You Just Seem to Work Hard

The following is a guest post by Yan Tang.

Photo: Yan Tang

Recently I have finished reading a Chinese book that went viral in 2015 after publish. It talks about many different millennials' stories with topics about dreams, youth and relationships. The author is a millennial and his book has inspired thousands of other millennials in China. With curiosity, I bought this book in early 2016 right before coming to United States, in a hope of learning something special from a young writer's perspectives. Interestingly, his book did not excite me as I expected and many of those stories are very unrealistic. However, I did resonate one topic very much: you just seem to work hard, but you didn't do your best.

Many times, you give others an impression that you are very busy, staying long hours in the library with a pile of books. You stay up late to meet assignment deadlines and even don't have time hang out with friends. For outsiders, they assume you must be a good student with excellent grades as you work so hard. However, you are still not the top five students even if you spend your day and night in the library or you keep yourself busy all the time. Why?

Photo: Yan Tang

Because when in the library, you still cannot leave your phone alone and you can't help to check your WeChat, Facebook or Twitter from time to time. You keep your laptop open but actually you are browsing some websites that are irrelevant to your homework. You take a selfie and post on social media showing how hard you work. Even if sitting in the library all day long, you are not really focusing on reading or finishing assignment but indulge in playing your electronic products or updating your Facebook or Twitter. You thought you could to get extra resources for school, so you visited Amazon to buy lots of books, downloaded lots of materials from internet. But you end up reading nothing except letting them sitting somewhere covered with dust. In a word, you just seem to work hard; you are busy but inefficient.

Many people especially millennials (including myself) have this in common, but actually no one has ever articulated it or pointed it out. I was a little shocked after reading this book as it happens to me all the time. For example, a 2-hour assignment, it will take me six hours to complete as I will get distracted by the phone or doing something irrelevant. It seems like I work hard by spending six hours doing assignment, but in fact, it is simply inefficient. 

The reason I am writing this is to remind myself of becoming a real hard-worker: when you are at work, work efficiently and productively. Now I am at a turning point of writing the next chapter of my life by starting a new venture, and hard work is a must. But first and foremost, I have to get rid of that habit--"you just seem to work hard." I can't do the business research well if I keep updating Facebook or reviewing WeChat moments every five minutes. As for entrepreneurs: every hour matters, my advisor, Aaron Rose, says.

Yan Tang serves as President and CEO of CareerLight, LLC, a Seattle, Wash.-based company that provides customized career training for international students to help them prepare for a successful career.

Palau's President Creates Blog to Promote Transparency

In this blog, I often discuss the need for governments, at all levels, to operate more transparently when it comes to formulating public policy or implementing public projects. I am happy to learn that Johnson Toribiong, President of the Pacific island nation of Palau, launched a blog to promote government transparency. Bernadette Carreon wrote an article for the Marianas Variety, a newspaper based in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, saying "the Belau Blog was established to promote direct access to government information and address misinformation." (Photo of President Toribiong courtesy of the ROP)

In an interview given by President Toribiong, according to Ms. Carreon's article, "the blog contains information regarding the executive branch including laws that needed to [be] explained." The Belau Blog will allow Palauans living outside their native country "to access information about the executive branch" and will offer all readers the opportunity to comment on President Toribiong's activities. Posted on July 29, 2009, President Toribiong's first entry said, "Welcome to the Official Blog of the Republic of Palau. As much as we can, we will publish as much news, executive, orders and such on this Blog. Please feel free to comment on this blog but please keep it polite. Thank you very much and hope you visit the blog often."

I commend President Toribiong's efforts in using technology to promote transparency and, I hope, government accountability. I recommend all nation leaders to follow the President of Palau's lead in using the Internet to engage citizens at home and residing abroad. Using blogs and social media services will allow citizens to become better informed on various issues and engage constituents to help formulate solutions to their nation's most pressing problems.

