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Advanced Wikimedia training outline

FAQ for Wikipedia training lessons

Adding images

Adding images from Wikimedia Commons to Wikipedia pages

Wikimedia Commons is a “sister-project of Wikipedia.” Once you are logged in to Wikipedia, you are logged into all sister project websites.
Images on Wikipedia must be uploaded and hosted at Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org).

Steps

Search for and find an image you would like to use for your Wikipedia article on Wikimedia Commons.
When you click on an image, you will be directed to that image’s “image description” page.
At the top, you should see an option that says “use this file” and has a Wikipedia logo.
Click on “use this file” copy the wikimarkup listed for “Thumbnail” and paste this wikimarkup into the "Edit" Tab of the Wikipedia article markup where you want the image to go.
Press “save” and the image should appear as a thumbnail, with the default right-hand side location.
Extras: You can make image galleries on Wikipedia pages. Template:Gallery
Extras: Template:Commons category

Uploading images to Wikimedia Commons

You must be logged-in to upload images.
Upload images using the “Upload Wizard” located on the lefthand sidebar on commons.wikimedia.org.
Images added to Wikimedia Commons must be ‘donated’ by the current copyright holder, or otherwise already exist in the public domain.
You will be asked to select media files; you can add multiple files at a time, but keep in mind that you will need to provide descriptive information for each file individually.
If the files are your own work, you must agree to grant anyone the right to use your files under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license, which states that anyone may use, share, or remix these works, as long as they credit you (the creator) and release any derivative work under the same license.
The following Creative Commons is the most commonly used licenses on Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 (legal code) and should be your default option.
If the files are not your own work, then you will be required to identify the source of the files, the author, and to explain why you are sure that you have the right to publish these works. Valid reasons include:

The copyright holder published these works with the Creative Commons license
The copyright holder published their photos or videos on Flickr with the right license
The copyright has definitely expired in the USA
These works were made by the United States government

You can also provide copyright information for each file individually while inputting your description, if you have uploaded files with different copyright information.
Once you have released your content, you will be taken to a page where you can include information about your files or images.
You should re-title your image to clearly indicate what it is, but remember that the title will also be the filename that other users will need to link to your file, so you don’t want it to be too long or difficult. If you use a default filename from your camera someone may accidentally overwrite your image.
Please note: you can't rename an image file yourself once it's been uploaded.
Include a brief description of the file, such as content, or information about the location, filters, date, etc. If you copied the file from another web site, provide a URL in the source field. These fields are not questions: if you don't have or need a value for them, leave them empty!
Add each file to a relevant category or categories; this makes it more likely that other users will find your file. Categories in Wikimedia Commons work slightly differently than in Wikipedia, so you should to read more about them.
When you have finished, click “Next”, and you will be taken to a page that lists the code required to embed your file into a Wikipedia article; simply copy and paste! * You will also be provided with a URL which will enable you to link to your files from other sites.

Reviewing your previous uploads

When logged in, you may view your uploads by clicking on the “Uploads” tab in the top right of Wikimedia Commons.

Adding infoboxes

Infoboxes contain structured data that is easy for 3rd party sites to pull from.
There are infobox templates for different types of subjects.
They always fall on the right hand side of the page (automatically)
e.g., Infobox person: http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Template:Infobox_person
e.g., Infobox artist: http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Template:Infobox_artist
Expert tip: COPY AND PASTE from an existing infobox and change the info locating to the right of the equals signs.
Note: Not all forms in the infobox template need to be filled in. Fill in what is needed.

Talking to other users

Every article has a talk page.
The talk pages of Wikipedia articles are the best location to discuss any topics pertaining to the article including:

Sources or reference questions
Reasons for having taken down content or a banner/notification on the page
Moving or renaming the article
Creating or Merging ‘branch’ articles from the content in the article.

Each User has a Userpage and talk page.
Further: Inviting users to review your work
Further: Asking for help on a Wikipedia process from an expert
Further: Contacting an administrator for conflict-resolution.

How to write on talk pages

Go to your own talk page and create a “hello world” post.
Click ‘New Section’
Write content
Add Signature four tildes (OR drohowa (talk) 23:26, 16 February 2015 (UTC)) this makes a timestamp signature when you press save.[reply]
Go to history for the talk page
Revert your edits (be sure to leave an edit summary)

Notability guidelines for artists

Note: Notability is not an exact science
Note: Notability is determined by a person or subject’s importance within the field of focus
Notability Guidelines for: Authors, editors, journalists, filmmakers, photographers, artists, architects, and other creative professionals: Wikipedia:Notability (people)#Creative professionals

Notable If:'

The person is regarded as an important figure or is widely cited by peers or successors.
The person is known for originating a significant new concept, theory or technique.
The person has created, or played a major role in co-creating, a significant or well-known work, or collective body of work, that has been the subject of an independent book or feature-length film, or of multiple independent periodical articles or reviews.
The person's work (or works) either:

has become a significant monument,
has been a substantial part of a significant exhibition,
has won significant critical attention, or
Is represented within the permanent collections of several notable galleries or museums.

