How to categorize people on Wikimedia Commons

Hi, I'm Vera and I've been helping Susan and the rest of the group out in getting around on Wikimedia Commons, the media database the Wikipedia projects relies upon. I've written here before about how to transfer files from Flickr, and how the OTRS system works, today I'm going to tackle categories. I thought this was a good idea since Susan requested everyone to send in portraits last week.

Just like Wikipedia, files and pages on Commons are categorized, but unlike articles where categories are often an after though, they form the back bone of this project. This because there is no text that can link to other articles, so you often have to rely on the categories to find what you are looking for.

Please note: categories aren't tags. When you've added a file to say “Atheists from the United States”, there is no need to also ad “Atheism” or “Atheist”. The trick is to add the lowest level category as possible. Categories have a structure, for example:

Like this there is a huge tree structure on Wikimedia Commons, making all people in the end categorized in a subcategory of Homo Sapiens, even Kent Hovind.

Aspects of a person that make it possible to put files about them in a category are, for example:

• Year of birth
•  [1989 births]
• Alma mate
•  For this there doesn’t seem to be a consensus for having either [Alumni of University of Florida] or [University of Florida Alumni], try either or look it up by going to the university’s category.
• Occupation
• [Economists from the United States], [Neuroscientists from the Netherlands], [Film directors from New York City]. Again, try to find the lowest level, [DemocraticParty (United States) politicians] is a subcategory of [Politicians from theUnited States]  and [Democrats from Florida] in turn is a subcategory of the former.
•  Place of birth/residence
•  [People of Los Angeles], [People of The Hague]Not all places have such a category. Sometimes from is used instead of of.

Of course, it isn't always possible to add, say, [Atheists from Istanbul] because it doesn't exists. You can also create the category yourself:

Creating categories

Creating a new category is similar to creating a new page, just be sure to start the title with “Category:”. If a category is added to a file that doesn't exist, it will show up read, just like a page would. When you click on it, you will see the option to create it in the top right corner.

For general category, like Stroopwafels at Wikimedia meetups, are usually 2 parent categories. In this case:

[[Category:Stroopwafels|Wikimedia meetups]]
[[Category:Food at Wikimedia meetups]]

to the page and safe.

The section I colored here is a way to sort the category in its parent category, allowing for instance to have Skepticism in the United States to be sorted under U in its parent category Skepticism by country 
.

Optionally you can link to the Wikipedia article about the category you've just created. This is done the same way any Wikipedia page links to the same article in another language:

[[it:Independent Investigations Group]]
[[en:Independent Investigations Group]]
[[en:Independent Investigations Group]]

 On Wikipedia you can link back to the category by Commonscat template at the bottom of the page:

 {{Commonscat|Categoryname}}

Will result in something like this:

If you've made a spelling error

You can always go back and edit a category in order to change its parent categories,  I added Obama to the category left-handed people only last year for instance. You can't change its name through a simple edit though. If you've made a spelling error in its name, create the correct one following the above steps and replace the content of the wrong category with:

 {{bad name|Category:New category name}}

 Don't forget to move all the files in the bad category to the new category.

Creating a category for one individual

As the list of possible categories a person can be put in can quickly grow, it is often easier to create a person-specific category.  The categories that would otherwise be added to every file would then be added to the category page. 2 thinks are specific about these categories than other: The category People by namehas to be added and you have to add the defaultsort template:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surname, Firstname}}

The category Greta Christina, for instance, looks like this:

[[Category:People by name]]
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Reed College alumni]]
[[category:Skeptics from the United States]]
[[category:Atheists from the United States]]
[[category:Bloggers from the United States]]
[[Category:People from San Francisco, California]]
[[Category:LGBT activists from the United States]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christina, Greta}}

[[en:Greta Christina]]

Extra tools

There are some extra tools, gadgets they're called, I like to use when categorizing files. In order to activate them, go to Preferences > Gadgets

•  Cat-a-lot: A tool that helps with moving multiple files between categories or adding categories to search results.   [documentation] 
• HotCat: Easily add / remove / change a category on a page, with name suggestions.   [documentation / example] 

And I've changed my interface slightly by checking this option: 

• Place categories above content, but below image on file description pages. 

