Wiki Loves Broadcast/FAQ

This page is dedicated to answering questions the community has about Wiki Loves Broadcast and to act as a reference for the Wiki Loves Broadcast team. It is not dedicated to questions from public broadcasters. There will be a separate page for that, hosted by Wikimedia, which will be linked here when it goes live.

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How do I upload a Creative Commons file?

Usually, broadcasters upload their files themselves. But there may be agencies that only publish their Creative Commons files on their own website and don't upload them to Commons. So the first step is to download the original file from their site. If there is no download button, you can look at the source code. Please note that it is not possible to upload mp4 files to Commons. We recommend that you convert your video files to WebM format. For audio, photo and graphic files, the most common formats are accepted. For normal uploads, the Wizard for uploading files to Wikimedia Commons is usually used. When asked for the licence, click "This file is not my own work". This will allow you to manually enter the Creative Commons licence, source and authors. The licence will be the licence of the original file. Note that you can also enter other source-specific Creative Commons licence tags, for example there is a template for CC BY 3.0 content on YouTube. The source usually includes a link to the video in the broadcaster's media library. Please also note the following: Assign appropriate categories to the files. This will make them easier to find later. Examples of useful categories "Media from [name of station]"; Topic / Name of person(s) featured (shown in red if category does not yet exist); Attributes. Add a description to the files, e.g. a brief description of the file and the sources used in the original file. If the original file already has a description, you can use it. Add a subtitle to your video (link to question) If you want to add "Attribution: xy" under the heading of the licence section, add the parameter "|1=xy" to the licence template and change "xy" to the name of the broadcaster after uploading. This can be useful if you want to give the broadcaster's real name instead of the username you gave as the author in the upload wizard, or if you want to highlight the broadcaster's name again. Add structured data to the files, e.g: copyright status (P6216) → copyrighted (Q50423863) copyright license (P275) → Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (Q14947546) inception (P571) → date of the first publication of the video media type (P1163) → video/webm depicts (P180) → whatever the file depicts source of file (P7482) → file available on the internet (Q74228490) → operator (P137): e.g. YouTube (Q866) → described at URL (P973): URL of the file language of work or name (P407) → e.g. English (Q1860) Uploading with Video2Commons Another way to upload a video is to use the tool Video2Commons, where the video is automatically converted. To upload, select the video from your computer. You will then be asked to fill in the file description. See above for more details on what to write in the description. Once uploaded, do not forget to add structured data. You can find more details about the tool here. Note that the tool has limited capacity, so it may be faster to use the upload wizard.

How do I add subtitles to a video?

Subtitles can be created using the SubRip format. This is structured as follows: 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Subtitle to be displayed as the 1st from the beginning to the 12th second. 2 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:56,000 Subtitle to be displayed as the 2nd from the 34th to the 56th second. Note that there must always be a line between the number and the previous subtitle. One way to include the subtitle is to use the following form: Replace "File Name" (without "File:" prefix) and "Format" (e.g. webm) from the corresponding file. The language code for English is "en". More technical information about this can be found on Commons at Commons:Timed Text. It is desirable to include a short form of the sources in the subtitle.

How do I set a custom thumbnail for a video?

On the file page: the thumbnail is randomly generated from the video. It is not possible to create a custom thumbnail there. For embeddings: When embedding the files, e.g. in a Wikipedia article, thumbnails can be specified. The prerequisite is that the thumbnail is included in the video. Add "|thumbtime=SECOND|" between the filename and description to specify the time of the thumbnail to create a custom thumbnail.

How do I decide if a media file fits into an article?

It is not possible to set strict global rules for embedding files in articles within this project. However, you can consider the following: Favourable conditions for embedding a file: The file... is related to the article or specific parts of it. Does not contradict the content of the article. Complies with your Wikipedia's file embedding guidelines. Adds value to Wikipedia, i.e. it goes beyond just telling the story of the article. Does not contain inauthentic historical material. Does not use Wikipedia as a source. Does not have overly intrusive background music. (where applicable) uses narration in the same language as the article, or includes subtitles in that language. (where appropriate) includes text in English or the language of the article, or provides subtitles in that language. Avoids making absolute claims that cannot be substantiated. Does not become out of date quickly, e.g. by avoiding relative dates. Does not overload the article with excessive media files. Maintains a neutral and factual tone in its content. If you are unsure whether or not to include a file in an article, you can ask for support in our Telegram group, or leave a message about the file on the article's discussion page to get more opinions on it.

How do I become part of the project?
To become part of the project, you can send an email to rundfunkwikipedia.de  to be added to our telegram group. Please have a look at the main page for more information. If you would like to join an already established national chapter, please take a look at their respective page (here for Germany).

I added a file into an article but it was deleted from someone else. What can I do now?

Unfortunately, sometimes other people remove embedded files. If they give a reason, you can try to understand it and see if you agree. You can use our guidelines above, and have a look at your Wikipedia's rules for embedding media files. Feel free to ask for support in our Telegram group so we can look at it together. After that, you can try to convince the other person to put the file back into the article. You may find that the video no longer fits in the article. If the person who removed the file did not give a reason, you can ask them nicely. You can then proceed as described above.

What are the roles of the community, Wikimedia chapters, and broadcasters?

The Wiki Loves Broadcast team is the interface with the Wikipedia community, and is made up of volunteer Wikipedians who advise broadcasters and discuss the project with the rest of the community. Wikimedia chapters are responsible for convincing broadcasters of the benefits of Creative Commons licences and arranging collaborations. When a new collaboration begins, the WLB team usually holds a workshop at the station to explain how Wikipedia works, the technical requirements for content to be included in Wikipedia, and the technical process for uploading files. Separate Wiki Loves Broadcast chapters can be set up for languages where there is already more collaboration and a greater need for communication. For an overview of the participating broadcasters, WIkimedia chapters and WLB chapters, see here.

I know a public service broadcaster in my country that is not yet participating in this project. What can I do?

There are two possible solutions. Become a member of the WLB and work towards cooperation with the broadcaster. Write an email to rundfunkwikipedia.de  to draw attention to this. The WLB team can then ask the responsible Wikimedia chapter to start a collaboration with the broadcaster. Please note that the process of establishing a relationship with a new station can take several months, if not years.