides from the breakout session entitled
"Helping SIDs Find Digital Solutions for Their Size Shop."
Download the packet (PDF) HERE
Topics: Photoshop for the Web ... Facebook ... Twitter ... FTP Sites ... creating web content from StatCrew ... video production using student help ... upcoming technology apps for SIDs ... building your own video media guides and video production budges ... online audio/live streaming.
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The Changing Face of Television panel, with
Ilan Ben-Hanan, ESPN Senior Director, West Coast Programming; Mike Jaquet, CBS College Sports, Vice President for Advertising, CBS College Sports; Bill Rasmussen, ESPN Founder and television visionary. The panelists addressed a packed room, discussing where the TV business is going and how changes and trends affect athletic communicators.
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Being Your Own Media panel, a straight-forward, open discussion on the challenges and opportunities for athletic PR pros as media goes "in-house" and the responsibilities and demands on the athletic communicator grows daily. The panelists discussed tips. software/hardware and ideas to be our "own media", as longer are we relying on the media to "tell our story"- it is imperative that we tell our own stories. In this social media age, it’s necessary to make your online outreach work interconnect with and echo the external media relations work.
Jamie Weir Baldwin (Michigan State) moderated the session which featured Joe Hornstein, Central Florida; Bill Smith, Arkansas; and Ronnie Ramos, NCAA Managing Director of New Media Strategies.
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The Social Networking panelists included
David Perry, principal at David Perry Associates PR communications firm, Malcolm Moran, Penn State University Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society (left), Chris Syme (Montana State),
below right, chair of CoSIDA's New Media/Technology Committee, and
Pam 
Truswell, founder of "Actionscape" online sports social media.
This panel focused on social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and how athletic communications offices are using the technology - or could use it if they are not involved with it right now.
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The "You CAN do Video" session provided best practices for creating your own video and working with campus resources (student assistants in academic broadcast journalism studies, interns, etc) to build a successful internal digital production service for your department.
Speakers included
Mark Fratto (St. John's), Chris Taylor, former SID and current professor at Ball State and coordinator of the Ball State Sportslink program; and Bob Lowe, Greensboro College.
CoSIDA Awards Luncheon
Those honored at the July 6th Keynote luncheon:
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Al Shrier (Temple University) with the Arch Ward Award, given for outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information to the person who, by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession
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Tim Kennedy (Gustavus Adolphus), recipient of CoSIDA's Bob Kenworthy Award for Community Service Award
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Chris Plonsky (University of Texas), recipient of the CoSIDA Trailblazer Award.
- 17 recipients of CoSIDA 25-Year Awards, given for a quarter century of athletic PR service.
CoSIDA Cares: Community Service Project at San Francisco's St. Anthony Foundation
Convention attendees volunteered in two mid-day shifts at the St. Anthony Foundation (
www.stanthonysf.org), a San Francisco nonprofit providing shelter, housing, meals, medical care, clothing, job assistance and rehab and senior services. CoSIDA members assisted with preparing and serving lunch to over 2,600 during a very busy span of mid-day activites.
The project was coordinated by the CoSIDA Goodwill Committee - chaired by
Sam Atkinson (Gallaudet College) - who has adopted the moniker "CoSIDA Cares" theme for its volunteer endeavors.
In addition to meal prep, the CoSIDA Goodwill Committee collected boxes of donated clothing and toiletries, all donated by CoSIDA Convention goers, with gracious assistance from the Rose Bowl as well. CoSIDA also donated all extra convention gifts (water bottles, plastic mugs) to the St. Anthony community.
Photo ID, right: Alan Grosbach of McPherson along with other SIDs doing food prep in the St. Anthony kitchen.
Lauren Ferrett (Wellesley) and CoSIDA Goodwill Committee Chair Sam Atkinson (Gallaudet) prepare trays for the more than 2,600 guests
that St. Anthony feeds on a daily basis.