MediaWiki talk:Uploadtext

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Should we also include explanations on what kinds of licenses (free vs. non-free) we recommend to use? Smth like we did on Trashwiki? Or even better - maybe MrTweek or someone else can make a listbox (dropdown menu) of recommended licenses like in Wikimedia Commons (see also this)? --Sigurdas 13:57, 27 December 2008 (UTC) |

Below, see my suggestion for directions' improvement. --Sigurdas 07:29, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
Yeah, basically a good idea. A dropdown-box would be great, but I've no idea how to do that. I'll do some research. I think the problem ist that most users don't know anything about licensing and don't even want to know that. So they don't mind. If they upload their own pictures, it's no problem to publish them under GFDL by default. If they "steal" pictures somewhere (which seems to be an usual approach), we have a problem. --MrTweek 09:51, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
Ok, I edited UploadText, and I guess we can have it for the time being, although in future would be great to have a dropdown box (no license chosen - no upload...). I also added info about GFDL by default - that's actually cool since there will be no need to put newly uploaded pictures without a license to a category "License missing" - it is a responsibility of a user to read upload's directions carefully, and if he/she uploads a copyrighted material which Hitchwiki licenses under GFDL, no one can blame the latter one.
I just don't know what to do with the pictures that are already uploaded to Hitchwiki without licenses. My suggestion: license them under the GFDL as this is now a license by default, and possibly send a msg to users who uploaded these pictures notifying that if they don't agree with that they can chose other licenses (including non-free licenses like CC BY-NC-ND and such (own copyright??)).
As one can see from the UploadText, we actually do not forbid non-free licenses (hm, what about own copyright? Hitchwiki now states "do not upload any copyright protected material"...) but both default and recommended licenses are free, and that's what a user is most likely to chose from. --Sigurdas 09:08, 21 January 2009 (UTC)




Use the form below to upload files. To view or search previously uploaded files go to the list of uploaded files, (re)uploads are also logged in the upload log, deletions in the deletion log.

Please do not upload any copyright protected material. This includes copies from google maps. You can use OpenStreetMap instead. We kindly ask you to provide all basic information about what is the license of a material you upload, and who is the author of the work in case if an attribution is required. If you provide no license at all, it will be published by default under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.

Please first choose your license:

Copy-paste one of the license template names (codes) to the "Summary" field below and state clearly who is the author of the work in case if an attribution is required; when done, click "Upload file".

To include a file in a page, use a link in one of the following forms:

  • [[File:File.jpg]] to use the full version of the file
  • [[File:File.png|200px|thumb|left|alt text]] to use a 200 pixel wide rendition in a box in the left margin with 'alt text' as description
  • [[Media:File.ogg]] for directly linking to the file without displaying the file




I also suggest for the time of being to put files with unknown licenses (and authors if an attribution is required) to a special category (Category:License missing) with a following text:




This category includes files that are not yet licensed and/or the author of a work is not known although a license applied to a work requires an attribution to its creator. If you uploaded any of these files please provide all basic information about who is the author of the work and what is its license.

Please first choose your license:

Just open the Edit page of the file, copy-paste one of the license template names (codes) and state clearly who is the author in case if an attribution is required; when done, click "Save page". (You can also delete the line that indicates a category "License missing", in the body text of the file, although this is not necessarily since one of the Hitchwiki administrators will review the file later on anyway.)




These changes are needed, IMHO, to encourage Hitchwiki users to upload images with free licenses, and to make sure that there is no copyrighted material on Hitchwiki while showing our community's intention (especially with an introduction of a "License missing" category) to use images by legal means only (even though one can imagine that the licences of some images will never be revealed). --Sigurdas 07:29, 19 January 2009 (UTC)