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This is: New? Start here! (Useful links) , published by Aaron Gertler on the Effective Altruism Forum.
If we should change something in this post, or add something new, please let us know. Thanks!
This post lays out resources that might be valuable to Forum users, new or experienced. We want to keep it visible and up-to-date at all times.
New to effective altruism?
Learn the basics
A lot of posts on the Forum might be confusing if you’re not very familiar with effective altruism (“EA”). If you’ve just begun to learn about EA, try these resources:
The EA Handbook covers a range of core concepts in effective altruism. You can read the content on your own, or take an online course to discuss the ideas with other people.
If you want to really dive in, this is a great place to start. If you'd prefer just one article, try this one.
Giving What We Can, one of the first EA charities, has a great list of books, videos, essays, and podcasts.
Ask a question
If you have a specific question about EA, you should post it on the Forum: go to this page and click “New Question”.
No matter how simple your question is, people here will be happy to help. Don’t be shy!
New to the Forum?
How to use the site
You should start with “How to Use the Forum”, which covers ground rules and basic functionality.
Introduce yourself
People use our monthly “open threads” to introduce themselves and talk about what they’ve been doing. This is a great way to make your first comment!
We also recommend writing a bio.
Share your thoughts
Another good way to start commenting: read posts, and provide feedback to the authors. Positive feedback can be especially valuable!
Looking for something to read?
Get the weekly email digest
Every week, the Forum’s moderators send an email sharing some of their favorite recent posts. Sign up for the emails with this form.
See posts that won prizes
Some of the Forum’s best posts have been awarded the EA Forum Prize. Here’s a list of all the winning posts.
Sort posts by topic
Want something more specific? Look at our tag page, which sorts articles by topic.
Read user-made sequences
We also have sequences — lists of related posts that people have glued together for a better reading experience.
View and sort every single post
For a more “choose your own adventure” feel, check out the “All Posts” page, which lets you filter thousands of posts using different criteria.
Want to write a post?
Videos with advice on writing for the Forum
As the Forum’s lead moderator, I’ve given a few talks on how to find good ideas and write good posts (EAGxVirtual, EA Student Summit). If you want motivation or brainstorming tips, you might find it helpful to skim through them.
See what other people want
Other places to find ideas:
1. “What posts do you want someone to write?”
If you publish something based on a comment here, be sure to tell the commenter!
This is also a good place to post if you want someone else to write something.
2. "A central directory for open research questions"
Many people and organizations have made lists of questions they think could be very impactful to answer. This post contains most of those lists.
If you want to explore a question you find here, consider messaging the person/org that originally asked the question, so you can ask for feedback on your plans.
Consider an "Ask Me Anything" post
"Ask Me Anything" posts (AMAs) are some of the Forum's most useful. Rather than guessing what writing would help readers, you can answer questions directly!
AMAs can come from a wide range of people; you don't have to have a lot of experience in the EA movement or hold an EA-related job. See our guide to running an AMA for more information.
Choose your post format (Markdown vs. CKEditor)
The Forum's default editor (CKEditor) handles almost everything you'd want in a post... but not footnote...
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