Using Technology to Promote Government Transparency and Citizen Engagement

In my November 8, 2008 entry, "Obama: A Tech President?" I wrote about President Obama's plan to promote government transparency by using online social networking and electronic media channels. In his weekly address made on April 25, 2009, Mr. Obama said, "To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative." The White House's official blog said the Obama administration moved several steps forward by creating a presence on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo, YouTube, iTunes, and blogs available through http://www.whitehouse.gov. I commend the Obama administration for using available technological tools to create an opportunity for American citizens to have their voices heard.

The White House Blog explains, "Technology has profoundly impacted how – and where – we all consume information and communicate with one another. WhiteHouse.gov is an important part of the Administration's effort to use the internet to reach the public quickly and effectively – but it isn't the only place. There's a lot to talk about right now. From an economic crisis to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the President and his Administration have a full plate – not the least of which is making sure the public stays up-to-date and involved in our efforts."

Critics argue that electronic media simply increases multiple channels for the President to promote his agenda. While this may be carry some truth, opening the doors to the public will create an unprecedented level of transparency. American citizens from outside of Washington, D.C. should have a voice on how their presidency operates and using technology such as electronic media will help facilitate this process of openness. In addition, utilizing the latest online communication tools will have a direct impact on increasing citizen participation in governmental affairs. After all, it is our government. I highly encourage governments worldwide to adopt a similar strategy of using technology to promote government transparency and citizen engagement.

U.S. Government Creates an Online Community for Small Businesses

On March 18, 2009, the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the creation of the Business Gateway Program and "a new Web initiative – http://community.business.gov – the first government-sponsored online community built specifically for small businesses."

The Business.gov Community is a "place where you and fellow business owners can discuss and share the information that you need to start and run a successful business. Every business owner's issues are different: You may need help with a specific problem or you may have valuable insight to share." Registration is free (although the password requirement is a bit cumbersome) and I found the website easy to navigate.

The Community is open to discussions and questions on important issues to business owners. The community is divided into the 3 areas:

1. Discussion Topics in which members ask and answer questions, and discuss business issues;
2. Idea Exchanges in which members give ideas on how to improve and refine the pages on the Business.gov website; and
3. Expert Insight & News which provide articles on timely business topics.

In addition to the Business.gov Community, I am a registered user of the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) Island Business Link, which "is an online global network of businesses and organizations interested in growth opportunities in the U.S. affiliated Pacific islands and U.S. Virgin Islands." I joined the Island Business Link because of my interest in the Federated States of Micronesia (please see "The Way Forward: Utilizing Fiber Optic Technology for Sustainable Economic Development"). The purpose of OIA's initiative is to help facilitate business and procurement opportunities.

It is too early to determine the monetization value of joining these online communities, but I find them useful in gaining information to the challenges and opportunities of conducting business in challenging market conditions. These communities serve as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn from each other's successes and mistakes. Please feel free to share your experiences with online communities designed specifically for business development.

Community of Veterans

Today, November 11, 2008, is Veterans Day in the United States (or Armistice Day worldwide) and I want to thank all the men and women who served to protect our freedom. I was reading an Associated Press article, "Today's veterans hall a mouse click away," which made me think about how technology plays an important role for the military not just during a combat situation, but those who are returning from a war. We are just learning to understand the benefits of online social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, but Community of Veterans was created through a joint effort of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the Ad Council. This social networking website provides an online community for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Community of Veterans helps veterans connect online and share their experiences with people whom they can best relate - other veterans. My friends who served in the military say one of the largest challenges for a soldier returning from combat is the sense of isolation. Websites like Community of Veterans and others being planned by organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion will offer an online social networking community to help veterans heal their physical or emotional wounds resulting from serving in a war. We can see the physical wounds of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, but we are often unaware of the mental and emotional toll that results from having exposure to a combat situation.

My grandfather, Dale Taylor, was proud of his military career serving in the U.S. Air Force and through all the war stories he proudly told (he was serving at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941), only once did I hear him talk about the emotional effects of war. It was not during one of our conversations, but one with his younger brother, James Taylor, who also served in the Air Force. Online social networking has made great strides in connecting people into difference communities and I hope this technology will connect veterans into a community that provides support for each other. Thank you to all veterans who served to protect our freedom.