Photo Upload Questions

(These are questions rather than a problem or suggestion, but this is about as close a category as I could find.) I really appreciate the being able to have bugs ID'd on this site and would like to thank everybody who helps in this. I don't want to abuse it, however, and I'm not always sure which specimens I should upload photos for.

If I find an insect here that already has some good photos, do you want more? What if mine are only so-so? Is it beneficial for the site if I upload them anyway, just to get the time and place of the specimen? Does it help if I look around and get a reasonable guess as to the ID (or part of it) in the title, or does that matter?

For example, I just uploaded a couple of photos of a Walnut Caterpillar (I think). These are no better quality than some of them already on Bugguide. Should I have uploaded them?

Just for the record, I don't consider it an insult when my photos are frassed. I am happy to have the ones you don't need cleaned off. I think it's a good policy to leave them around for 30 days before deletion.

One other question: Is it beneficial if I put the lat-lon in the location field? It's no extra work much of the time, but I don't want to clutter things up if nobody can use it.

Contributed by Bob Webster on 17 September, 2011 - 1:11am

It's fine to upload any images if you are uncertain

of the ID and would like confirmation. And we would encourage you to try to find out what your creature is on your own and add your thoughts. When you are wrong the experts often add advice about how your creature differs from your ID and that information is helpful to future contributors. Besides, the more you look, the more you learn!

If you are certain of the ID and there are already pages of images of the insect, such as Argiope aurantia or Pachydiplax longipennis, then there is probably no reason to upload unless the insect is exhibiting some interesting behavior.

Our only request is that you not post dozens of images on a single day. That just clogs the system and many images go unidentified for a long time.

Lat-long is good, but we'll have to look for Mike Boone's comment on where best to put it. We'll look, but maybe someone else already remembers.

Thanks for asking. We look forward to more of your images.

… john and jane balaban, 17 September, 2011 - 9:20am

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