Outsourcing on Elance
The project summary in Elance
I just outsourced my first job via Elance- basically to find somebody to splice and code the Locra site from a basic Photoshop file to CSS-compliant webpages. As a team of mostly busy undergraduates, working on Locra means a trade off with either academics, activities, or sleep- and it unsurprisingly things move quite slowly as school life gets in the way. Hopefully, by outsourcing activities which are simple but tedious we will be able to move faster. It has been almost a year since the project has started and it is about time to make it happen.
This also made me think a bit about the opportunity cost of education. A few days earlier I received a warning from my scholarship provider as my grades for the past quarter had fallen well below an A- average (though my career average was ok). Outsourcing the more mundane tasks, and focusing on the important things (good grades?) will hopefully be better in the long run, though expensive in the short run. Typing this on a Saturday night (sigh) with 2 midterms next week, I sure do hope this works.
Redsports.sg: Singapore’s ESPN
Had the opportunity just before I left to get in touch with Les, the creator of redsports.sg. Redsports is a sports news and opinion site that focuses on the Singapore sports scene- from school sports at the different levels, to the national team. You can read more at this page, in which Les describes their mission.
The current look of the Redsports site
It was interesting listening to why Les talk about how he started Redsports. He had started off developing Redsports as a photography news site, and slowly gathered volunteers and helpers to cover the many sports events in Singapore, while also finding advertisers and sponsors to keep the site going. The sheer scale of what he had accomplished was amazing- he had effectively started a sports media company of his own, with volunteer reporters and photographers, and a revenue model to sustain it- all of this from his home coffee table.
Talking to him confirmed my belief that sometimes all it takes to spark change is a dedicated individual who is willing to change things. I was a not-very-good waterpolo player in secondary school who did not continue the sport in junior college. A small part of the reason was that nobody seemed to notice whether I played or not (how immature I was then!). Though my eventual decision was based on many other factors as well, I wonder if a few mentions on a site like Redsports would have given me the positive encouragement to continue playing. In a society where academic achievements are perhaps over-recognized, sites like Redsports provide crucial recognition to the arena of athletics in Singapore.
It was amazing listening to Les. In Singapore, where the local newspapers’ sports desks consist of re-broadcasting foreign sports news, Redsports fills a crucial gap in the news industry. By covering the school/varsity sports scene he attracts the eyeballs of the youth population- most notably the 16-25 crowd who are in JC/Poly/Uni. The marketing opportunities of Redsports, if fully exploited, would be incredible- and knowing Les, the funds would probably be put into developing the sports scene in schools.
PS: I talked to Les about a few ideas on how to improve the usability of the site- and how to make it easier to crowdsource photos and articles- something like the Bleacher Report. If you’re an expert in web usability and are interested in helping the school sports scene drop me an email and I’ll put you in contact with Les.
Doing good, and the personal branding complex
Was talking to a good friend of mine who had recently returned to Stanford from a 1 year hiatus. One year ago, he had taken a leave of absence to travel and work in another part of the world, getting the opportunity to see life from the villages to the urban city. This time, when he talked, he had a certain worldly wisdom that was far beyond his years- he had witnessed the world, and seemed to understand himself more because of it.
One thing that we talked about was about a social enterprise in the Bay Area, which was doing work in the country he had visited. He had worked there for a short while, and I asked him what he thought of its work there. He raised an interesting point- he said that he wasn’t sure whether the founders were doing it for the cause, or for their own personal branding. I had heard about this from others as well- that the founders were more interested in building hype and letting the world know what they were doing, than doing actual work to help people.
Personal branding- an industry in itself
It was interesting, and it made me reflect back to the many times in the past I had had the chance to talk to founders of charities. Some struck me as intensely ideological, wanting to make a change in the world, while others struck me as more interested in enjoying the political/social capital they had accrued as “noble founders” of a charity. I could place most of them somewhere along this spectrum- some had started out in the former category before sliding to the latter.
I recall sitting in a swanky office of a local UN-linked nonprofit in Singapore, facing a founder who had his legs up on his table while telling me that his clout with the UN “made the government scared of [his] power”. Yet another time was hearing nurses in a church-linked community hospital complain about their church-appointed socialite overseer, who hardly spent any time in the hospital but yet was present for every charity gala dinner.
It was something interesting to think about: Mike Del Ponte, of Sparkseed once told me that the most powerful question to ask someone was “what do you want?”. Perhaps it is ever more important in the social enterprise/nonprofit world to ask oneself that question, to avoid one’s ego getting in the way of the larger social mission. I have been guilty of this more often than not- and often the blurry line between doing it for the ego and for the cause is difficult to define. But it something I have to be aware of and avoid, to prevent the I in me to blind me to inadequacy.
Pepsi: Refresh only the USA
Got an email from Do Something about the new Pepsi Refresh the World grant, a new initiative by Pepsi to make a strong push into the social media/activism sphere. It really is an interesting shift in advertising strategy for Pepsi- it has long lagged behind Coke in many areas, especially in online social media. As this article reports, its Facebook fan page has “only” 250,000 people, versus Coke’s 4 million.
