Wiki Commons: Store o free content eimages, soond an ither multimedia files

It is a projeck o the Wiki Foondation. Files uploaded ti this store can be uised lik locally uploaded files on aa ither projecks on the Wiki servers, lik Wiki, Wikibooks an Wikinews.

Wikipaedia

Screenshot o Wiki Commons
Teep o steid	wiki
Available in	multilingual
Awner	Wiki Foondation
Wabsteid	commons.wikimedia.org
Commercial	Na
Registration	Optional
Launched	7 September 2004 (2004-09-07)
Current status	Active

The project wis proponed in Mairch 2004 an launched on 7 September, 2004. An important raeson for the setup o a central store wis a wish ti lessen duplication o effort ower the Wiki projecks an leids, sin the same file haed ti be uploaded ti monie different wikis ane bi ane afore the Commons wis creatit.

The possibility o local uploads exists yet, but shoud be uised maistlins for material that local project policies permit, but that wadna be permitted bi the licensin policy o the Commons, sic as fair uise content. As o 2005, the Wiki Commons itsel daesna allou fair uise or uploads unner non-free licences, sic as licenses that restrick commercial uise o materials. Licences that are aaricht are them lik the GNU Free Documentation License or Creative Commons licences wi nae restricks on uise, as weel as the public domain.

Gien its main function as a supportin projeck for the ither Wiki wab steids, the main content policy for files uploaded ti the Commons is that thay maun can be uissfu on onie o the Wiki projecks. This daesna mean material sic as richt personal picturs an airtwark, in contrast ti eimage sharin stores lik Flickr an DeviantART. Nanetheless, grat nummers o files hosted on the Commons arena uised direckly on onie Wiki projeck an likely nivver will be; sae the projeck haes grown intil a store o multimedia in its ain richt, that is aften airted til frae airticles on Wiki an ither Wiki wabsteids ti gie supplemental materials.

The project haes grown gey quickly syne its birth. On 24 May, 2005, it raxed a milestane o 100,000 uploaded media files (ootwi thoosands o wather an mercat data eimages for Wikinews). It wis the first Wiki projeck til uise MediaWiki 1.4 an aa. The defaut leid for the Commons is Inglis, but the interface can be configured (in uiser preferences) til uise onie ither leid. Some pages hae been owerset intil ither leids an aa.

Files on the Wiki Commons are categorised uising MediaWiki's category seistem. Mairanower, thay are aften collected on individual topical gallery pages. As o May 2005, monie different collections can be isolated: mair nor 10,000 public domain pentins frae auncient ti modren times, 7,733 pronunciation files in a hantle leids, hunders o public domain recordins o classical muisic, an a growin collection o short videos.

Atho the projeck wis oreiginally proponed ti haud free text files an aa, thir files are yet hosted on anither projeck, Wikisource.

The Wiki Commons haes received an honourable mention at the 2005 Prix Ars Electronica awairds in May 2005..

• Creative Commons - a projeck giein free content licences an a directory o freely licensed works
• Internet Archive - the lairgest freely accessible online collection o videos
• Ourmedia - a commonty media archive

• Wiki Commons
• Wiki Commonplace Archived 2005-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, a Windows tuil for uploading files tae the Wiki Commons