I agree that the forum does already provide this function to get written feedback, however I’m not sure the written feedback makes it clear whether there is approval or lack of approval in general. Up and down voting helps, but I wouldn’t want to construe a bunch of upvotes as widespread approval to start a project, nor the downvotes as suggesting I’m triggering some terrible unilateralist curse! My thought was not fully formed, but I was thinking a bit more of a rating system, where someone could have a pretty rough idea, gets it checked it over with a few EAs and if it is approved, then they flesh the idea out a bit, and then it gets checked over by more people with more experience. Ideally in a way where people don’t feel uncomfortable sharing their ideas, and people feel okay about checking a box that says “This is likely to hasten catastrophe, don’t do it!”. I’ve been in a position where I’ve thought of starting a project, didn’t feel all that comfortable asking for feedback on the forum or reaching out widely until I had befriended many EAs so I could quietly talk it over with them, and I guess that others might be in the same boat (Although that might be more about me, than about the systems we have in place!).
I’m not quite sure what forum features could be added to help that, or whether there is a market for that beyond me!
I agree that the forum does already provide this function to get written feedback, however I’m not sure the written feedback makes it clear whether there is approval or lack of approval in general. Up and down voting helps, but I wouldn’t want to construe a bunch of upvotes as widespread approval to start a project, nor the downvotes as suggesting I’m triggering some terrible unilateralist curse! My thought was not fully formed, but I was thinking a bit more of a rating system, where someone could have a pretty rough idea, gets it checked it over with a few EAs and if it is approved, then they flesh the idea out a bit, and then it gets checked over by more people with more experience. Ideally in a way where people don’t feel uncomfortable sharing their ideas, and people feel okay about checking a box that says “This is likely to hasten catastrophe, don’t do it!”. I’ve been in a position where I’ve thought of starting a project, didn’t feel all that comfortable asking for feedback on the forum or reaching out widely until I had befriended many EAs so I could quietly talk it over with them, and I guess that others might be in the same boat (Although that might be more about me, than about the systems we have in place!).
I’m not quite sure what forum features could be added to help that, or whether there is a market for that beyond me!