Blocking over conflicting IDs?

General
1

In the process of working through some Wolf spider observations in Australia, i came across some observations of Lycosids which were incorrectly IDed. On the observations that had simple photos, but were identified as a species which can only be identified on genital morphology, i disagreed and put the observation back to family.
On a few other observations genital images were supplied however a couple users had stated that the spider didn’t belong to x genus for x reaons. I IDed the spider as x genus with a comprehensive breakdown of what i used to ID the specimen and got blocked by the observer (and a couple other users).
So, i decided to make another account to continue the discussion and justify my IDs only to be blocked from seeing the observations again.

Is it really fair, or within the rules of iNaturalist to simply block anyone who disagrees with your ID?
Is there anything that can be done about this?
I’d like to point out i wasn’t being rude or inflammatory at all, just stating facts.
Because to me this seems extremely tyrannical and is very annoying.

3

Blocks can be hurtful, it is human nature.

I think best approach is to not take them too personally. People block others or get themselves blocked all the time, for a myriad of reasons. Let it be.

If my feelings get hurt due to a block, I tell myself that it is healthy for others to set boundaries for themselves, which is exactly what a block accomplishes.

And sometimes they end up being temporary. Everybody needs a break now and then. iNat has very limited tools to address temporary/permanent distance setting. So think of block as a tool that fills many roles.

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4

please note that making sock puppet accounts to evade site functionality is a suspendable offence

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5

But it is personal, it’s because the users in question have a personal vendetta against me and a result can’t stand seeing an ID that threatens their god complex.

6

Okay, and what about the action that led to it, ie the point of my post? Blocking to prevent conflicting IDs?

7

Oh I know, it is 100% personal, i.e. in the sense that it is directed at you. But that doesn’t mean you should take it personally in a negative context. It could be about them, not you.

I’d chalk it up as a possible life lesson and move on. If it is temporary, it will take care of itself in time. If it permanent, then so be it.

In the history of mankind, circumventing a block has never ever benefited anyone.

The only thing that is worse than being not understood is being misunderstood. This is probably why blocks hurt so much. We all have an innate desire to be understood.

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8

you can read about blocking here: https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/151000173516-what-are-muting-and-blocking-how-do-i-block-or-mute-another-account-

I suggest contacting help@inaturalist.org or submitting a ticket at https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/home

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9

I have known the users in question for several years and met both of them in person. It’s definitely directed negatively towards me and it’s not about them.

10

Well sounds like there is some history, which is good. It provides context.

So they are setting a boundary for themselves. Best to respect it. You may not agree with it, however it is their boundary, not yours. So let it be.

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11

If you block someone like this do their existing ids and comments on your observations get removed?

12

they do not

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13

I disagree, this just creates an echo chamber.

14

Alas, you’re not the first person to run into this problem. You might find it interesting to read through joe_fish’s saga with this issue: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/joe_fish/74452-taxonomy-strike

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15

You disagree with what?

16

I disagree with your opinion of “respecting boundaries” in this case. You don’t get to have a “boundary” on a site where IDs rely on community input, when your “boundary” is between you and anyone who disagrees with you.

17

You have no choice but to oblige with the boundary drawn against you. If you attempt to circumvent, it will likely result in a disciplinary action per the TOU. This is a fact.

You do have a choice to agree or disagree about its accuracy, cause, fairness, tone, rightness, wrongness, etc. These are feelings.

19

Although it is really understandable to be angry about this situation. It’s not worth the time to spend on it. Regardless of whether it is fair or not, you cannot change it at this moment.

In any case you would support with every new post only the person(s), who want to make you upset and spend them a happy moment.

Correct the IDs which need to be corrected and move on. The next one can agree with your description of the determination reasons and one day the wrong ID will get maverick.

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But there is almost no one qualified to agree with the IDs on a lot of the observations i’m talking about. I’m talking about australian wolf spiders here, it’s not like it’s birds or plants where there’s 200 people who can competently ID them.

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21

this discussion is clearly not moving in a productive direction. I can understand your frustration at being blocked, but the platform allows each user to implement 3 blocks. Please do not continue to use the sock puppet you created

as I advised above, you can contact help@inaturalist.org or submit a ticket at https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/home. There is nothing more to be gained from this thread in my opinion, especially since there are already some extensive previous discussions of this topic on the forum

I can sympathise with your situation as I have also previously been blocked by a user after I corrected a number of misIDs on their observations, but there is no point in continuing to dwell on it and let it take over your headspace. It will only put you in negative mindset, and won’t help you personally in any way. The best course of action for you now is to use your knowledge to continue to add IDs to other observations and ensure they are correctly identified.

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