Less Wrong has various other special threads. I want there to keep being open threads, effective altruist quote threads, welcome threads, and meetup announcements on this site. Additionally, we could borrow from Less Wrong:
’What Are You Working On?: a (bi)monthly thread on which users can showcase their current activities. Of course, such a thread on this forum would be specific activity at least tangential to effective altruism. Still, it could act as a way for effective altruists to find collaborators, and other volunteers, a la .impact, or have their projects funded by other effective altruists, as Diego Caleiro, and Ozzie Gooen, have started doing.
‘Group Effective Altruism Diary’: Less Wrong has a group rationality diary. We can do the same for effective altruism. This is a (bi)monthly thread for users to share how they’ve been doing applying effective altruism in their own lives.
‘Media Thread’: posted monthly to collect recommendations/reviews for media (books, movies, articles, etc.)
Ryan Carey wouldn’t have to maintain regular threads like these alone. Less Wrong users organize themselves to post these threads on their regularly timed schedule, and we could do the same. I personally volunteer to post the periodic threads I’ve suggested above. I’ll start posting these in October, one per week, and repeat the pattern every (other) month.
Additionally, Less Wrong users spontaneously created threads which became useful repositories of information.
Solved Problems Repository: this is a thread for ‘solved’ problems in instrumental rationality. Since instrumental rationality is useful advice for everyone, I recommend checking out that thread on Less Wrong itself. Anyway, we could have such a resource on this forum specific to effective altruism. For example, there could be a resources page for dealing with tax-deductible donations, launching a non-profit organization, etc., for each of the different countries effective altruists are from.
Useful Concepts Respository: a resource for crystallized ideas, and frames of reference, to catch up to speed on what others mean.
Helpful Life Advice: this is called something else on Less Wrong, but I figure we can call it ‘Helpful Life Advice’ here because effective altruism is so much more personal than other activities.
Useful Questions Repository: questions that are good, and useful, to keep in mind as an effective altruist. I recommend reading the original thread on Less Wrong as well.
Bad Concepts Repository: a body of concepts that effective altruists discover make for bad decision-making. I recommend reading the original thread on Less Wrong as well.
*Recommended Reading List: I’m aware Pablo Stafforini created one of these earlier for effective altruists, and I don’t know where it is now. Less Wrong has something similar in the Best Textbooks on Every Subject, which we can also use.
Procedural Knowledge Gaps: a thread for knowledge which should be common sense, but is only learned through experience. This seems especially important for effective altruism as it is a lifelong path fraught with difficult decisions, and knowing how to pass them well is important.
Repository of Mistakes: this could be a thread here for effective altruists to share the life-changing mistakes they’ve made. Like with procedural knowledge gaps, such a repository seems especially, crucially important for effective altruists, due to the specific and demanding lifestyle choices some of us may make.
If this forum never develops its own wiki as Less Wrong did for itself, or the existing effective altruism wiki remains stagnant, then I believe repository threads such as these should be linked from the home page of this forum. I believe it will make more sense to start these repository threads later, when this forum gains more users.
Overall, between periodic threads, repositories, and other special threads, specifically labeled as such when they’re posted, I believe fragmenting this thread as Ryan cautions against isn’t necessary.
Less Wrong has various other special threads. I want there to keep being open threads, effective altruist quote threads, welcome threads, and meetup announcements on this site. Additionally, we could borrow from Less Wrong:
’What Are You Working On?: a (bi)monthly thread on which users can showcase their current activities. Of course, such a thread on this forum would be specific activity at least tangential to effective altruism. Still, it could act as a way for effective altruists to find collaborators, and other volunteers, a la .impact, or have their projects funded by other effective altruists, as Diego Caleiro, and Ozzie Gooen, have started doing.
‘Group Effective Altruism Diary’: Less Wrong has a group rationality diary. We can do the same for effective altruism. This is a (bi)monthly thread for users to share how they’ve been doing applying effective altruism in their own lives.
‘Media Thread’: posted monthly to collect recommendations/reviews for media (books, movies, articles, etc.)
Ryan Carey wouldn’t have to maintain regular threads like these alone. Less Wrong users organize themselves to post these threads on their regularly timed schedule, and we could do the same. I personally volunteer to post the periodic threads I’ve suggested above. I’ll start posting these in October, one per week, and repeat the pattern every (other) month.
Additionally, Less Wrong users spontaneously created threads which became useful repositories of information.
Solved Problems Repository: this is a thread for ‘solved’ problems in instrumental rationality. Since instrumental rationality is useful advice for everyone, I recommend checking out that thread on Less Wrong itself. Anyway, we could have such a resource on this forum specific to effective altruism. For example, there could be a resources page for dealing with tax-deductible donations, launching a non-profit organization, etc., for each of the different countries effective altruists are from.
Useful Concepts Respository: a resource for crystallized ideas, and frames of reference, to catch up to speed on what others mean.
Helpful Life Advice: this is called something else on Less Wrong, but I figure we can call it ‘Helpful Life Advice’ here because effective altruism is so much more personal than other activities.
Useful Questions Repository: questions that are good, and useful, to keep in mind as an effective altruist. I recommend reading the original thread on Less Wrong as well.
Bad Concepts Repository: a body of concepts that effective altruists discover make for bad decision-making. I recommend reading the original thread on Less Wrong as well.
Grad Student Advice: self-explanatory.
*Recommended Reading List: I’m aware Pablo Stafforini created one of these earlier for effective altruists, and I don’t know where it is now. Less Wrong has something similar in the Best Textbooks on Every Subject, which we can also use.
Procedural Knowledge Gaps: a thread for knowledge which should be common sense, but is only learned through experience. This seems especially important for effective altruism as it is a lifelong path fraught with difficult decisions, and knowing how to pass them well is important.
Repository of Mistakes: this could be a thread here for effective altruists to share the life-changing mistakes they’ve made. Like with procedural knowledge gaps, such a repository seems especially, crucially important for effective altruists, due to the specific and demanding lifestyle choices some of us may make.
If this forum never develops its own wiki as Less Wrong did for itself, or the existing effective altruism wiki remains stagnant, then I believe repository threads such as these should be linked from the home page of this forum. I believe it will make more sense to start these repository threads later, when this forum gains more users.
Overall, between periodic threads, repositories, and other special threads, specifically labeled as such when they’re posted, I believe fragmenting this thread as Ryan cautions against isn’t necessary.