Consider keeping a running list of people you’d like to meet at the next EAG(x)

I used to be pretty overwhelmed when using Swapcard to figure out who I should meet at EAG(x)s. I still get kinda overwhelmed, but I've found it helpful to start identifying meetings I'd like to have many weeks before the event.

I do this by creating an easy-to-add-to list in the months leading up to the event. Then when I encounter someone who wrote an interesting post, or if a friend mentions someone scoping a project I'm excited about, I add them to this list. (I use the app todoist to do this quickly with a keyboard shortcut). When Swapcard goes live, I just look up which people on that list are attending.

I still value spontaneous meetings though; at least a few of my meetings are typically prompted by random scrolling through the attendee list.

Thanks for sharing this!

If you're willing to write up some of your on the ground perspective and it seem valuable, we'd be happy to share it with attendees!

Off the top of my head, I'm thinking things like:

• What changes in community members attitudes might 'leaders' not be tracking?
• From your engagement with 'leaders' and community members, what seem to be the biggest misunderstandings?
• What cheap actions could leaders take that might have a really positive influence on the community?

I'll DM you with info on on how to share such a write up, if you're interested.  

Random anecadata on a very specific instance: I worked with Drew to make a Most Important Century writing prize. I enjoyed our conversations and we worked well together — Drew was nice and ambitious. I heard concerns about Nonlinear at this time, but never had anything suspect come up.

Flagging EA Opportunity Board to make sure it's on your radar. It's focused mostly on more junior, non-permanent positions and pretty EA focused.

Thanks for engaging with this post! I appreciate the seriousness with which you engage with the question “is this actually good?” If it’s not, I don’t want to celebrate this donation or encourage others to do the same; the answer to that question matters.

I think your arguments are plausible, and I agree with the comment you make elsewhere that the EA Forum should be a place for such (relatively) unfiltered push back.

But in the absence of any inside view on this topic and the fair push back Nick made, I still feel solid about holding the outside view that donation to GiveWell top charity = good. Neither the specifics of GiveWell charities nor subjective well-being in LMICs are my areas of expertise, so I‘m mostly deferring to GiveWell. But I also think most lives are worth living, and I’m weary (although I could be wrong) about “lives not worth living” lines of reasoning in countries and cultures I don’t understand well.

Thanks Grace! Feel free to share.

Thanks Nick! Really appreciate you flagging this. I didn't intend it that way and hope the edit helps: 

Maybe playing with their friends in the schoolyard, maybe spending time with their grandma, or maybe just kicking rocks, alone.

It totally should be. Fixed, thanks :) 

Readers may also be interested in EA Opportunities Board