There are people who I would consider “EA” who I wouldn’t consider a “community member” (e.g. if they were not engaging much with other people in the community professionally or socially), but I’d be surprised if they label themselves “EA” (maybe they want to keep their identity small, or don’t like being associated with the EA community).
I think there’s actually one class of people I’ve forgotten—which is “EA professionals”—someone who might professionally collaborate or even work at an EA-aligned organization, but doesn’t see themselves as part of the community. So they would treat an EAG as a purely professional conference (vs. a community event).
There are people who I would consider “EA” who I wouldn’t consider a “community member” (e.g. if they were not engaging much with other people in the community professionally or socially), but I’d be surprised if they label themselves “EA” (maybe they want to keep their identity small, or don’t like being associated with the EA community).
Fwiw, I am broadly an example of this category, which is partly why I raised the example: I strongly believe in EA and engage in EA work, but mostly don’t interact with EAs outside professional contexts. So I would say “I am an EA”, but would be less inclined to say “I am a member of the EA community” except insofar as this just means believes in EA/does EA work.
There are people who I would consider “EA” who I wouldn’t consider a “community member” (e.g. if they were not engaging much with other people in the community professionally or socially), but I’d be surprised if they label themselves “EA” (maybe they want to keep their identity small, or don’t like being associated with the EA community).
I think there’s actually one class of people I’ve forgotten—which is “EA professionals”—someone who might professionally collaborate or even work at an EA-aligned organization, but doesn’t see themselves as part of the community. So they would treat an EAG as a purely professional conference (vs. a community event).
Fwiw, I am broadly an example of this category, which is partly why I raised the example: I strongly believe in EA and engage in EA work, but mostly don’t interact with EAs outside professional contexts. So I would say “I am an EA”, but would be less inclined to say “I am a member of the EA community” except insofar as this just means believes in EA/does EA work.