I know that IDing has enriched my experience of iNat and made me a better observer.
I also think that some of the frictions between observers and IDers might be lessened on both sides if more people switched roles, at least occasionally.
It is useful for observers to get the experience of IDing, because it requires you to consciously reflect on how we know what something is and what quality of evidence is desirable. I know when I started using iNat I was not fully aware of the difference between the amount of detail in my cell phone photos and what I had seen in person.
Likewise, I think that IDers can also benefit from observing, and specifically observing taxa where they have no particular expertise, because it requires one to adopt an attitude of humility and experience what it is like to be a beginner, as well as grappling with the challenges of iNat’s fairly complex interface. I have wondered whether some IDers might have more empathy and be more forgiving of observer mistakes if they were to put themselves in the position of an observer without much knowledge or equipment who is curious about what they saw.
Many of us come to iNaturalist valuing nature and many others gradually learn that here. However, if observers don’t (whether or not they will eventually), that is sad but it doesn’t decrease the value of their observations for iNaturalist.
The most “wrong” thing i have found here is someone submitting dozens of separate posts, for example, of likely one single organism (to run up numbers, apparently). A large vinca minor patch is a good example - does each flower represent only one organism? Obviously not. It distorts the data.
Many users struggle with the interface and may not know how to upload multiple images in a single observation. There need not be any intent to inflate their numbers.
At first I was only uploading orchids to see what they are.
My next step was uploading my bird photos, iNat is a neat way of organising them.
I always wanted to know what are the plants I saw during walks and I thought it was time to act on it. That was the time when I started to take photos of everything. Wow I can find 50 new taxa during a walk! There is nothing wrong with it. It is a stage.
The wake up call arrived with the 1TB back-up drive getting full. I had to be selective for a while and it made me reassess what I actually want to achieve with my participation.
Ah yes. Filling the hard disc. Now I delete most of the photos after I upload them. Just keep the ones I think are especially useful to me or pretty or interesting. Otherwise my computer would never work!
In December I took a big trip to the American SW with photography as one of my primary goals. I had to buy another hard drive a week in because I realised I was going to fill the one I had brought with me.
All in all, I think the best way of using iNat for me, is also looking at the overlooked (a “bug”, a “bonnet”, a sponge, etc.) and see it for the first time with a (i)naturalist eye.
iNat provides great possibilities to know about flamboyant birds, fish or mammals, but that’s nothing that wouldn’t be easily accessible with a field guide or optical recognition. However, it’s a unique tool to suddenly discover the amazing world of insects, lichens, spiders, sponges and all these less appealing creatures that are wonderful to learn about once they’re given a chance.