However something to note- I was initially quite excited about it. Pepsi giving away millions of dollars every month to change the world? That, till this caught my eye on their site.
May my project help someone overseas?
No, all Applications must be submitted by US residents and must benefit projects taking place and serving the US.
Those are some pretty clear words. Granted, its their money and they can choose how to use it- and there are many causes in the US that need as much or more help as the world outside. But by launching an online social media campaign (read: global audience) about refreshing the “world”, and then excluding everyone else in it but the USA, it sends the message that only the US matters to them. Pepsi sure is a global brand- just don’t expect it to refresh the world.
Getting Things Done
Read David Allen’s getting things done (GTD) over the holidays, and it’s basically a productivity system that helps you get your head clear. It does seem too much of a overkill for a college student (it’s mainly geared for business executives) but it does work, and pretty well.
I’ve started to adopt it and it is really good. I’m using a pretty technology based set-up to implement the GTD system- namely Remember The Milk, Evernote, and Instapaper. All of them sync between my laptop and iPhone (and even airport computers!), so it makes my “dorm workspace” fully mobile.
My to do list in RTM
I’ve started to get really interested about life hacks, which are productivity tricks that programmers/people employ to make life easier. A few of the best blogs for it are Life Hacker, Life Hacks, or 43 Folders. You won’t regret reading them- promise.
Engineering in Singapore?
Read a very interesting article on Salary.sg regarding engineering in Singapore. It worries that Singapore is increasingly becoming “high cost, low tech”, and that careers in engineering in Singapore is losing out to business, finance and accountancy careers. It follows on a long discussion on that site of how engineering is a dead end career, and how President’s scholars in the past two batches are not doing engineering.
I recall visiting friends in NUS and SMU over the summer break, and the general reaction to me telling them I was now an engineer was one of “what?!” Many of them were studying business (or some combination thereof), and a great many harbored ambitions of going to work in a finance or banking outfit. The remaining lot either wanted to be doctors or lawyers, and some perceived engineering subjects as somewhat of a “dumping ground”. The few technology startups I saw were staffed by mostly foreign students.
It was in general a huge difference from what I was used to in Silicon Valley, where engineers are in the greatest demand by startups and corporations alike. Singapore’s push to become a financial hub has created jobs in the banking and finance sectors, but perhaps we have not yet developed a “dependable” technological innovation industry that makes us less suspect to the vagaries of global finance. The earlier Solow, and later Romer and Jones model of economic growth unanimously point to productivity growth (either through technological innovation, or more efficient allocation) as the key driver of sustained economic growth. Singapore arguably has a limit to which it can further reallocate its resources; thus technological innovation may remain Singapore’s long-term option for the future. And innovation does not mean research- it means research that can be spun off into start-ups (e.g. Google, etc) or sold as commercial technologies.
At this point it is interesting to look at another country which has done so. Israel, a country of relatively similar circumstances, has one of the largest technology industries in the world, as this fascinating article writes (it also includes a reference to Singapore, in a not-so-positive way). A quote from the article:
Israel’s economic growth has not been based on easy credit or a real estate boom, but on the technology-driven productivity gains that economists believe is the key to sustained economic growth.
Interesting stuff. Perhaps Singapore’s future lies away from her entrepot past- where the country’s fortunes were made on her being a hub for business, trade and finance- and instead lies in producing ideas, the new goods of the global economy.
Changing Majors
I am halfway through the fall quarter of sophomore year, and I’ve learnt to better handle college life this year. Residential college life blurs the lines between play, study and life- and thus living a balanced life has been pretty difficult.
“Text messages save lives”- An example of how technology is a “game changer”
This year has also been one for changes. My academic paths as well as interests have changed over the past year, perhaps due to the exposure (for the first time) to many other areas other than the humanities. Classes such as Technology for Social Change and Liberation Technologies has shown me how technology and the sciences can change the world. I have also come to appreciate the field of engineering, especially the way engineers think. I may now be pursuing a degree in Computer Science or Computer Systems Engineering.
This change in direction comes at a good time; I am thankful for the flexibility of Stanford’s system, which allows for it. The ensuing journey, though, is tough. I am letting go of my progress in the Economics major, which I had been doing relatively well in. The engineering classes I am taking now take up far more time than last year’s courseload, and I have to work twice harder than anyone else to bring myself up to speed on physics and math. Yet in doing so I have come to appreciate the way both the humanities and sciences view the world; in a way I cannot put in words, they are incomplete without the other.
How will this impact my future in the civil service? To be frank, I have no idea. Yet I believe strongly in the ability of technology to change societies and communities for the better. The newfound ability to be able to build tools that can make life easier for everyone else is liberating, as compared only being able to analyze them and affect them through policy. I realize, increasingly, that the world needs both, and thus an understanding of both is increasingly important.
During freshman orientation, Stanford’s Vice Provost Dean Julie said that we should not expect to leave Stanford the kind of person we came in as. Back then I had assumed it meant that we would graduate with more head knowledge about the subject we were to study; what I had not grasped was that the college experience might irrevocably change our interests and mindsets. As Dean Julie said, “your college experience WILL change you,” and perhaps it has- hopefully, for the better.
