Snapshot Serengeti Talk

Hashtags

  • Carstel by Carstel

    Is there a general list of what tags the scientists would like to see? I've noticed a few people will tag things like the slates, or blank images, or the term "selfie". Should I be doing that, or is it unhelpful? Also, today there's been a few people adding a lot of random tags ("halloween"), spelling species names wrong, and resurrecting photos that are over a year old. If mods aren't around should I lightly suggest anything helpful, or just let it go? Or rather, just grumble to myself about it 😉
    Thank you!

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator

    The hashtags should cover anything that is interesting or to verify a species . The "selfie" tag was requested last season and people are still using that .

    Generally speaking the tags should be as specific as possible so that when searches are made using a tag then the relevant images will appear . So, if a researcher or citizen scientist wants to look for images of, for example, servals then all images containing the tag "serval" will appear .

    It is most unlikely that anyone will search for things such as "OMGreallywhattheheckisthat" and therefore it is not worth tagging things with random phrases or words that will not easily guide someone to search using that term .

    If people are spelling things incorrectly, then again that will not necessarily aid someone as they are unlikely to use the incorrect spelling . It is impossible to stop people using incorrect spelling .

    The tags do also link to twitter, on the zooniverse feed, I think - but I have never used it and therefore could be completely wrong . It would, however, be the same issues as stated above if people were using strange or wrongly spelled words and phrases .

    Things such as tagging blank images are redundant, and users are politely asked by moderators to desist in using them . If you have issues with any particular problem then please contact a moderator rather than lightly suggesting something to an individual user . The moderators will try to help resolve an issue or raise it with the researchers, if necessary .

    I hope that this makes sense 😃

    Posted

  • aliburchard by aliburchard scientist, translator

    thanks Carstel for the great question and tillydad for the great answer. Just wanted to chime in and say that selfie hashtags are also still really useful, as we are still compiling the best selfie-style images into a big ol' collection.

    Posted

  • Carstel by Carstel

    It all makes sense, thank you!! I've done a bit of work on other seasons but never ventured over here to the discussions. I caught on to the only tagging a species if I'm certain early on... it's frustrating when I try doing a search for an uncommon species, or one that looks similar to another and I want to see some photos beyond what appear when classifying, and almost everything that comes up is obviously not it. I don't use twitter either so wouldn't know about that 😃 Thank you for all of the help you've provided me with while I've been learning 😃

    I'll make sure to do some selfie tags then! I've come across some great ones. I "favorite" everything I classify with an animal so I might be able to find them again.

    Does Gorongosa have a similar set up? The discussion sections seem to really vary on projects - Penguins is extremely strict while Wisconsin is a free-for-all.

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator in response to Carstel's comment.

    Gorongosa is very similar to here . The use/misuse of hashtags occurs there and it is very frustrating when using the search facility to have to wade through loads of incorrectly tagged species .

    The discussions on here and Gorongosa are used by many citizen scientists . It is great that so many users ask questions and that there are so many people to answer them . Discussions are relaxed and we never fall out over any small disagreements that we may have on a particularly difficult image . Long may it continue in this way .

    It is always my pleasure to help people - so keep those questions coming ! 😃

    Posted

  • Tschango by Tschango

    Hi there, I got a further question to that topic: should I use hashtags in the comment section only for special and less common animals (like lions, cheetahs, elephants..) or always when I can see an animal? And does this (your answer) also apply to the "Chimpandsee" site? Thanks in advance for your answer and thus your help!

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator in response to Tschango's comment.

    You do not have to post each and every image that you classify, only those that you feel are worth sharing . Which ones these are is down to your personal choice . If you decide to post an image on the recent page then you should use a hashtag when you are certain of the ID of an animal or animals . If posing a question then avoid using the hashtag as incorrect use skews the database when people are searching for a specific animal .

    If you posting an image for purely aesthetic reasons it is a judgement call as to whether a hashtag should be used eg # sunset . If in doubt it is best to not use the hashtag .

    The chimpandsee site may have different guidelines . It would be best to ask the question on their pages 😃

    Posted

  • Tschango by Tschango

    Thank you very much for your quick reply 😃 Then I think I'm going to post/hashtag less images - just thought before that sharing improves your work... but if I skip that I can classify more pictures in that time 😉

    Posted

  • davidbygott by davidbygott moderator in response to Tschango's comment.

    What most people post are images that they can't confidently identify, or very unusual animals, or interesting behaviour, or amazingly beautiful shots they want to share 😃

    Posted