CONTENT BELOW IS IN PROGRESS

New page creation

To make articles that stick, familiarize yourself with Wikipedia’s Core Content Policies.
Before you create a Wikipedia article, check to see if an article with the same name already exists, or if other articles already contain information on the subject.
If there is already an article with the name, you might have to create a disambiguation page.
Create an article draft in your Sandbox before publishing.
Note: do not use the new page request process suggested on Sandbox pages, just make a red link and create the page.
When you are ready to publish your article draft, have an experienced editor review your work, or, if you are confident in your work, proceed!
To create a new Wikipedia article, search for the EXACT CASE-SENSITIVE ARTICLE TITLE in the Wikipedia Searchbox.
Note: More information on titling articles. Wikipedia:Article titles
The first search result should be a red link with the article title you have searched for.
Click on the red link, you should be prompted to “create the page.”
Paste the wikimarkup from your article draft into the blank page, and press save. You have just created the article.
As soon as you post your article, notify other Wikipedians you know that it is up so that they can make edits on the page as soon as you have posted it.
An article too short to provide more than rudimentary information about a subject should be marked as a stub by adding a stub template from the list here to the end of the article. More information: Wikipedia:Stub.
Note: When a new article is created, it is usually reviewed by an experienced Wikipedian patrolling new articles by a few hours after the initial creation.

What do I do if my article is flagged for deletion?

Notes: Learning this process is a good way for organizers to prepare in the case that someone at an edit-a-thon makes an edit or article that gets flagged for deletion
Notes: Remain calm during the flagging/deletion process and take it as a sign that the system is working.
Notes: Do not use personal attacks and remain a civil voice during the discussion process to best communicate your point of view.
Notes: Sometimes articles ARE unfairly tagged because of systematic problems. And yet, deletions/flags do not always occur because someone was insensitive to the subject matter its often more about needing improved citation, reference, structure, or using less promotional or biasing language. Take time to understand what policies other editors were using to determine that the article needed flagging.
Banners
Banners are part of Wikipedia’s peer review process.
Some Wikipedia editors focus on tagging articles that need improvement. These are also called "notification templates" http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_notification_templates Bots also put these tags on articles with regularity.
Articles that are flagged/tagged then go on lists where other editors review them, or work on completing the articles. Maybe show them a few of the pages in this category? http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_maintenance
The links within the banner lead to policy pages that offer ideas for improvement, and that after some improvements are made
Banners will say whether they can either be removed, at any time, or if there is a process that needs to take place in order to have the banner removed.
The general best practice for banners that say ‘may be removed’ is to write on the talk page the reasons why the banner is no longer relevant or why the article should be in good standing.
There is usually an administrator assigned to the banner. To get more information, message this administrator directly on their talk page.

Articles for deletion

Articles that are flagged for deletion go to deletion debates, where conversations occur, and anyone can participate. Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion
Recruiting other editors that you know personally to participate in an AfD or deletion discussion is not permitted, but this is only flexibly enforced.
Any editor who disagrees with a proposed deletion or banner can simply remove the tag, but first, the editor is encouraged to fix the perceived problem with the page, and also to engage in a discussion with the Wikipedian that put the banner there to resolve the issue (you can find their Username in the relevant "view history" listing).
There are specific criteria pertaining to speedy deletion Wikipedia:Criteria for Speedy Deletion vs. main deletion policy
If your article is up for deletion or speedy deletion - discussion occurs on a dedicated discussion page, a sub-page of Wikipedia:Articles for deletion named after the article. That page will be linked to directly in the banner listed on the main article page. On the deletion discussion page, the Wikipedia community may discuss its merits for a period usually no less than seven days, in order to come to a public rough consensus about whether the article is unsuited to Wikipedia.
You may edit/improve the article at any time during the deletion discussion, and you may alert members of the deletion discussion that changes have been made.
Following seven days of discussion, an experienced Wikipedian will determine if a consensus was reached and will "close" the discussion accordingly, and comment on their reasoning.
Closing the discussion
If you need help with understanding any aspect of the deletion process, contact the administrator that moved the page to AfD (on their talk page), or another administrator. They will help you.
There is a further appeal process if you are not satisfied with the result.