Visit to WiserEarth
Visited WiserEarth’s Sausalito office with Keshav today, to pitch Locra to them and see how we could use WiserEarth’s current resources. If you haven’t heard of WiserEarth, they seek to connect every and anyone who is part of the movement towards sustainability and making the world a better place. In short, somewhat like a social network for do-gooders around the world. You can read more about them here, and browse their fascinating world map here.
The WiserEarth site
We pitched Locra.org to Angus and Wibowo, the director and chief editor of WiserEarth over 2 hours. They were able to tell us where we were headed in the right direction, and offered us great advice on how to move forward. It was humbling to listen to them talk about how WiserEarth came about and how they planned to move it forward, tapping on their veteran wisdom.
Meanwhile, things are looking up for Locra.org. After the summer lull, we are ready to pick up, reorganize and move on. Along the way we have managed to hit a few new ideas which look very promising- I’ll write about them another day. Next week we begin recruitment, and from there things will be much more interesting as we move forward.
On another note, paying for the taxi ride from the San Francisco Caltrain station to WiserEarth’ office in Sausalito cost a fortune. The public transport outside of the city is non-existent, and I can’t rent a car till I’ve had my license for a year. Thus I might be getting a cheap car if finances allow, and will be going for my driving test soon.
Give.sg, Singapore’s Kiva
Stumbled upon Give.sg today, and got really excited. Founded by a group of NUS students and based in a NUS Business incubator, their work “supports charity and fundraising efforts across Singapore”. My guess is that it is a Kiva approach to charity in Singapore, where charities put up requests for donations online, and Give.sg provides a one-stop donation portal where people can donate online.
The Give.sg Website
I’ve seen quite a few Kiva-clones already- good ideas spread, and in the future it is very likely every country or cause will have its own donation portal. Yet I cannot hide my excitement that this has managed to develop autonomously in Singapore. Will keep close tab on this (it launches in 53 days) and can’t say how much I’m excited for this. I’m starting to repeat myself. But wow! Imagine the possibilities!
PS: Does anyone know any of the guys on the Give.sg team?
Singapore and its foreigners
Went to the National University of Singapore (NUS) today to visit my friend from China. He is an NUS student and had been on exchange in Stanford last year, and I thought I’d use the opportunity to get to know my local university as well.
I admit visiting NUS was like being a resident tourist, a Singaporean being led on a tour of his own local university by a student from China. I noted the large number of foreign students in NUS (almost 30%, compared to Stanford’s 7%). The importance of these foreigners was only realized when I visited an incubator on campus- about two-thirds were foreigners working (or starting) different start-ups. Few Singaporeans, apparently, wanted to work in start ups.
Picture from Wikipedia.org
Foreigners in Singapore
Foreigners in Singapore remain a touchy subject to many, especially in a recession climate. The opposition to foreign talent stems from numerous quarters- much of it in the job market, where it is perceived that there are more privileges awarded a foreigner than a Singaporean like a blogger writes here. With no national service liaibility (40 days), no CPF and no “resign” privileges, foreigners are indeed a ‘good deal’ to employers in Singapore. Moreover, there is discontent that education scholarships and places go to foreigners, as described here. Many proposals have come up, including one that proposes that new citizens be made to learn English and undergo a modified National Service, though others have argued it is not practical. Another proposal suggests new citizens do community service.
In a way Singapore is not the only one struggling with foreigners in its societies (Silicon Valley itself does too, as this article illustrates). Singapore’s 1st wave of foreigners came with Raffles’ free-immigration policy; perhaps we are now witnessing the 2nd wave of foreigners. Four key questions remain: to what extent we should open our gates, how we can integrate them as Singaporeans, and how we can get Singaporean society to accept them- all while balancing the last question of how Singapore can remain competitive in the race for global talent.
The first and last questions are ones that are beyond me. I admit I do not know how to answer the question of whether “should a government treat its citizens better than immigrants”, as it is a tenuous balance between the need to remain competitive and the natural wants of the country’s citizens. Is it too much? Is it just right? I don’t know. But perhaps there are other ways to make it less painful.
Another Way?
Perhaps there is a way both foreigners and Singaporeans can benefit. I went to an elementary school built by the Hokkien Huay Kuan, an organization founded by the immigrant forefathers of Singapore. Its earliest goals were to look after the welfare of the new immigrants, and later expanded to donating and contributing to Singapore as time went on (building schools, etc). Its role can be seen today in organizations such as New Citizens in the UK, which seeks the “active involvement” of new citizens in UK civic life.
I have asked many foreigners in Singapore whether they feel unwelcome in Singapore, and many do to some extent. But perhaps they are the only ones who can change that perception. Like the Hokkien Huay Kuan of years ago, perhaps they could come together to help each other ease into this country, and also do a little something for Singapore. It could be to help the poor in Singapore, or any other act of goodwill towards the Singaporean peoples. The root problem it might not solve, but at least it would make it less painful. Then again, the devil is always in the details- but only if!
(Would love to hear your comments or feedback!)