This way you don't have to scroll all the way down the page. I hope this was of help. If you have any question, you can contact me in our Facebook group or down in the comments. 

Altered Book Frame Tutorial By June Crawford of A Creative Dream

I am a book lover and book collector and just hate throwing a good book away. Well, you can imagine how pleased I was to see that June Crawford had a wonderful tutorial on her A Creative Dream blog showing you how to make an altered photo frame from an old book. I just love this idea.

Altered book photo frame

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by June Crawford of A Creative Dream

Here's what June had to say about her tutorial:   Let's alter a book.... Not like I haven't done that pretty often, eh? I am somewhat obsessed with it aren't I? This time I have a twist though... instead of making another journal, how about we turn a book into my current fancy... a frame?

I seem to have caught this particular bug (for making frames) while I was working on the woven photo frame. (You know... the one that I've got up for grabs as the current give away...over there on the left).  Since you can alter books into so many other things, surely I can alter a book into a frame, right?

First is the deconstruction phase. One of the most interesting things I have found since I started altering books is how very simple it is to deconstruct one. I have always thought of a book as something that is rock solid, but all it takes is two carefully created incisions and you have a book cover separated from the book pages. My only caution here is that you be very careful (if you follow along and create your own) not to puncture the spine of the book while you make the incisions.

Please respect June's TERMS OF USE:  Please note, in regard to the copyright, all of the directions and photographs in my tutorials are mine, you may not copy or reproduce them without my consent. These instructions are for you to use for PERSONAL use only, not for profit.

June's Bio:  Me... a dreamer, a ponderer of big and small thoughts. A wanna-be artist, a soon to be empty-nester... wondering what the heck I am gonna do with the rest of my life...

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - June Crawford of A Creative Dream.

Please visit  her A Creative Dream blog at http://acreativedreamer.blogspot.com/. Her A Creative Dream Flickr page is at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativedreamer/ .

Snowman In A Basket E-Pattern By Sue Allemand of Palette Primitives

I just LOVE the next stitchery that Sue Allemand has on her Free Stitchin' Patterns blog. It's a stitchery picture for the most adorable snowman in a basket as well as two small snowman ornaments. I hope you enjoy Sue's e-pattern.

Please Note: Unfortunately Sue's free e-pattern is no longer available.

SNOWMAN IN A BASKET

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sue Allemand of Palette Primitives.

Here's what Sue had to say about her pattern: We LOVE our customers so much -- that here's another FREE cutie pattern for ya! Two in one day!!! SNOWMEN IN A BASKET pattern includes instructions for making the framed stitchery as well as the mini snowmen ornaments!! The mini snowmen have cute polymer clay noses and seed bead eyes! They're adorable on a tree!! You could even make the stitchery into a little pillow ornament if you wish! Have fun stitching up these cuties!!

Please respect Sue's TERMS OF USE: All designs are copyright protected by Sue Allemand. You are given the right to make the finished products for personal use or profit (selling on the internet is fine), however, no mass producing, copying, sharing or distributing of the pattern or design is allowed. Please give credit to the me whenever possible. Thank you!

Copyright © 1999-2012- All Rights Reserved - Sue Allemand of Palette Primitives. Sue is a professional artist and designer.

Please visit Sue's Palette Primitives website at http://paletteprimitives.com, her Palette Primitives "Get Your Prim On" blog at http://www.paletteprimitives.blogspot.com, her Free Paintin' Patterns blog at http://freepaintinpatterns.blogspot.com and her Free Stitchin' Patterns blog at http://freestitchinpatterns.blogspot.com.

How To Block A Crocheted Doily Tutorial By Pamela Kellogg of Kitty and Me Designs

Have you ever wondered how to block a doily or cross-stitch design.  If you have and want to learn how to do this you'll be pleased to know that Pamela Kellogg has a tutorial on her Kitty & Me Designs blog showing you how.

How To Block A Crocheted Doily Tutorial

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Pamela Kellogg of Kitty & Me Designs.

Here's what Pamela had to say about her tutorial:  Happy Sunday everyone! I've been busy, busy, busy! Yes, too busy and I'm winding down now but I am the way I am! My ADD motor is always going!

I made a big pot of soup, 2 batches of cookies and a loaf of wheat bread. I have all the laundry caught up and added 2 more of my mom's Victorian Tussy Mussy's for Mother's Day to our Etsy shop:

Aren't they pretty? Mom really has a knack for these!

