Site Guide: Personal Blogposts vs Frontpage Posts - LessWrong

Posts on practically any topic are welcomed on LessWrong [1]. I (and others on the team) feel it is important that members are able to “bring their entire selves” to LessWrong and are able to share all their thoughts, ideas, and experiences without fearing whether they are “on topic” for LessWrong. Rationality is not restricted to only specific domains of one’s life and neither should LessWrong be. However, to maintain its overall focus while still allowing posts on any topic, LessWrong classifies posts as either Personal blogposts or as Frontpage posts. THE TWO CLASSIFICATIONS PERSONAL BLOGPOSTS * Is the default classification for all posts. * Are not displayed by default on the homepage. * Can be on any topic [1] and in any format: nothing is “off topic” * Suitable for personal interests, blogging, and general ramblings * e.g. your thoughts on Magic the Gathering, a poem, or a short story you wrote * Suitable for discussion of current events * Suitable for discussion of specific social and community issues * Suitable for discussion of highly divisive topics * Suitable for discussion of the LessWrong website* FRONTPAGE POSTS * Are displayed by default to all users. * Authors can allow moderators to give their post Frontpage status if the moderator judges the post to be: * Useful, novel, and relevant to many LessWrong members“Timeless”, i.e. minimizes references to current events and is likely to remain useful even after a few yearsThe post attempts to explain rather than persuade This system allows LessWrong members to write about whatever is of interest to them while ensuring that only members who wish to see “off topic” content see that content. *The LessWrong team will make some exceptions in the case of announcement posts we believe should have maximally broad visibility, e.g. the FAQ, and give these Frontpage status. HOW TO VIEW PERSONAL BLOGPOSTS Personal blogposts, with their laxer restrictions, are not shown by default on LessWro