I feel like I've posted some good stuff in the past month, but the bits that I think are coolest have pretty consistently gotten very negative karma.
I just read the rude post about rationalist discourse basics, and, while I can guess why my posts are receiving negative karma, that would involve a truly large amount of speculating about the insides of other people's heads, which is apparently discouraged. So I figured I would ask.
I will offer a bounty of $1000 for the answer I find most helpful, and a bounty of $100 for the next most helpful three answers. This will probably be paid out over Venmo, if that is a decision-relevant factor.
Note that I may comment on your answer asking for clarification.
Edit 11-30-2023 1:27 AM: I have selected the recipients of the bounties. The grand prize of $1000 goes to @Shankar Sivarajan . The three runner-up prizes of $100 go to @tslarm , @Joe Kwon , and @trevor . Please respond to my DM to arrange payment or select a worthy charity to receive your winnings.
Edit 11-30-2023 12:08 PM: I have paid out all four bounties. Please contact me in DM if there is any issue with any of the bounties.
I think "read the sequences" is an incredibly unhelpful suggestion. It's an unrealistic high bar for entry. The sequences are absolutely massive. It's like saying "read the whole bible before talking to anyone at church", but even longer. And many newcomers already understand the vast bulk of that content. Even the more helpful selected sequences are two thousand pages.
We need a better introduction to alignment work, LessWrong community standards, and rationality. Until we have it, we need to personally be more helpful to aspiring community members.
See The 101 Space You Will Always Have With You for a thorough and well-argued version of this argument.