Another thing I did today was to block a couple of crocheted doilies and I thought I would write a tutorial for anyone who doesn't know how to do this. Many crocheted pieces can be ironed into shape but there are some that just won't cooperate unless they are blocked.

Please respect Pamela's TERMS OF USE:  I like to share Craft and Embroidery Tutorials on how I do a variety of projects and techniques and helpful hints. I add to this list regularly. Please feel free to download the directions and if you try them, please let me know if you enjoyed the project!

Pamela's Bio:Designer, Textile Artist and Instructor. Although I love all forms of needlework and embroidery, my true passion is Crazy Quilting. I enjoy a quiet life in our little cottage by a lake in Northern Illinois. I frequent flea markets and antique shops looking for do-dads that I can sew on to my stitching projects. I offer some of my handmade items, along with my mom's and my sister's, in my Etsy shop. I enjoy baking and share many of my recipes here. And did I mention glitter?

Copyright © 2005 - 2012 - All Rights Reserved - Pamela Kellogg of Kitty & Me Designs .

Please visit her Kitty & Me Designs blog at http://kittyandmedesigns.blogspot.com/ and her Kitty & Me Designs Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/kittyandme.

Paper Gum Weaving and Woven Chain Paper Frame Tutorials By June Crawford of A Creative Dream

I can remember making gum wrapper chains?  Can you?  If you can remember these or if you have always wanted to learn how to make something from them then you'll be happy to know that June Crawford has a wonderful tutorial on her A Creative Dream  blog showing you how to make picture frame from gum wrapper chains. I'm definitely going to try making one of these.  Boy, does that bring back memories!

Paper (gum wrapper) weaving

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by June Crawford of A Creative Dream

Here's what June had to say about her tutorial:  This current obsession I have with re-purposing old books into creative journals has left me with a whole lot of book guts. All those pages that fall out or I remove are hanging around in my creative space and I swear, they are taunting me. Maybe it's because they are really starting to pile up, or maybe it's because the pile is starting to topple over... either way, it seems time to turn some of my attention to all those pages.

So... do ya remember the gum wrapper chains from forever and a day ago? I think the last time I made one I was in... oh, maybe the fourth grade. We won't discuss exactly how many years ago that was, suffice it to say, it was a few. Which makes it all the more strange that creating one popped into my head a couple of weeks ago. But, once an idea comes to roost it must eventually come to fruition. It seemed a good thing to make those book pages stop taunting me, so this weekend I searched the depths of my memory and with a few mishaps... ok, maybe a whole bunch of mishaps (I tried to make it so much more difficult than it needed to be)... I think I finally got it. In case you haven't made one, or if you just need a refresher, I thought I'd share... Start with papers the size of gum wrappers. Mine were 1.5" x 3.25".

Woven paper frame part 1

Woven paper frame part 2

Woven paper frame finish

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Written by June Crawford of A Creative Dream

Here's what June had to say about her tutorial:  To weave the gum wrappers again, I needed a project to use them up. This is what I came up with. Quite pleased with myself. I mean.. cool idea huh? Who else would come up with a frame? Then my daughter came home. It seems she's seen these everywhere. Talk about an immediate deflate... anyway, I'm going to share with you the process of creating this frame regardless. Along with the things I won't be doing for the next ones.

Please respect June's TERMS OF USE:  Please note, in regard to the copyright, all of the directions and photographs in my tutorials are mine, you may not copy or reproduce them without my consent. These instructions are for you to use for PERSONAL use only, not for profit.

June's Bio:  Me... a dreamer, a ponderer of big and small thoughts. A wanna-be artist, a soon to be empty-nester... wondering what the heck I am gonna do with the rest of my life...

Copyright © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - June Crawford of A Creative Dream.

Please visit  her A Creative Dream blog at http://acreativedreamer.blogspot.com/. Her A Creative Dream Flickr page is at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativedreamer/ .

Making a Chipboard Shoe Picture Stand Tutorial By Laura Carson of Artfully Musing Blog

I just LOVE shoes and any creation revolving around shoes.  So, I was thrilled to see that Laura Carson had a wonderful tutorial on her Artfully Musing blog showing you how to make a shoe picture stand out of chipboard.  This is going to the top of my "to do" list.  I just LOVE shoes.

