If you think about it, anyone who is new to TF and new to CP, might visit TF and automatically assume, everyone here were more familiar with CP than they are. They might go into,
newbie pupil mode, absorbing everything they read, and incorporating it into their developing personal CP databank - I did. Of course, I'm assuming other newbies may be similar to how I was. If they see "junk" (incorrectly spelled or written CP names), they could assimilate this into that databank, so later we get - junk in = junk out, and so do they. This is a great disservice we do for newbies, no matter how well meaning we are, or what our reasoning may be. In reading the many complaints, here, I can't help but think that many cannot remember how it was when they were newbies. Of course, few seem to connect miswritten names to misidentified plants, but that is a big part of the issue that develops. As a moderator, I try to think of everyone that may be audience to what is posted on TF, and accommodate their expected needs - even if they may not ever be aware of it, themselves. If we were just writing posts in our personal blogs, no big deal. But, TF is an international database that is open 24/7/365 to anyone, anywhere, forever (if it persists). Do we really want to teach newbies, garbage, or to be known to our posterity for writing garbage? In saying and thinking about this, I'm talking to myself as much as anyone. I want to be known as a defender of our precious CP and helping to keep them correctly identified. I don't want to be remembered as one of those guys who doesn't really care how accurate we write CP names. I've created my fair share of "junk". I have determined to reduce the amount of junk I create, and do my best to help others, too. I think of us as a community. Whatever any of us does, reflects on all of us.
I certainly don't know a tiny fraction of what there is to know about CP. And I am acutely aware of those limitations. Due to this, I still often find myself in a
novice pupil mode. I am quite frequently reminded of this, most recently in a
Heliamphora thread. Where I saw plants being called by nonstandard abbreviations of their species epithets. I wanted to know what plants were actually being discussed, so I looked up those abbreviations in the
CP Database, to see if I could identify them. I tentatively identified them, correcting the names, and spelling them out. Later, others, including the OP, illuminated the thread more completely as they explained they were following a newly published taxonomic update. This thoroughly assisted me in updating my
novice pupil databank, and I'm sure, many others did theirs, too. Not everyone can be as up-to-date as we'd like to be, without a little help from each other.
So, do many of you feel that mods should PM you, so you can decide to correct your own typos? For instance, if you type
D.
Capensis, and you actually meant to type,
D.
capensis, you want to be PM'd, so you can decide if you want to correct that, or not, of your own volition?