Interest Groups

The initiative, spearheaded by @Will Petillo is about creating issue-based focus groups for activities including:
- Regular video meetings (interval TBD by group) for interested members
- Form alliances with existing organizations (outside of PauseAI) with overlapping interests
- Draft policy proposals: figure out what specific issues PauseAI should be for or against
- Other projects specific to interest: writing, media outreach, etc.

At first, a new channel would be created for each Interest Group.

More about this initiative has been written at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1isJPhURDZfO9AtfIP_3Lbk3sWi7uDuY2SAFYgQwTR5w

How you can help

- Medium Work: Discuss this overall strategy, give feedback and suggest the groups that should be created. Skills:
think
think
think
think
write
write
write
write
- Big Work: Lead an Interest Group!

Google Docs

2024-03-08 Recruitment - groups

dead-brownOP•3/8/24, 3:38 PM

!track

ProjectBot•3/8/24, 3:38 PM

Project Tracker: https://maximolog.notion.site/Interest-Groups-348ca93f50274b9b8fb784aa7b98c935

Maxime Fournes's Notion on Notion

Interest Groups | Notion

dead-brownOP•3/8/24, 4:16 PM

Suggestion of criteria to justify the creation of a new Interest Group:
- Significant user base (enough people in Pause AI are interested by this group)
- Interest that diverge significantly from the Pause AI average, to help retain people who might otherwise feel alienated and leave
- Possibility to form coalitions with external groups (for example: job-loss group can form coalitions with unions, environmental group can form coalitions with environmental activists)

dual-salmon•3/9/24, 11:50 PM

Working on a full write-up. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z5XsasWvyQ8ZT1x9KykLChvbJliih6B7p5kStDc_biM/edit

Google Docs

PauseAI Interest Groups

dual-salmon•3/10/24, 12:18 AM

Will write up an announcement on some of the main channels and send out more invites later this evening...

full-green•3/10/24, 4:38 AM

This is awesome!

If I am conversationally engaged with someone who I think would be a good fit for adding early content to one of these channels, can I ask if they would be interested, and if so, who should I reach out to so that they can be invited to the channel?

dual-salmon•3/10/24, 5:45 AM

DM me their name and channel(s) of interest

full-green•3/10/24, 5:49 AM

Will do. (It's a hypothetical for now, just so you aren't left wondering why I haven't messaged you.

)

dual-salmon•3/10/24, 5:50 AM

Great, I'll let you know if the process changes/becomes simpler.

dead-brownOP•3/12/24, 9:14 AM

@here what are the next steps? How about listing and reaching out to people who we think could be potential leaders for these groups?

Ddead-brown @here what are the next steps? How about listing and reaching out to people who ...

dual-salmon•3/13/24, 3:09 AM

I've been reaching out to people I have spoken to who mentioned interest in an aspect of AI that aligns with one of the groups. This is my standard invitation:

----
I am forming interest groups within PauseAI for organization, engagement, and as a basis for coalition building. Here is the full writeup: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o-r2keZ9WWiIaBOhYE7zUQC4Lsr2bm8T?usp=sharing. Based on some of your comments, I think you would be a good fit for a [name] group. If I can find a few other active PauseAI members with a similar interest, would you be interested in joining this?

Working [name] group description: [description, copied from linked document]
----

My plan is to contact people on each of the channels with an @ here when there are several active members to discuss the next steps, which could include existing PauseAI projects with overlap, new ideas, informal discussion/reading group, and crafting messages for outreach to people with similar interests outside of PauseAI.

dual-salmon•3/13/24, 3:14 AM

Some blockers:
1) It's a little unclear whether the consensus here is to just try this and see how it goes, have more of a soft start to give time for internal questions (see https://discord.com/channels/1100491867675709580/1216992563907793026)
2) Relatedly, there is a question as to whether the channels should be public or require an invite (latter seems to be the case currently)
3) I can't (or don't know how to) start a new channel. For now, that would just be for Deepfakes, which seems to have the 2nd highest interest, just below job loss. If someone else can create this one, that works.
4) Could use some help from others in recruitment in sending invites if the channels are private, or mentioning channels when talking to people if public (as in, when someone brings up that they are interested in job loss, saying "hey, you might consider joining the job loss channel").

dual-salmon•3/13/24, 5:25 AM

Larger blocker: inviting people to a channel doesn't seem to do anything, so this project is currently stalled out for technical reasons.

sacred-rose•3/13/24, 7:51 AM

Yeah, I mean, I was waiting for you to answer exactly what you wanted. I'm not sure it would work but seems something worth trying! I don't see the cons that I saw yesterday as that important, and also I was waiting for other opinions

sacred-rose•3/13/24, 7:54 AM

I think the hardest part is for people to be actually active so I will not make them that private. I will make them accessible with roles that can be chosen in <id:customize> .

sacred-rose•3/13/24, 7:59 AM

I fear that even make them post-joining questions will make them too private. Why do you want to make them invite only @Will Petillo and have you thought about the con of them being too inactive if there's too few people?

sacred-rose•3/13/24, 8:05 AM

btw i feel flattered for my draft of ToC of being there on the gdoc lol, I updated it but didn't finish it because I didn't see enough feedback. I still would like to really discuss it