Making a Chipboard Shoe Picture Stand – Designed for Alpha Stamps

Copyright © 2012 - All Rights Reserved - Written by Laura Carson of Artfully Musing.

Here's what Laura had to say about her tutorial:  In this tutorial I’ll cover how to construct a picture stand using chipboard shoes and a chipboard name tag. These stands are simple to make with endless style and theme possibilities.

Please respect Laura's TERMS OF USE:  My tutorials are protected by U.S. & International copyright laws.  Do not copy, duplicate, alter or reproduce in anyway.  Please use for inspiration only. ALL NAMES, LOGOS AND DESIGNS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ©2012 Laura Carson (Artfully Musing), All Rights Reserved

Laura's Bio: After retiring from the computer software industry where I spent my career designing, building and marketing software, I needed a creative outlet. A few years ago I discovered Mixed Media Art and have had a love affair ever since. I’ve taught classes in Altered Books, Handmade Books, Collage Art and Mix Media Art. I currently design for Alpha Stamps and I enjoy trading in various art groups. Starting this blog is a way of sharing my art and the wonderful art I have received from others. I specialize in very detailed multi-layered and textured pieces. I live in Anthem Arizona with my husband Kevin, dog Sandy, and cat Tigger.

Copyright © 2012 - All Rights Reserved - Laura Carson of Artfully Musing.

Please visit her Artfully Musing blog at  http://artfullymusing.blogspot.com/.

Guest article - OTRS on Wikimedia

The following is from one of the Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia team, Vera de Kok, all the way from The Hague.  We are a team that has all different skill sets, which is why we need each other (and you).  Vera is the expert in all things Wikimedia Commons related.  She is very patient with us lowly text only editors (I'm #1 on the list) and helps explain licensing rules on Wikipedia, sometimes over and over (to me mainly).  Anyway, here she is explaining what OTRS is. 

Previous article from Vera about downloading from Flickr. 

Thank you Vera for all the work you do.

==========================

OTRS, no it’s not scary.

When you place media files on Wikipedia, they have to have a free license, because Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia . This is easy when you yourself have created the photograph, or when it has been published under the right CreativeCommons license on Flickr.

But sometimes images are send in by third parties, and that can raise some red flags; especially when those pictures have been published before on the web. For these kinds of situations we have the OTRS system. Which stands for Open-source Ticket Request System. This system processes e-mails that verify if the owner of the photographs really has agreed to the license agreement.

In order to process tickets quickly, the standard form should be used:

I hereby affirm that CHOOSE ONE: [I, (name here) am] OR [(copyright holder's name) is] the creator and/or sole owner of the exclusive copyright of [SPECIFY THE WORK HERE - describe the work to be released in detail, attach the work to the email, or give the URL of the work if online]

I agree to STANDARD CHOICE; SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TYPE OF LICENSE: [publish that work under the free license "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0" (unported) and the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.3 (with no invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back-cover texts).]

I acknowledge that by doing so I grant anyone the right to use the work in a commercial product or otherwise, and to modify it according to their needs, provided that they abide by the terms of the license and any other applicable laws.

I am aware that this agreement is not limited to Wikipedia or related sites.

I am aware that I always retain copyright of my work, and retain the right to be attributed in accordance with the license chosen. Modifications others make to the work will not be claimed to have been made by me.

I am aware that the free license only concerns copyright, and I reserve the option to take action against anyone who uses this work in a libelous way, or in violation of personality rights, trademark restrictions, etc.

I acknowledge that I cannot withdraw this agreement, and that the work may or may not be kept permanently on a Wikimedia project.

[SENDER'S NAME AND DETAILS (to allow future verification of authenticity)]
[SENDER'S AUTHORITY (Are you the copyright-holder, director, appointed representative of, etc.)]
[DATE]

Translations of this form into other languages are also available here.

The standard license in a CreativeCommons-Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license. But you can choose one that is also on the list. Be sure to not forget the version number of the license, because forgetting that makes it invalid.

