This is a special post for quick takes by Gemma 🔸. Only they can create top-level comments. Comments here also appear on the Quick Takes page and All Posts page.
Should we be making it so difficult for users with an EA forum account to make updates to the forum wikis?
I imagine the platform vision for the EA forum is to be the "Wikipedia for do-gooders" and make it useful as a resource for people working out the best ways to do good. For example, when you google "Effective Altruism AI Safety" on incognito mode - the first result is the forum topic on AI safety: AI safety - EA Forum (effectivealtruism.org)
I was chatting to @Rusheb about this who has spent the last year upskilling to transition into AI Safety from software development. He had some great ideas for links (ie. new 80k guides, site that had links for newbies or people making the transition from software engineering)
Ideally someone who had this experience and opinions on what would be useful on a landing page for AI Safety should be able to suggest this on the wiki page (like you can do on Wikipedia with the caveat that you can be overruled). However, he doesn't have the forum karma to do that and the tooltip explaining that was unclear on how to get the karma to do it.
I have the forum karma to do it but I don't think I should get the credit - I didn't have the AI safety knowledge - he did. In this scenario, the forum has lost out on some free improvements to its wiki plus an engaged user who would feel "bought in". Is there a way to "lend him" my karma?
I got it from posting about EA Taskmaster which shouldn't make me an authority on AI Safety.
Hmmm I'm not being as prescriptive as that. Maybe there is a better solution to this specific problem - maybe requiring someone with higher karma to confirm the suggestion? (original person gets the credit)
This is similar to how StackOverflow / StackExchange works, I think – any user can propose an edit (or there's some very low reputation threshold, I forget) but if you're below some reputation bar then your edit won't be published until reviewed by someone else.
Making this system work well though probably requires higher-karma users having a way of finding out about pending edits.
See also the Payroll Giving (UK) or GAYE - EA Forum (effectivealtruism.org) page which it is the top google result for "Effective Altruism Payroll Giving". It made sense for me to update since I am an accountant and have experience trying to get this done at my workplace.
Did I need to make a post about something unrelated to do that?
London folks - I'm going to be running the EA Taskmaster game again at the AIM office on the afternoon of Sunday 8th September.
It's a fun, slightly geeky, way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Check out last year's list of tasks for a flavour of what's in store 👀
Sign up here
(Wee bit late in properly advertising so please do spread the word!)
The OECD are currently hiring for a few potentially high-impact roles in the tax policy space:
The Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (CTPA)
I know less about the impact of these other areas but these look good:
Trade and Agriculture Directorate (TAD)
International Energy Agency (IEA)
Financial Action Task Force
Should we be making it so difficult for users with an EA forum account to make updates to the forum wikis?
I imagine the platform vision for the EA forum is to be the "Wikipedia for do-gooders" and make it useful as a resource for people working out the best ways to do good. For example, when you google "Effective Altruism AI Safety" on incognito mode - the first result is the forum topic on AI safety: AI safety - EA Forum (effectivealtruism.org)
I was chatting to @Rusheb about this who has spent the last year upskilling to transition into AI Safety from software development. He had some great ideas for links (ie. new 80k guides, site that had links for newbies or people making the transition from software engineering)
Ideally someone who had this experience and opinions on what would be useful on a landing page for AI Safety should be able to suggest this on the wiki page (like you can do on Wikipedia with the caveat that you can be overruled). However, he doesn't have the forum karma to do that and the tooltip explaining that was unclear on how to get the karma to do it.
I have the forum karma to do it but I don't think I should get the credit - I didn't have the AI safety knowledge - he did. In this scenario, the forum has lost out on some free improvements to its wiki plus an engaged user who would feel "bought in". Is there a way to "lend him" my karma?
I got it from posting about EA Taskmaster which shouldn't make me an authority on AI Safety.
Is your concrete suggestion/ask "get rid of the karma requirement?"
Hmmm I'm not being as prescriptive as that. Maybe there is a better solution to this specific problem - maybe requiring someone with higher karma to confirm the suggestion? (original person gets the credit)
This is similar to how StackOverflow / StackExchange works, I think – any user can propose an edit (or there's some very low reputation threshold, I forget) but if you're below some reputation bar then your edit won't be published until reviewed by someone else.
Making this system work well though probably requires higher-karma users having a way of finding out about pending edits.
See also the Payroll Giving (UK) or GAYE - EA Forum (effectivealtruism.org) page which it is the top google result for "Effective Altruism Payroll Giving". It made sense for me to update since I am an accountant and have experience trying to get this done at my workplace.
Did I need to make a post about something unrelated to do that?
Since they were well received last year, I'm going to be hosting the EA London Quarterly Review Coworking sessions again for 2024.
You can register here: Q1 FY24 session sign up; Q2 FY24 session sign up; Q3 FY24 session sign up; Q4 FY24 session sign up
Thanks to Rishane for making this poster and to LEAH for hosting us.
