I think the answer to that question is that a discussion can become a hot topic, with lots of likes and comments and shares, and eventually that makes it popular, and gets the idea more refined. The idea probably then becomes something workable that could then be suggested on the features thread, and is likely to get votes because it’s already something that users have been thinking and talking about.
On the subject of how to use the forums, I just stumbled across this post in another thread. @twainwright found some Forum FAQ links, mentioned in this post: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/forum-faq-missing/11022/6?u=row_nature
If you were going to create a wiki, I would suggest trying to keep it quite brief and succinct, with links to external content. For example, this is a great article, but the core message might be something like: Put rocks and logs back where you found them. Leave the site exactly as you found it.
- You could include some ethics about the wiki itself first, like not using it to shame others, and that it is there to encourage education and respect for nature, not as a list of rules.
- Then you could have some general guidelines at the top (“leave no trace, take only photos”, try not to disturb wildlife when you are taking photos, do not remove plants from the ground unless it is definitely a weed, etc - the most common/obvious/general advice that it’s important to get across)
- And then some specific ones in headings like: Birds, Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians etc.
My suggestions here are not about specific content to include or how to word it, but rather how to structure a suggested wiki in a way that fits the purpose, and hopefully that doesn’t cause friction.