This has to be send to  permissions-commons@wikimedia.org. If the author of the photograph has not send the permission directly to this e-mail address but to you, you have to forward it along with a link to where the file is posted on Commons and by include headers. This is a bit tricky the first time, here are instructions on how to do that in some of the more popular e-mail clients:

• Yahoo
• Gmail
• Outlook express

If you use another e-mail client, try googling “[client name] + include full headers” and you will very likely find instructions. Once you have send the e-mail to the OTRS system, you may want to include the otrs pending-template on the file page to let patrollers know it’s already coming.

That’s it.

How To Make A Glossy Free Tutorial by Alma Stoller

I just love all types of embroidery and embellishment and have always wanted to try making a glossy. If you have too then you'll be happy to know that Alma Stoller has a wonderful tutorial on her Alma Stoller blog showing you how to make a glossy.  Enjoy.

How To Make A Glossy

Copyright © 2010- All Rights Reserved - Written By Alma Stoller of Alma Stoller blog.

Here's what Alma had to say about her tutorial:  I am starting 2010 with an art project called The Glossy Project. The Glossy Project is a monthly challenge I have started as a way to merge my love of design and fashion with textile and mixed media art.

For this year, the theme will be the cover of Boho, Vogue (US edition), Oprah and Bust magazine and the design is always embroidered.

The embroidery technique is one I have been using and teaching for years now. I call this stitch,The Glossy Back Stitch. It is similar to the traditional back stitch, 

Please respect Alma's TERMS OF USE:  I encourage you to link back to my post. Please give credit where credit is due. Unless otherwise noted, all photos, text, ideas, tutorials and artwork on my blog are the property of Alma Stoller. I'm happy to share with you, but please do not copy, reproduce or use without permission. Thank you.

Copyright © 2003-2012 - All Rights Reserved - Alma Stoller of Alma Stoller blog. Alma is an artist, designer, and blogger.

Please visit her Alma Stoller blog at http://www.almastoller.blogspot.com/, her Alma Stoller Facebook Page at  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-Stoller/179752818769188 , and her Alma Stoller Tutorials ETSY Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlmaStollerTutorials.

Uploading pictures from Flickr

The following comes from Vera de Kok who wrote instructions on uploading pictures from Flickr that other people have taken.

Your my first guest author Vera!

One other great way to get contemporary pictures onto Wikipedia is by looking for pictures on Flickr that have the right Creative Commons license. Under ‘Advanced search’ you can specify this:








Creative Commons is an alternative to regular copyright that lets the original author keep some of it rights but makes clear that he or she is OK with other people using his work. Because Wikipedia is an open encyclopedia that strives to be accessible in whatever shape or form. This means that commercial or modified use should be an option.

Being able to use the work commercial might seem a bit extreme. Keep in mind that the threshold for what can be considered commercial is very low. If you have a blog that has advertisement on it, that blog is commercial – even if it doesn’t run a profit. If you share content on Facebook: commercial because Facebook advertises. It also makes it possible for the content to be printed in books, still a cornerstone of many education systems.

Sometimes you can’t find a picture that has the right license. I haven’t shunned away from contacting Flickr users to ask if they might be ok with the publication of their photo on Wikipedia.

Here is my example letter:

Dear Mr/Madam. ******

I'm contacting you concerning this picture you made of *******

 http://www.flickr.com/example

I was wondering if you would be willing to donate this picture to the public domain so it can be used on *****s’ Wikipedia page. You can do this by going over to the picture, and under "'Owner settings" change "All Rights Reserved" to a Creative Commons "Attribution-ShareAlike" license. This will make it possible for any use of this picture as long as they credit you as its source and use the same license for their derivative work.

Please note that “any use” includes commercial use of your work. This is necessary because Wikipedia strives to be an open encyclopedia that can be published in whatever shape or form. Being printed in books and published on blogs that carry advertisements. I will fully understand if you object to this.

Your Flickr account will be credited as the source. Please drop me a note if you're OK with this.

Thanks in advance,

Your Name

You do need a Flickr account to contact other users. Keep in mind that you are asking people a favor so stay polite. In my experience it is easier to get amateur photographers to agree with publication than professionals.

If you have found an interesting picture, the best way to upload it onto Wikimedia Commons is to use the Flickr bot.



Instructions there are fairly easy to follow. Do read the instructions if you go over it for the first time. Getting your picture in the right category might be an issue, but that will be covered by another blog post.