Our first steps tour and our FAQ will help you a lot after registration. They explain how to customize the interface (for example the language), how to upload files and our basic licensing policy. You don't need technical skills in order to contribute here. Be bold contributing here and assume good faith for the intentions of others. This is a wiki—it is really easy.
Thanks a lot for contributing to the Wikimedia Commons! Here's a tip to make your uploads more useful: Why not add some categories to describe them? This will help more people to find and use them.
Here's how:
1) If you're using the UploadWizard, you can add categories to each file when you describe it. Just click "more options" for the file and add the categories which make sense:
2) You can also pick the file from your list of uploads, edit the file description page, and manually add the category code at the end of the page.
[[Category:Category name]]
For example, if you are uploading a diagram showing the orbits of comets, you add the following code:
When picking categories, try to choose a specific category ("Astronomical diagrams") over a generic one ("Illustrations").
Thanks again for your uploads! More information about categorization can be found in Commons:Categories, and don't hesitate to leave a note on the help desk.
Hi RHaworth. Firstly apologies for not replying more promptly.
Secondly, with great respect, your rather terse tone and, now, repeat message I find hectoring and – frankly – verging on unfriendly. And though I am sure you do not intend it, your use of 'we' (as in "In an image description we use...") is both excluding and slightly patronising. One of my dictums – as you'll have seen if you've bothered to look at my Wikipedia user page – is 'Don't be abrasive or inconsiderate'.
OK, that's the air cleared. To business. It is not immediately obvious to me what I am allegedly doing wrong. For example, if I open a recent upload's page ( [1] for instance) &; all the info and the correct CC and Permission seem to be in order. I'm sure you will tell me it that is not the case.
You ask why I haven't tried Magnus' tool. Well, I tried. I have a TUSC token but when I first went to use it, I hit a wall. Responding to your message, I again tried (at http://toolserver.org/~magnus/tusc.php ) and was faced with "Toolserver User Screening Control" which I will get round to filling in shortly.
As I understand it, using the tool uploads the file with Geograph's filename. Is that so? If it is, then I have been told (more than once) to use descriptive filenames for uploads – and Geograph filenames are not descriptive. Also, if the tool uses the Geograph page's description of the image that is not always satisfactory either – often the Geograph users' descriptons are not very useful as aids to searching Commons whereas my descriptions tend to be specific and aimed at aiding searching (the same applies to the cats I select). BTW, my remarks about Geograph are based on having contributed over 8,000 images to the project.
Nonetheless I will persevere and try to use the tool. And, when uploading manually, I will try not to make the mistakes that so ire you <grin>. Best wishes Andy F (talk) 20:30, 15 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
PS I just followed the series of procedures at TUSC – how entertaining to see my status bar sitting at 'Waiting for toolserver.org' for a minute at a time – only to finally be greeted by the message "Attention : you are already verified!" That's five minutes of my life I won't be getting back. Andy F (talk) 20:40, 15 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Please restate "in an image description we use {{information}} once only" in a form of words which is neither excluding nor patronising.
I have to admit that I tend to forget about the TUSC business - my browser fills in TUSC login and password without my even thinking about it. Fact is, I don't actually care how you upload - providing you create properly formed {{geograph}} tags, you will probably never come to my attention again. — RHaworth (Talk | contribs) 22:19, 15 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Eh? What's all this "...providing you ... blah blah ... you will probably never come to my attention again..." shit? Are you the Commons Head Prefect? Do you take some sort of perverse pride in sounding like a pompous schoolmaster? Maybe it's just an unfortunate lack of self-awareness and consideration for others? Or perhaps you're simply an obnoxious person? Whichever, bossy unfriendliness discourages people – and especially newbies – from continuing to contribute. Get a grip, FFS. Andy F (talk) 22:54, 15 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
There seems to be a problem regarding the description and/or licensing of this particular file. It has been found that you've added in the image's description only a Template that's not a license and although it provides useful information about the image, it's not a valid license. Could you please resolve this problem, adding the license in the image linked above? You can edit the description page and change the text. Uploading a new version of the file does not change the description of the file. This page may give you more hints on which license to choose. Thank you.
This message was added automatically by Nikbot, if you need some help about it, ask its master (Filnik) or go to the Commons:Help desk. --Filnik 18:19, 25 May 2010 (UTC)
There seems to be a problem regarding the description and/or licensing of this particular file. It has been found that you've added in the image's description only a Template that's not a license and although it provides useful information about the image, it's not a valid license. Could you please resolve this problem, adding the license in the image linked above? You can edit the description page and change the text. Uploading a new version of the file does not change the description of the file. This page may give you more hints on which license to choose. Thank you.
This message was added automatically by Nikbot, if you need some help about it, ask its master (Filnik) or go to the Commons:Help desk. --Filnik 19:00, 25 May 2010 (UTC)
I just found this page while looking up other things (you know, when you plan to spend five minutes on the computer and it stretches to 45....)& as you have references on the Fairport-related entries to Wikipedia, I think you are someone I met a few years ago. If your last name is Farquhar or Farquharson we met at Cropredy 2007 and corresponded by email a few times (before? after? both?)
No particular reason for this note, just to say hello from O'er The Pond!
Thanks for uploading File:BeattieWellTank30585QuaintonPhoto2.jpg. I notice that the file page either doesn't contain enough information about the license or it contains contradictory information about the license, so the copyright status is unclear.
If you did not create the file yourself or if it is a derivative of another work that is possibly subject to copyright protection, then you must specify where you found it (e.g. usually a link to the web page where you got it), you must provide proof that it has a license that is acceptable for Commons (e.g. usually a link to the terms of use for content from that page), and you must add an appropriate license tag. If you did not create the file yourself and the specific source and license information is not available on the web, you must obtain permission through the VRT system and follow the procedure described there.
Note that any unsourced or improperly licensed files will be deleted one week after they have been marked as lacking proper information, as described in criteria for deletion. If you have uploaded other files, please confirm that you have provided the proper information for those files, too. If you have any questions about licenses please ask at Commons:Village pump/Copyright or see our help pages. Thank you.
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![[1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LanivetVillageCornwallUk.jpg){kind=link}
