By Lynn Walsh, Texas Watchdog

Working for a news organization means more than obtaining interviews and writing stories. For most of us, we are also writing content for multiple media platforms, expected to keep a social media presence, shoot video, take photographs and interact with our readers and viewers. On top of all of that, a lot of the content we produce happens instantaneously through the Internet and social media networks.

While it can be overwhelming, the great thing about technology is that while it keeps changing it also finds ways to get easier to use and more portable. Using a laptop is great, but even the smallest ones can get in the way when you are shooting video, live tweeting and taking notes.

It is for that reason, that I am thankful for my iPhone. It's small, extremely portable and does more than I could ever imagine. Here are some tips on using your iPhone to produce content for your news organization.

1. It's all about the apps! You are expected to do a lot but luckily there are a lot of free applications that make your life a lot easier. From Twitter to Facebook to photo-sharing sites, be sure you have applications downloaded and are familiar with them before you head to the story. Here are some I cannot live without:

Facebook: Great for posting stories on your own page or your news organizations page. The key is to share information that will get comments from viewers and readers and to keep them informed.

Seesmic for iPhone: I use this to monitor my Twitter accounts. There are lots of options out there but this one works best for me, especially if you are going to be doing a lot of live tweeting. It's great because you can have different windows for different accounts, different users and different search terms. I have windows for my personal account, my news organizations account, #HISD for the school district I cover, all school board members and other reporters covering education in my area. I have my personal account logged in and my organizations account so I can tweet from both if I have to (Seesmic always give you an option to choose which one before you tweet). It also allows you to do share pictures very easily.

Ping.fm bookmarked on Safari: This site, if you are not already using it is a truly a technology blessing. You register all of your social media accounts with the site and when you post something through the home page, it updates all of the sites at once. Another great feature is it allows you to send information through text messages, which can save the battery life of your phone.

Instagram: This is a picture-sharing site that allows you to edit pictures and make them more artistic while also allowing you to share them. It is gaining a lot of users and most recently was featured on the site Mashable for its use by NPR.

UStream, URecorder and Qik: These are all live video streaming applications that will allow you to broadcast live, save video for later and even send notifications to social networks that you are shooting live video on the web. What I love about these is that they work even if you are not connected to a WiFi network.

Cover it Live: A great live blogging tool to use. I have seen most people use it with their laptops but I think the mobile application is pretty easy to use.

2. Reserve the battery and always keep a charger on hand. A dead phone can really set your day behind, so always have your charger on hand. Also, prepare your phone for a longer battery life by trying these suggestion in this article by PCmag.com. I have done all of the suggestions and it really does work. Plus, all of the notifications can just get in the way some times. Live Tweeting can really drain the battery too, try texting tweets using ping.fm to save some of the battery.

3. Inexpensive accessories. The great thing about the iPhone is that it is so small that it is usually easy to keep steady while shooting video. But, to make it easier there are lots of cheap ($10) accessories you can buy that connect your iPhone to Tripod. Along with steady video, sometimes sound quality can be an issue, try getting a microphone. For more information on some inexpensive accessories worth trying I would check out this article by Mashable.

4. LIVE video streaming is a great tool. The great thing about the iPhone is you can stream video live using many different applications. This gives viewers instant access which they love. It also provides you and your station with content a lot faster. If you are streaming the live video to the stations account (which I would recommend) anyone who has access to the account can online and download what you recorded. The video can then be used in newscast or posted immediately to the website and you have a little less to do and can continue talking to people and gathering information.

5. Time management is key. Balancing the amount of time you are live tweeting, sending photos, shooting video and responding to comments can be the hardest thing. For me I find it easiest if I do it all in a certain order. For example, live tweeting is something our viewers respond to, so I focus most of my time on that. But, I have to remember to not just continue to send out tweets, I have to look at the account and respond to viewers and answer questions as well. I reserve live video streams for when I am talking to one person and not while they are talking to a meeting. Pictures a great way to show who is at the meeting, what is going on, etc.

6. Be flexible. The great thing about reporting from your phone is that it is so small; you can have it your hand while you are working a camera, taking a picture or recording audio. When I am covering an event or a meeting or working on a story, I always have an audio file recording sound. I use a video camera to record video, but if I move the camera or stop recording for some reason, I always have the audio file in its entirety. For still photographs, I use my iPhone for the most part, but also have a digital camera on hand too. Use your instincts, but the more options you have the more you will be able to offer and take advantage of reporting from your phone.

7. Be organized. When reporting on a story and posting updates on social media it is important to be organized. With the iPhone updates, you can create folders where all of your video applications are in one spot, all of your photography applications are in another, etc. I also recommend keeping e-mail inboxes separate so it is easier to find mail and you are not searching for something in a mail folder that has your personal and professional accounts linked. Keeping push notifications off will keep you more focused and be less annoying (you won't be interrupted by a friend asking you about dinner plans on Facebook while you are working).

It can all be overwhelming but it actually is also really fun. You get to use so many different tools to connect and inform your audience. The great thing about it to is that since you are sending a lot of things electronically, you have created a trail, that can be used for your reference later on while writing the story.