# Downsides of more identifiers?

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/downsides-of-more-identifiers/80447>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** identification\
**Created:** [June 21, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/downsides-of-more-identifiers/80447 "2026-06-21T18:01:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 13

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**Author:** ![nathantaylor](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/nathantaylor/32/1152_2.png) [@nathantaylor](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/nathantaylor)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/downsides-of-more-identifiers/80447/13 "2026-06-22T13:50:32Z")

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Just to follow-up, there are many specific issues with starting to identify on iNaturalist that has become second nature to power users (so much so that I don’t think about them much). These include things like:

- Techniques for cutting down the number of notifications you recieve.
- How to manage being overwhelmed by increased notifications.
- How to deal with uncertainty when your ID is questioned.
- How to determine whether the other identifier knows enough to make the ID they did.
- How to assess one’s own level of expertise.
- How to determine the observation in question is beyond your current level of understanding.

I don’t know how much training on these items went into the ident-a-thons, but these could be important items to focus on moving forward. At the very least, perhaps a little information on the importance of follow-up combined with offering a more advanced course on these topics.

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_[View the full topic](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/downsides-of-more-identifiers/80447)._