How appropriate is it to reach out to someone who is identified as a top identifier for an unidentified submission? I’ve done this two or three times in the past, and the response has always been cordial, but am I being too intrusive?

I’m sure people’s preferences vary, but I am more likely to respond if the tag is relevant. Generally this means that the user shows evidence of having done the following: checked whether I actually have any identifications in the country/region (rather than just being at/near the top of the globa…

[image] spiphany: checked whether I actually have any identifications in the country/region (rather than just being at/near the top of the global leaderboard) I agree with this as the most important thing to check. I’m toward the top of the leaderboard for a few moth families based on doing l…

Agreeing with what was said above. On top of that: I prefer if people wait a few days before tagging. Reason: I try identyfing ALL new observations not yet in RG in ‘my’ taxons anyway, so tagging me usually has no effect other than cluttering my notifications. But tbh it’s not a big issue.

I would also add that if you are bulk uploading (ie: more than just one or two observations here or there), it is easier for the identifier if you direct message them with a link filtered to those observations in the same place rather than sending them/@ing them for each individual observation. Or i…

I agree with sentiments above, but also want to express that IMHO you shouldn’t be too worried about being intrusive. You’re clearly not spamming people, and iNat is a public and open space for collaboration and sharing expertise. Users should feel at liberty to pester each other respectfully. As f…

A good quote by @kueda : " If you’d like me to check out an observation / journal post / whatever, please explain why and don’t just @ mention me, e.g. “Hey @kueda , what do you think of this?” instead of just “ @kueda .” The latter makes me feel like some kind of pet or robot that you’re summoning." …

Along with all that’s been said above, when considering who to tag, I like to check their profile (and maps of their observations) to get an idea of whether they would be an appropriate person to ask. This means I don’t always select the one who is at the top of the leaderboard

As one of the top identifiers with the order salmoniformes I do not mind at all being tagged for an ID on a fish, although I will admit it gets repetitive when tagged in “fresh” observations as I regularly check the new uploads every evening and will do a page or two of older observations that I’m c…

Tag from time to time. Very few people will have problems. One thing not to do: don’t tag multiple people at the same time. You’re asking people to do something special for you, so you should make them feel that you think they’re special. I know it feels efficient to tag several people at once,…

Sorry for all those times I pinged you on fresh IDs when I was still learning salmonids :sweat_smile: If you feel like I’m starting to do it again please let me know :heart:

Requesting an I.D

General

Topic		Replies	Views
General consensus on etiquette regarding recruiting IDs from specific identifiers? General identification , etiquette	48	7230	September 24, 2021
Tagging other people in IDs General	13	909	October 10, 2025
Tagging etiquette and ID Responsibility General question	62	2118	November 12, 2025
Requesting IDs For Posts General	16	971	October 8, 2024
"Request ID Help" button Feature Requests	34	1992	March 12, 2022

Requesting an I.D

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