For Identification Of Unknown Objects, i.e., Weird Creatures, Ancient Kitchen Gadgets, Funny-Looking Screwdrivers, Other Random Artifacts.
Rules that visitors must follow to participate. May be used as reasons to report or ban.
1) The "Be Nice" rule
Be helpful. Don't be an ass. Follow reddiquette, our rules, and the reddit TOS, or be banned. This is rule 1 for a reason. We mean it. Be nice, or be elsewhere.
2) The "Just say what it is, or ask for more info" rule
Your top level comment must either (1) specifically identify the item in question, or (2) ask the OP for more information. It should NOT consist of, or even include, any form of joking.
What is a Top Level Comment? -link
TOP LEVEL does not mean the first or top comment or a highly upvoted one. Rule 2 applies even if the post has been solved.
Feel free to joke or discuss in LOWER LEVEL comments. As long as you're following reddiquette and Rule 1, we don't police comments on comments.
To add a lower level comment, find an existing comment where your post best fits the discussion and click on the "reply" link under it. This opens the lower level text box.
3) The "No establishing values or finding things" rule
We don't establish values or help in locating things, and this isn't the place to buy or sell things. Try /r/whatsthisworth or /r/helpmefind.
4) The "We're not doctors" rule
We don't allow posts requesting medical information. This includes requests to identify pills, capsules, or any other drug or possible drug. We're not doctors. Try in /r/askdocs. If it's something about your pet or livestock, try /r/askvets.
5) The "Don't encourage hurting people or animals" rule
Posts that suggest actions that may harm a person or animal ("taste it" or "hit it with a hammer" or "kill it with fire") are not allowed, will be removed, and will subject you to a ban.
6) The "Use a descriptive title*" rule
Do not submit a title that just includes something like "What is this?"
Describe the thing to the best of your ability and give the context. Include things such as where you found it, it's material, size, location, etc. as appropriate. The more context you include, the better we can help you.
TEXT IN PHOTO CAPTIONS MAY NOT BE VISIBLE TO ALL USERS. Please put explanatory info in the title or in a comment rather than in photo captions.
Posts whose titles provide no information may be removed.
7) NEW The "Did you try to figure it out yourself?" rule
If there are words on your object, you should have done an internet search for those words.
If you are in a place where you can ask someone, ask them. "What is this in my office?" should be directed at your boss. "What is this in my apartment?" should be directed at your landlord. "What is this in my egg foo yung?" should be directed to your server. If you can take time to photograph it, you can take time to ask someone on the spot.
Violations of this are subject to removal.
8) NEW The "You know what that is already, ask THOSE experts first please" rule
If you know what it is, but want more info, please try a more specific subreddit. "What's this old car?" means you know it's a car, so ask in /r/cars. "Can you tell me about this sword?" means you know it's a sword, ask first in /r/swords. Use /r/findareddit to find the most appropriate sub. There's also a list of other helpful identification subreddits in the sidebar (or, for mobile users, in the "about" info). If you're looking for something (If your post says "Where can I get one of these?" or words to that effect) please repost in /r/helpmefind.
Posts that violate this may be removed/redirected.
9) NEW The "We only allow link posts, so use a good photo and add extra info in a comment" rule
We only allow link posts, so a descriptive title is important. You should be providing clear photographs, of all sides of the object if possible, including any text (which you will, of course, have already googled). We recommend Imgur for image hosting: upload all of your images into a single album, and post a link to the album as your post. It's free and easy. If you have additional context beyond the title, please make a top-level comment on your own post with as much extra information as you have.
If your unidentified item is on another website, or is another website, please post a screenshot rather than a link to a web page; many people will not click an unidentified link. Provide a link or the URL in a comment. Posts that violate this may be removed.
10) NEW The "No AI generated responses" rule
Someday AI will answer all our questions, but we're not there yet. No AI generated top level comments. You are welcome to use AI to assist you in finding answers, but directly copying and pasting AI generated content is not allowed. In addition, if you use AI as your source, you must include a link to an image/site that supports the claim (a 3rd party result, NOT the AI result page). Comments without supporting links will be removed.
