I proposed it back in June last year, and again recently… it would be useful to be able to challenge an ID. I don’t mean to challenge what the CID is, etc, but to challenge the specific ID that an identifier has made.
an example:
A species level ID, probably based on CV suggestion, of Agenus specifica by Anew Inatter
Dr Ultima Specialist chips in with an ID of Agenus (non explicit), drops a comment that there are 2 or 3 species that it could be, and that the genus level ID is more realistic. Note in particular that Dr Ultima Specialist doesn’t rule out the possibility of Agenus specifica being correct, but because s/he thinks that a realistic response from Anew would be to withdraw or change the overconfident ID, Dr Ultima also puts on a challenge to that ID.
The “challenge” would be like a flag, and would appear in the alerts stream for the user who made that ID. It would have no effect initially, but if left unresolved for more than 12 months, then that ID automatically withdraws. The owner of that ID can view that alert and choose to clear it, effectively reasserting their belief that it is that species, perhaps even being generous with a statement of why they still hold that position.
[as an alternative, it could have a much shorter timeframe, like 1 month… given that it’s only likely to be applied in genuinely challengeable situations, ie those where explicit disagreement is currently made to bump CIDs]
Anew never returns to the site, having completed the course assignment, and the ID and flag are never reconsidered. 12 months later (or 1 month) the ID would revert to withdrawn, and should Anew ever return or become active again, they could re-instate the IDs, possibly by reviewing alerts that might be generated when they were auto-withdrawn.
However, before the 12 months is up, Keen Amatar sees the challenge on that ID, looks at the photo and spots details that support the species level ID, even though it is not in the literature as a determining character, Keen may have worked a great deal with this species and be able to confidently support that ID, so can make a supporting ID, but perhaps also could clear that challenge flag so that Anews ID stands as valid.
I would expect that any application of a challenge flag would involve a clear statement of what the effect would be, and warning the applier to exercise that option with caution. It shouldn’t become a tool to annoy identifiers, and perhaps even should have limits to how many such challenges each user can make in a 24 hour period. Another safeguard might be where a flag is applied, and a second user needs to confirm it’s placement, so it effectively takes two to challenge. And remembering that it only withdraws the ID… the identifier can always reinstate the ID at any time, even after multiple challenges!
I see this “challenge” flag as being a sort of “are you sure you meant to make that ID”, and in the minority of such cases that they did mean to, the impact and roll back is as simple as clearing the flag “yes, I am sure!”
The wording on it could be “Dr Ultima Specialist has requested you reconsider this ID”, which softens it a lot from the “challenge” terminology I use in describing it.
