If I see that there are notes in the description, or the observer is very new, or if they respond to my ID in any way, or it is clear the specimen has been collected for a museum/herbarium – basically, if the observer seems to be invested – I will usually leave notes. If not, not so much, you’re just one in 700 for today.
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I disagree on a couple of points. We want iNaturalist to be useful scientifically- that’s the purpose. If species cannot be accurately id’d beyond Genus or species group without dissection and/or DNA, it should not be guessed based on morphological assumptions you make. New species groups are formed all the time to try and clean up all the incorrect IDs to species level. I run into this all the time with insects.
I have done this myself for years based on websites that give morphological characteristics to guess by, then find out they were wrong when dissection is performed. Science changes, species change, and when a species is determined to actually be more than one species, it shouldn’t be id’d to species level any longer.
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while I agree with the rest of your post, iNaturalist is specifically not primarily for scientific research. its stated purpose is to connect people with nature and to support a social network of naturalists worldwide. and also science.
ofc part of learning about science is learning about how dynamic it is as we learn more every day.
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As a newbie I regularly get corrected and have found everyone gives me very helpful comments that help me learn about the species and about what my limits are. (Naturally I continue to push my limits, but not as far.) The number of people who give gentle, kind assistance overwhelms the occasional crisp but valid comment. And I have never seen an insult or put down. I really appreciate all the people who help me learn more about the wonderful living beings of this planet.
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Don’t take it personally. If someone else had made the same ID as you, the reply would probably have been the same.
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Sometimes a high volume expert is sorting through hundreds of observations. There is really no way for an IDer to know if the observer is still active. I run into this when I am working with observations in random chronological order. I may be IDing an observation from years ago. So I might make a short comment or just make the ID and move on. But if the observer then asks for an explanation in a comment, I am happy to explain in more detail. Thus a short, terse comment should be taken positively. Note too that many identifiers are working in English as a second language. Word choices that are neutral in their L1 language may inadvertently carry a negative tone when rendered directly into English.
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@lca_inc – Sounds like a case where having a little paragraph you can copy and paste into and identification would be helpful.
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Or even to correct hundreds of the same misidentification. I hinted at that in the “Needs ID” thread when discussing the daisy family – you see lots of different people making the exact same mistake, and you don’t necessarily have time to explain to each one separately. Even if you have a boilerplate, copy-paste explanation. And in time, it can become annoying and create a temptation to be curt or condescending; when you’ve seen it for the 100th time today, you don’t necessarily remember that this person hasn’t seen the 99 other instances you have seen.
It gets even more difficult when there are other aspects of your life, such as neurodivergence, sexual orientation, gender identity, to name a few, where it seems like every opponent trying to change you has the exact same ignorant ideas. You start to feel like you aren’t being paid enough to teach the basic curriculum one-on-one to so many uninterested students. If you are not careful, this can affect your mindset such that you bring the same defensiveness to situations on iNaturalist that look or feel similar.
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iNat says be kind. It is - social media first.
I will (and do) flag what crosses the line. My concern lies not with the few who complain about unkindness - but the many who silently withdraw from iNat.
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I’d be happy to receive such a reference. I’m often a few years behind with changes to taxonomy so a pointer in the right direction could be helpful. Though I agree it would be better done politely.
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Nobody has ever been able to even tell me what “deserving” is – except for the ones who make it a euphemism for might makes right. As far as I have ever been able to tell, I “deserve” what someone with power over me decides to do to me.
Have you never inadvertently hurt someone’s feelings by saying or doing something which wouldn’t have bothered you?
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If you’re not polite to the person this person is free to decide that you don’t deserve to get politeness back, even if it’s a misunderstanding.
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Re: "Actual expertise can be effectively conveyed mostly merely using the ID agree/disagree system itself, with or without more minimal reasonable and unbiased comments where necessary. "
What about when experts forgo the ID agree/disagree system in favor of the comments box? Not when ID is questionable, but when they agree with the suggested ID? One expressed the opinion (kindly) that iNat’s grading system lacks meaning and another told me it’s quite unreasonable for me to expect that he use it! Yet another, who is the only expert in the world I know of in a particular obscure insect family, often uses the comments section to confirm my ID, but rarely replies to very respectful requests that he confirm or give further information. This practice leads to many, many observations languishing in the “Identify” tab of one of my projects, waiting for another niche expert to come along, or someone to confirm based on the expert’s comment, but not their own knowledge.
I’m sure that differences in perspective and goals in the use of & reliability of the data are at the root of this, but it’s awkward and time-consuming for both parties to have to specifically follow up a positive ID/comment with a request to actually confirm the ID.
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Since I am not a scientist - on another thread - some working scientists - may - be concerned about their professional reputation - if they get the ID wrong.
I have huge respect for a scientist who is big enough to say - I was wrong, thanks for your input.
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Thank you for explaining the possible reasons.
I am only referring to comments like, “correct.” Or a species name without “possibly” “maybe” “most likely” etc. In each case I have contacted the expert (once, after the first few comments) to find out whether they would be willing to confirm ID and have been surprised by the strong feelings on the topic.
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Speaking just for myself, I don’t think I can always know why a person is behaving in a way I don’t like. I find that most often it’s because they’re insecure, unaware of how their behavior is received, or they’re just having a bad day. I’d never punish anyone for any of those reasons, so if I can’t know for sure, it’s best - for me - to be charitable and forgiving. After all, my reaction to their behavior is my choice and I can’t hold anyone responsible for my choices! :-)
Unless they hit me with a shovel. I’ve never actually been hit with a shovel, but I probably wouldn’t be nearly as forgiving.
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Hoo boy, yes, what you describe is infuriating. So yep, I’ll bet we do largely agree. I’m actually full of uncharitable thoughts and grumbling pet peeves. But I try not to let them out in the wild - I can’t pull off the gravitas you need in order to successfully correct anyone. 
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Thank you. As one of the newer members and physically disabled and somewhere on that lovely spectrum of neurodiversity, sometimes it’s difficult to communicate the way others do. I did have rather a go-round early on, where I had an ider who got testy when I couldn’t get 2 species of spider straight. I was having a particular difficulty using the phone app and the more I tried… so I explained that it was my difficulty and why. He honestly never considered that it may be someone’s disablement. Profuse apologies accepted!
Now, when I hit that type, I ask them to check my profile! We should check profile to see who we’re talking to.
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I find using the phone app or using the iNat webpage on my phone (versus using a computer) difficult. My fat fingers don’t work well on tiny keyboards. So my messages will be shorter, more terse, and possibly less polite compared to when I’m at my computer.
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I don’t mind terse. What I could use are clues to what my photos need to be more useful. If the subject is still available I can try again, if not I can try to remember.
And all suggestions about dissection or DNA are generally chuckled at by me. Sorry. I am in amazement at the incredible intelligence of other users, but will always be me, bumbling around my backyard!
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