New "expert" category - BugGuide.Net

I propose

Ross Hill for expert category. Probably he would make a fine editor, too.

… Beatriz Moisset, 29 July, 2009 - 1:34pm

I would have suggested this earlier...

...but I keep forgetting that he isn't actually an editor.

Could you please add Dennis Haines to your expert list?

… Harsi S. Parker, 6 June, 2009 - 2:12pm

Account page

Will there (or should there) be something on an expert's account page stating something other than "Contributor"? This might help give more weight to their comments when they are giving IDs.

… John R. Maxwell, 5 June, 2009 - 10:46pm

Touchy Subject

Getting experts to include bios on their account pages has always been a delicate task: many are happy to lend their time to help BugGuide, but are worried about being getting too many emails from the public asking for IDs, etc. Having an "Expert" designation on the account page might arouse the same concerns.

I wonder if it would work having a designation only visible to editors, so those of us who have to make decisions based on the credibility of those making IDs would have the information, but the experts could be comfortable that their privacy would be maintained with non-editors.

… Chuck Entz, 5 June, 2009 - 11:35pm

Promoted

I've changed the category of everyone suggested in this thread to 'expert'.

If there are others that we've missed, please send me an email and I will promote them, too.

… John VanDyk, 5 June, 2009 - 10:23am

I'd like to see

John Sloan & Kevin Pfeiffer
have access to full size for spiders.

… Lynette Elliott, 2 June, 2009 - 12:12am

Question about image size viewing for editors

...this is a question I've wondered about for a while now.

I'm confused about the 'preferred' size for posted images being less than 560 pixels - "You may submit an image of any size, but 560 pixels on the longest side is preferred. Anything bigger than that will be automatically resized."

For an editor, only photos that are much larger undergo any valuable enlargement. Those that are 560 and under do not enlarge at all. So why do we 'encourage' staying under 560 if we are also seeing value for IDs if experts can enlarge the photo?

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 2 June, 2009 - 5:50am

Resizing

Personally, I almost always resize my images to 560px or so for any web submission (Flickr, Wikicommons, etc.); so if somebody steals my pictures, that is all they get, instead of the ones with the highest resolution. If they want to buy them I send them the original ones. Luckily Bugguide protects us by preventing most viewers from seeing the full sized one; so when I want editors to see more detail, then and only then, I submit the full size.

… Beatriz Moisset, 2 June, 2009 - 9:02am

I've thought about that..

for regular contributors, many images do not need to be enlarged. When someone needs more detail, they can request a new angle or larger image. I usually post my images at 560 on at least one side, and I seldom have requests for the larger versions.

… Lynette Elliott, 2 June, 2009 - 8:43am

....

All of my images I upload at 1200 on the longest side. Scott Justis also uploads his somewhere in that neighborhood also. Many times I have had editors tell me they think it's awesome that they can see the large photo with all the detail. It has helped many times with attaining an ID that would not have been possible without being able to see all the detail at the large size.

… Sam Houston, 2 June, 2009 - 8:52am

is it actually necessary?

What's the reason for restricting the originals? I assume it's related to server load or protecting the photographer, but if it's not one of those would it make sense to just allow all logged in users to see them?

(Obviously the urls aren't guessable but I just copied and pasted a couple to a browser that I'm not logged in on and got the images)

… Jason Forbes, 27 May, 2009 - 9:25pm

Yes

Server load, and protecting the photographer. :)

… John VanDyk, 27 May, 2009 - 10:05pm

Thought we would take a couple of minutes

and see what we could generate. We came up with the following list in hardly any time and likely could easily generate more.
Frans Janssens - Collembola
Rowland Shelley - Diplopoda
Daniel Swanson - Heteroptera
Terry Harrison - Gracillarioidea and more
William Taft - Sesioidea
Deborah Matthews - Pterophoroidea
Ferenc Vilisics - Malacostraca

Do we want to generate a list and if so, then what?

… john and jane balaban, 27 May, 2009 - 2:02pm

....

What about "V" (Vassili)? He obviously knows what he's doing. I think he should be on the list.
Also, what about Jeff Hollenbeck?

… Sam Houston, 1 June, 2009 - 8:56am

I think they are already both editors

so they wouldn't need it.

… Lynette Elliott, 1 June, 2009 - 9:00am

....

True, but I thought you guys were compiling a list of "experts". And, then aren't they going to have further rights?

… Sam Houston, 1 June, 2009 - 9:08am

Experts are going to be people who want to see the full size images, but not be editors (not be able to move other people's images or create guide pages).

… Lynette Elliott, 1 June, 2009 - 9:11am

I will go ahead and give these users "expert" privileges. If there are others, just shoot me an email and I'll change their classification.

… John VanDyk, 29 May, 2009 - 11:16am

expert lists

pls let me know -- i could add a dozen++ names of bug & beetle experts, like

Laura T. Miller
Andrew Short
Adriean Mayor
Robert Otto
dkyoung
Artjom Zaitsev
Ceuthophilus (à suivre)

should such status become available, i will tell other specialists who help us to open their own accounts to take advantage of it.

… v belov, 28 May, 2009 - 12:02am

A couple more experts

Andy Hamilton
Don Chandler

… tom murray, 31 May, 2009 - 3:32pm

Andy Hamilton is already an e

Andy Hamilton is already an editor, so "expert" might be construed as a step down. I don't believe he uses his editor privileges for anything but viewing at full resolution, but it never hurts to ask before making such a change.

… Chuck Entz, 31 May, 2009 - 6:11pm

Editor

I didn't realize Andy was already an editor, so I guess that should be left as it is. But a few others that come to mind for the "expert" status would be:
Lloyd Gonzales
Richard Vernier
Bugei (Tom Ames)
Gerard Pennards

… tom murray, 31 May, 2009 - 6:24pm

a very helpful idea

i routinely ask experts to check BG pix, and i know for sure that some IDs we get are not as specific as they could be had the experts been able to see details available on full-size images.

… v belov, 27 May, 2009 - 11:00am

Sounds like a good idea to me...

I know there are experts here that ID but don't want to be editors.

… Lynette Elliott, 27 May, 2009 - 9:31am