How to Get Help or Report an Issue on Macroinvertebrates.org

Updated

Macroinvertebrates.org provides three support paths under its Help menu: the Quick Start Guide, Video Tutorial, and FAQs for self-service answers, Report Site Issues for technical problems or errors, and General Inquiry for anything else. Start with the FAQs and Quick Start Guide — most questions about navigation and identification are already answered there, and you'll get a faster resolution than waiting on a reply.

Self-Service Help Options

Before submitting anything, check the three resources the site lists under Help:

Resource Best for
Quick Start Guide Getting oriented with the site's main views and tools
Video Tutorial Watching the identification workflow step by step
FAQs Specific questions about features, taxa, or how things work

These cover the common friction points: how to move between Insect Order View, Full Collection View, and Full Taxa List, how the Identification Key works, and how to read the Phyla Index. If your question is "how do I do X on this site," it's likely already documented.

Reporting a Site Issue

Use Report Site Issues when something on the site is broken or wrong rather than when you need general information. This is the right channel for:

  • A page or view that won't load or displays incorrectly
  • A broken link or missing image
  • A taxonomic listing that appears incorrect or misplaced
  • The PocketMacros App not behaving as expected

When you report, be specific: name the view or taxon you were on (for example, a genus page under Ephemeroptera or Diptera), describe what you expected versus what happened, and note your browser or device if the problem looks display-related. A precise report is far more actionable than "the site is broken."

General Inquiries

General Inquiry is the catch-all contact for questions that aren't site bugs — for example, questions about the project, its data sources, or collaboration. If your question is about content or the project itself rather than a malfunction, this is the appropriate route.

A Practical Order of Operations

  1. Check the FAQs first. Most "how do I…" questions end here.
  2. Skim the Quick Start Guide or Video Tutorial if you're new to the identification tools.
  3. If it's a bug or error, go to Report Site Issues with specifics.
  4. If it's anything else, use General Inquiry.

Following this order keeps the issue-reporting channel focused on actual problems and usually gets you an answer without waiting for a response.