Ssacred-rose I fear that *even* make them post-joining questions will make them too private. ...

dead-brownOP•3/13/24, 8:36 AM

The reason why we wanted them invite only, if I remember correctly, was for a prototype phase, to experiment a bit with the channels before we officially kickstart this initiative. Correct me if I'm wrong @Will Petillo

sacred-rose•3/13/24, 4:30 PM

Ok, I made the roles and give him perms to give them with right click -> roles. But I think people should be able to have it if they want. You probably need a bunch of people to have access to the channels for them to be active

Ddead-brown The reason why we wanted them invite only, if I remember correctly, was for a pr...

dual-salmon•3/13/24, 9:58 PM

That was the rationale, but here is what has shifted from my perspective in the meanwhile:
1) I've noticed that the restrictions of a private channel make them unusable--I can only invite Discord friends and the invite feature doesn't seem to do anything. Also, I can't adapt the channels. (this is a frustration directed at Discord UI, not anyone here, and is also probably irrelevant now that Pato updated my permissions)
2) There ended up not being much in the way of new discussion re whether this was a good idea or should be adapted somehow, which is fair, but now I'm more inclined to take the mindset of "just try it and adapt as needed." If anyone wants to give constructive feedback or hit the brakes in any way, please let me know.

Ssacred-rose Ok, I made the roles and give him perms to give them with right click -> roles. ...

dual-salmon•3/13/24, 9:58 PM

Thanks!

sacred-rose•3/13/24, 10:03 PM

In a channel at the right you can see who can see the channels

sacred-rose•3/13/24, 10:03 PM

tell me if you want a question in <id:customize>

dual-salmon•3/14/24, 5:02 AM

How do I send an invite to a channel to people who have expressed interest? Clicking the invite icon next to the channel sends a DM with a link to the PauseAI server

hurt-tomato•3/14/24, 7:12 AM

Sure? it seems to work here

hurt-tomato•3/14/24, 7:12 AM

This one right?

awake-maroon•3/14/24, 12:09 PM

This just creates an invite to a channel the person doesn’t have access to afaik, I don’t think what you’re trying to do is possible with discord by default

full-green•3/14/24, 3:54 PM

I think you'd have to actually individually change the permissions of specific people, or create a role with those permissions and assign it to those people.

hurt-tomato•3/14/24, 3:59 PM

Yeah add a role per channel, and add roles to people

sacred-rose•3/14/24, 5:40 PM

I mean I already added the roles

sacred-rose•3/14/24, 5:41 PM

Will did you understand how to give them?

Hhurt-tomato This one right?

dual-salmon•3/14/24, 10:21 PM

This creates an invite to the PauseAI server. The below screenshot is what shows up in the invited person's Direct Messages when I invite them. Also, I have to be Discord friends with them to send an invite.

dual-salmon•3/14/24, 10:23 PM

dual-salmon•3/14/24, 10:27 PM

The current process that I know of which works is for the member to click Channels & Roles -> Browse Channels -> scroll down to the Interest Groups section -> click the channels of interest. I am wondering if there is a way for me to add someone, to cut down on the friction of this process, or if this is just how Discord works.

awake-maroon•3/14/24, 10:36 PM

do the channels not automatically appear in peoples channel list after they have been given permission to read them?

hurt-tomato•3/14/24, 10:38 PM

No people need to enable some of them. @Pato Vercesi right?

sacred-rose•3/14/24, 10:47 PM

@Will Petillo we should talk

Ssacred-rose @Will Petillo we should talk

dual-salmon•3/14/24, 10:48 PM

Sure, I am online. Internal meetings channel?

Ddual-salmon Sure, I am online. Internal meetings channel?

sacred-rose•3/14/24, 10:48 PM

Ok, give me a minute. Im in my phone

dual-salmon•3/14/24, 11:21 PM

Thanks Pato! Got it working. Anyone else following this thread who wants to join a group, send me a DM or reply here

sacred-rose•3/15/24, 10:41 PM

Wait so interest groups are manual and not self assigned like other roles?

sacred-rose•3/15/24, 11:14 PM

yeah, for now at least

hurt-tomato•3/25/24, 8:53 AM

@Pato Vercesi could you set up questions in the onboarding for the interest groups?

Hhurt-tomato @Pato Vercesi could you set up questions in the onboarding for the interest grou...

sacred-rose•3/25/24, 8:19 PM

Done. I put it as a post-join question, I think it is better like this for now.

sacred-rose•3/25/24, 8:19 PM

@Will Petillo I notify you as a heads-up. Other people will probably join those channels.

sacred-rose•3/25/24, 8:21 PM

If you have recommendations on how to phrase the question, responses, descriptions, emojis (that can be any image really)

sacred-rose•3/25/24, 8:21 PM

let me know

foolish-indigo•3/25/24, 9:56 PM

Request: add interest group text channel for "addiction"

Ffoolish-indigo Request: add interest group text channel for "addiction"

sacred-rose•3/25/24, 10:08 PM

okay, but, give me a better name. would mental health be appropriate? about what exactly would this interest group be?

foolish-indigo•3/25/24, 10:37 PM

People who are concerned with people (particularly children) becoming addicted to AI based services.

Interest Groups

How you can help

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