The Social Media Network (SMN) is a non-profit organization that aims to inform and connect students within the exciting world of social media. They regularly hold speaker sessions and workshops to provide students with hands-on experience that can be applied towards professional or personal development. In addition, SMN manages three different projects: Recultured, a student lifestyle blog run by Dalena Nguyen; Epicentr, the social media agency run by Angela Chang and Orane Cheung; and Platform, a social media case competition spearheaded by Sarah Veness. Each project holds additional activities for their members. For example, Epicentr has recently debuted a new summer program called Epicentr Academy, a workshop based program that allows students to learn about social media strategies and analytics while connecting with industry professionals. Platform's first case competition was held this past May, and will be brought back again in Spring 2015. 

At the SFU chapter of the Social Media Network, I had the opportunity to interview the president for the 14-15 year, Dulce Rosales, to learn a bit more about the club and what they had to offer!

1. To start off, could you tell us a little about yourself? 

I'm Dulce Rosales, the President of SFU The Social Media Network (SMN) for 2014-2015 and I'm going into my fourth year as a Beedie School of Business student, concentrating in Marketing. Aside from my executive role in the club, I also write for the blog Recultured.com, and I'm a big supporter of the performing arts, so I volunteer with The Arts Club Theatre Company on Granville Island. Lastly, I'm a student in the SFU Co-op program! 

2. How did you get involved with the club, and why? 

I first learned of SMN in 2012 and I specifically wanted to get involved with their blogging project. I had the urge to get back into writing for leisure since academic writing was burning me out. Since Fall of 2012, I have been blogging about topics that interest me including student life, TV, film, and books. 

I always try to convince myself to take on new challenges, so after two semesters with Recultured, I applied and got promoted to Editor-in-Chief of the blog (exciting!). After a dynamic year of curating and revising content for the blog, as well as managing its social media channels, I slipped off my Editor-in-Chief shoes and slipped on new Presidential shoes, and I'm currently breaking them in! It's been great to get involved with a student-organization that is relevant to my interests, and presents so many opportunities to learn new things. 

3. Could you tell us a bit about the kinds of events that SFU SMN usually holds? 

Every semester, we hold events such as speaker sessions, workshops, and agency tours. At our events, students can learn how to amp up their social media abilities in regards to personal branding online. When everyone who's anyone is online, how do you make yourself stand out? We also aim to help students who are already working within social media, and those who may have an interest in doing so! 

Our speaker events feature industry professionals who speak to students about campaigns they have implemented, best social media practices, and how social media has affected their organizations. Some recent speakers have worked with Metropolis at Metrotown, Tourism Richmond, and EA Sports. Students get to see all the different paths professionals have taken, from undergrad to eventually working with social media for a living. On agency tours, like our spring tour at Blast Radius, students get exposed to the agency-life and have the chance to pick the brains of professionals at these agencies. We all like a nice break, so we also hold socials for students to make offline connections with like-minded people while taking a breather from the #lifeofastudent. 

4. What have been some of your most memorable experiences you've had being with this club? 

What will ultimately be most memorable from my time with SMN, is the whole experience of meeting new people. I've gained an immeasurable amount of knowledge from meeting professionals in Vancouver through SMN activities. Not to mention, I have made many new friends who make university life so much richer. You might follow and tweet someone one day, and then meet them (IRL) the next day at an event. It's incredible how much easier networking becomes when you can spot someone in the crowd! Being a part of SMN has certainly opened my eyes to the amount of talent our school has in a diverse student population. Whether someone is a part of our projects, attends our events, or is on our executive team, they all have different stories and reasons on why they gravitated towards SMN. 

5. On a final note, I want to ask you - what would you say are some things that separate SFU SMN from other clubs at SFU? 

We don't try to cover all the matters of PR, or all of Marketing. There are great organizations on campus that do that. At the end of the day, our focus is on social media! Our activities present students with ways to gain experience and learn new skills, while staying relevant to the topic of social media. Write for Recultured and express your voice while becoming an effective communicator. Consult with Epicentr and learn how to strategically manage a brand's social media. Compete in Platform and build your analysis abilities and presentation skills. Join us at our events and gain new knowledge without having to take a class.

We attract a broad range of students. Our members are Communications majors, Science majors, Psychology majors, Business majors, and more! That also happens to reflect the industry in Vancouver, where people with vastly different backgrounds have all found their way to social media. Social media is simply about people; as follows, all students, regardless of major, can take what they learn from our club activities and put them to use for their careers.