I guess one thing we can all agree with is there is no need for arguments and nasty tones. Oh, and @jamesparham, welcome to the Forum!
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I agree.
I also wanted to share a very recent story of identification. Several months ago, I helped to identify what was believed to be a White-spotted Canker Moth from @amacnaughton; however, it turned out to be a White-fringed Pyrausta Moth. Yesterday, @amacnaughton kindly sent me a gracious email urging me to review my ID.
About a month ago, another observer provided a different ID for this observation. That ID seems to be correct, so I withdrew my original ID. Could you have a look at this observation and see what you think?
https://inaturalist.ca/observations/59139830
Alan
I had no idea that there was a White-fringed Pyrausta Moth; to top it off, it is so similar to some White-spotted Canker Moths. Although, in hindsight, it really does not have the white spot indicative of White-spotted Canker Moths. I definitely need to be more careful for future identifications of White-spotted Canker Moths. This is assuming I get some the time to identify them, of course.
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(Hey all, please remember you can reply to multiple people in the same post by quoting them)
I’m sorry this happened. If this happens again, please notify help@inaturalist.org so we can investigate and see if there’s a pattern. If you want to delete the observation, please send us screenshots of the content before doing so.
Working on some drafts this week, actually, which is exciting! But it will take time to work through it and then implement, unfortunately. Keep in mind that onboarding needs to be drafted, then refined, then designs must be finished, then it also needs to be coded correctly, etc, etc. And all of us are working on multiple projects at the same time.
More broadly, I think it’s important for us to step back and remember a few things:
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Very few of us know each other outside of iNat. We’re a global community of people with incredibly diverse histories, cultures, languages, and ways of experiencing the world. We don’t know each others’ backgrounds or what anyone might be going through at the moment. We don’t know how someone communicates in person, and we can easily misinterpret tone, intention, etc. That’s why the iNat Community Guidelines ask that we assume others mean well. So if something rubs you the wrong way, try to start off by assuming the best unless there is a lot of evidence to the contrary.
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Conversely, we don’t know how our words might be construed (or misconstrued) by others, so the burden is also on us to use diplomatic language - especially with strangers. What we intend and what is heard by others can be quite different. For example, I’m a pretty sarcastic person among those who know me well, but I do my best to not bring that to discussions here and on iNat. We all slip up sometimes, though, and don’t realize it. I’d say in those situations, it’s best to provide calm, constructive feedback to the person, let them know how their words were interpreted, and try to reach an understanding. If not, then disengagement might be necessary.
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There are many species that are quite similar in appearance. To be able to correctly ID those species to species level requires that the observer provide all of the requisite information to do so.
Too often, the observers provide either incomplete information, or are not aware of some of the characteristics necessary to correctly ID to the species level. I have had multiple experiences with requesting additional necessary information for a species ID, only to have the observer respond in a negative fashion. Perhaps the most commonly encountered ones for me are Couch’s/Tropical Kingbird observations in South Texas. These two species are nearly impossible to reliably separate in the field based exclusively on physical appearance. But their vocalizations are quite different. We identifiers regularly request vocalization information before making a species level ID, unless the information is provided up front. It’s unfortunate that some observers take offense to that.
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Very true, but also too often taking place is the opposite, where the user does provide or state that information and they still get told, ‘nope, not acceptable, get a recording or a microscope photo of what you observed in the hand lens next time’ etc.
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Odd. I was thinking about Diplomacy while out on a walk with the dog this morning (saw Nuthatches, crows, Black capped Chickadees, and Blue Jays). Diplomacy can be a hard thing to learn - it involves the ability to talk around an issue without causing offense, but also conveying meaning. It also involves understanding when to press an issue, and when to back off. I think many people pick up these basics intuitively, but some do not. If the commenter on an issue does not have those skills, it also behooves the recipient to exercise diplomacy. I’m also sarcastic, and like to make jokes, but I’m learning that my humour is not always appropriate (I learned a long time ago that sarcasm is rarely appreciated). I like the rule “assume people mean no harm”, and would also add ‘learn not to take offense’. I still struggle a bit with the latter, but I’m learning.
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Heh! I pretty much only do birds now. Tough to view them in a hand lense:-)
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I’m going to close this thread - the OP has had solutions offered, and it’s strayed to other issues.
Please keep in mind that the forum is not a place to post complaints but a place to ask questions about and/or suggest solutions to issues.
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