Profile
Sheryl Kristie Yen recently graduated from the Sauder School of Business program at UBC. Quickly finding an internership with Canada Wide Media, she was given the responsibility and role of the “Socialist” blog in the BC Business Online Magazine. The magazine attracts a wide range of readers and subscribers and especially targets the relatively small Vancouver business community.
The “Socialist” is often seen at many business social events, keeping updated with all industries, and snapping photos of the up and coming. To build your network, going to these events is a must. To play competitively, you have to be nice – and it starts by smiling for the camera! Organizations and groups have invited Miss Yen to their events to capture the city’s glamour. People are starting to understand the importance and impact that blogs have on online marketing.
Sheryl is also involved with independent PR contract work and is planning to continue our interest with social media. She says it takes time to get good at it but when you do, social media is a super powerful tool that will get your message across the city, the country, and even the world.
The Interview Transcribed
Who are you and what do you do?
How have you seen Asians portrayed in your industry in the past?
Have you seen Asians in your industry succeed?
Why do you think they have succeeded or not?
Do you find that being of Asian background that it prevents you to find opportunities your industry?
Do you think there’s enough Asian culture content in social media?
Are you influenced by your asian background in your blogging?
Is it well received that you’re making references to your Asian background?
What do you think makes an effective blog?
Why do you think blogging is a good way to getting your message across?
Conclusion
Blogging and twittering have been an integral part of online social media in the past couple years. Sometimes overlooked by many organizations, the powerful tool of personal words and pictures on a website can make something from nothing to the talk in town. As a business professional, Sheryl has been successful at capturing the audiences’ attention because of her content (which ironically is also her audience). The nature of her “Socialist” blog allows her to connect with her content on a face to face basis. Numerous bloggers out there that go to events don’t get a chance to meet the people that they are blogging about. Shery has been given the power to connect with her content first, let them know where she’s from, and where they can find their faces. This is a powerful catch when your content is actually viewing your posts. Not only does she have people that don’t attend the events viewing her posts, she’s got her content viewing her posts!
Her own cultural does not substantially reflect in her work but she did mention that her personal blog had subconsciously started to revolve around Asian food in Vancouver. She explains that she wants to share the wonderful Asian influences to the city (with regards to food) with the world and she’s doing it by finding “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants. What’s very interesting is that she’s an Asian born Canadian. With one of her parents born in Vancouver and one born in Asia, both ends of the spectrum have influenced her.
She derives her success because of her content and what her target market wants to see. Sheryl also states that as a blogger, your ethnicity and culture does not limit you – it’s a lot to do with the content.
Sheryl Kristie Yen recently graduated from the Sauder School of Business program at UBC. Quickly finding an internership with Canada Wide Media, she was given the responsibility and role of the “Socialist” blog in the BC Business Online Magazine. The magazine attracts a wide range of readers and subscribers and especially targets the relatively small Vancouver business community.
The “Socialist” is often seen at many business social events, keeping updated with all industries, and snapping photos of the up and coming. To build your network, going to these events is a must. To play competitively, you have to be nice – and it starts by smiling for the camera! Organizations and groups have invited Miss Yen to their events to capture the city’s glamour. People are starting to understand the importance and impact that blogs have on online marketing.
Sheryl is also involved with independent PR contract work and is planning to continue our interest with social media. She says it takes time to get good at it but when you do, social media is a super powerful tool that will get your message across the city, the country, and even the world.
The Interview Transcribed
Who are you and what do you do?
- “Socialist” for BC Business Magazine
- Go out to do different social events in the Vancouver business community
- Take photos of people and blog about the scene
How have you seen Asians portrayed in your industry in the past?
- Social media wanst a huge thing – this is a new thing
- Bloggers are getting more experience, anyone can do it
- It doesn’t matter what background – you’re behind a screen, you can be any one
- Has been a lot of recent Asian social bloggers especially in the food industry
Have you seen Asians in your industry succeed?
- A lot o the people that come out that are bloggers are Asian, maybe 60%
- Do a lot of different social blog, Modern Mix Vancouver, a lot of social food bloggers
Why do you think they have succeeded or not?
- Not really their culture why or why not they have succeeded
- Being in Vancouver you become very westernized and involved in the culture here
- Many of us grow up here and go to school here, in order to jive with society and get people to follow your blog because its relevant, you have to speak their language
- People that follow the social media are younger and its become more of a social trend
Do you find that being of Asian background that it prevents you to find opportunities your industry?
- I don’t think so because its pretty equal, really anyone can blog –
- You can blog about anything and you can say you’re anyone
Do you think there’s enough Asian culture content in social media?
- There are certain blogs that are catered towards Asian culture
- Blogs are usually specific sometimes (Asian restaurant blogs)
- Not too many blogs dedicated to Asian culture
- Point of blog is to get people to follow you, to connect with you, as important as Asian culture, it’s not the biggest seller to get the most hits on your website
Are you influenced by your asian background in your blogging?
- With regards to the Socialist – not pick content according to Asian trends,
- it’s the whole BC industry – sometimes it’s Chinese related but not all the time
- Personal blog – subconsciously have food posts that revolve around Asian food, want to share with everyone else in Vancouver life and that Asian life is a significance part in our current culture today
Is it well received that you’re making references to your Asian background?
- Being an Asian but born in Vancouver, different twist on things
- do have that background and tradition behind me but offer a different perspective – a Westcoast Vancouver perspective.
- A mix of the two combines gives people perspectives into the Chinese culture without intense traditional cultures.
What do you think makes an effective blog?
- A lot of it is posting a lot of content all the time.
- A lot of the time it’s how you reach out to people.
- Posting relevant content – what people are interested in, something they want to read.
Why do you think blogging is a good way to getting your message across?
- A lot of the times, everyone is attached to their phone – for instance tweetberry
- people want to know what’s happening on in the city … it’s part of the industry that I am in now, its relevant and if you follow the right people – you will learn a lot.
Conclusion
Blogging and twittering have been an integral part of online social media in the past couple years. Sometimes overlooked by many organizations, the powerful tool of personal words and pictures on a website can make something from nothing to the talk in town. As a business professional, Sheryl has been successful at capturing the audiences’ attention because of her content (which ironically is also her audience). The nature of her “Socialist” blog allows her to connect with her content on a face to face basis. Numerous bloggers out there that go to events don’t get a chance to meet the people that they are blogging about. Shery has been given the power to connect with her content first, let them know where she’s from, and where they can find their faces. This is a powerful catch when your content is actually viewing your posts. Not only does she have people that don’t attend the events viewing her posts, she’s got her content viewing her posts!
Her own cultural does not substantially reflect in her work but she did mention that her personal blog had subconsciously started to revolve around Asian food in Vancouver. She explains that she wants to share the wonderful Asian influences to the city (with regards to food) with the world and she’s doing it by finding “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants. What’s very interesting is that she’s an Asian born Canadian. With one of her parents born in Vancouver and one born in Asia, both ends of the spectrum have influenced her.
She derives her success because of her content and what her target market wants to see. Sheryl also states that as a blogger, your ethnicity and culture does not limit you – it’s a lot to do with the content.
