It’s a cost. If it’s not freeform, it will lose nuance, which I would find annoying, like those multiple-choice tests where every option is at least slightly wrong, and you are being forced to affirm one of them. If it’s freeform, the only benefit is a reminder. A freeform field that is optional won’t cost much, but a reminder doesn’t need to be a field on the submission form.
Losing nuance is a cost to the writer, but a benefit to the reader. The really nice thing about having fixed categories is that they form a set of fixed reference points allowing us to compare articles. This then allows the user to more quickly determine whether an article is or is not relevant to their interests. It also allows the LessWrong (or GreaterWrong) software to implement filters, which allow this sorting to happen automatically.
Realizing this’d be dissatisfying to quanticle, but does this issue remain for you if both the multiple-choice and the freeform are independently optional? (i.e. if the choices don’t feel right you can just include the freeform thing?)
The issues you’re pointing at are real, but I think there’s some important benefit to communicating more clearly what the norms of the site are. (I think this may be valuable both because newcomers won’t understand it at all, and because there’s enough variation in how people currently use epistemic status that it’s not even that clear how to parse the most common cases for oldtimers. Creating default standards makes it so most people don’t reinvent wheels with slightly different wording that people have to parse)
It’s a cost. If it’s not freeform, it will lose nuance, which I would find annoying, like those multiple-choice tests where every option is at least slightly wrong, and you are being forced to affirm one of them. If it’s freeform, the only benefit is a reminder. A freeform field that is optional won’t cost much, but a reminder doesn’t need to be a field on the submission form.
Losing nuance is a cost to the writer, but a benefit to the reader. The really nice thing about having fixed categories is that they form a set of fixed reference points allowing us to compare articles. This then allows the user to more quickly determine whether an article is or is not relevant to their interests. It also allows the LessWrong (or GreaterWrong) software to implement filters, which allow this sorting to happen automatically.
Nod.
Realizing this’d be dissatisfying to quanticle, but does this issue remain for you if both the multiple-choice and the freeform are independently optional? (i.e. if the choices don’t feel right you can just include the freeform thing?)
The issues you’re pointing at are real, but I think there’s some important benefit to communicating more clearly what the norms of the site are. (I think this may be valuable both because newcomers won’t understand it at all, and because there’s enough variation in how people currently use epistemic status that it’s not even that clear how to parse the most common cases for oldtimers. Creating default standards makes it so most people don’t reinvent wheels with slightly different wording that people have to parse)