Hi Folks,
There is an active proposal on the Commons Village pump that could
significantly change how video uploads are handled, and your input is
needed.
🎬 The Proposal: Allow the Upload Wizard to automatically convert MP4 to
WebM
Currently, uploading MP4 files to Commons can be a hurdle due to patent
restrictions, often requiring uploaders to use third-party tools like
video2commons to convert files. The Wiki Med team has developed a new
capability that would automatically handle this conversion directly inside
the Upload Wizard, making the process much smoother.
There are currently a few different approaches being discussed and voted on:
* Option 1: Auto-conversion – Convert the MP4 to WebM during upload and
discard the original patented file.
* Option 2: Direct MP4 Uploads – Allow users to upload MP4s directly,
retaining the original file for the future (when patents expire) but
transcoding it to WebM or another free format for viewing, similar to how
TIFF files are handled.
Whether you are passionate about user experience, concerned about software
patents and open formats, or just want an easier way to upload educational
videos, the community needs your perspective.
Head over to the proposal, review the technical and legal discussions, and
cast your vote!
🔗 Read the proposal and vote here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Village_pump/Proposals#Allow_the…
Sincerely,
Butch Bustria
Hi everyone,
We are thrilled to announce that v6.3.0 is now available on Google Play!
What's new? 🚀
* Caption and description are now accessible on all screen sizes
* Custom author name no longer results into invalid URLs on Commons and redirect to the actual user profile
* Bug fixes and stability improvements
Please feel free to test the latest changes and report any issues you face with v6.3.0 at https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/issues.
Best,
Ritika
Dear Wikimedians,
We are excited to announce that Wiki Loves Africa 2026
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2026>
officially started on 1 March 2026!
Wiki Loves Africa
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa> is the
annual pan-African photography, video, and audio contest that invites
people across the continent to contribute media that reflects African life,
culture, and heritage to Wikimedia Commons for use on Wikipedia and other
Wikimedia projects.
As part of the campaign kickoff, the official Wiki Loves Africa 2026 Launch
Event
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2026_Contest_Launch>
was held on 5 March 2026 in collaboration with the Wiki Loves Africa
international
team
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2026/Media#Int…>
and the Wiki Loves Africa 2026 Ambassadors
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2026/Media#Wik…>
.
The launch event brought together over 80 participants from across Africa,
including contributors, past jury members, past and present organisers, and
previous winners of the competition. The event introduced the 2026
campaign, shared participation guidelines, and highlighted opportunities
for communities and contributors to get involved this year.
The session was lively and interactive, featuring icebreakers, a live quiz,
and music, which created an engaging and welcoming atmosphere while
reconnecting members of the Wiki Loves Africa community across the
continent.
If you missed the event or would like to watch it again, the recording of
the launch is available here
<https://youtu.be/7Ud1MntP934?si=bL5BPdk884u5eWbg>.
We warmly invite you to participate in Wiki Loves Africa 2026 under the
theme *Rites and Rituals
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2026/Theme>*
by submitting photos, videos, or audios to Wikimedia Commons and by
supporting activities happening in your local communities
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2026/Countries>
.
Join us in documenting and sharing Africa’s rich cultures, traditions, and
everyday life with the world.
Warm regards, Hilary Ogali
Wiki Loves Africa Facilitator
Hello,
On 24 March at 13:30 is the next Global GLAM Call — I hope you will join!
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Global_GLAM_call_2026-03-24
This month’s call will be hosted by Lutherking Petercan and features topics
such as an introduction to the new Pattypan release 26.02, Metrics on
Wikimedia platforms, the IGO Partnerships with the Content Partnerships
Hub, and a new GLAM project in Venezuela!
This call will also feature simultaneous interpretation between spanish and
english!
Hope to see you online,
Connor
Dear all,
I would like to invite you to review and comment on a proposal currently open at the Commons Village Pump regarding file move workflows on Wikimedia Commons.
The proposal suggests allowing the file mover user group to delete single-revision redirects when they block a file move. The idea is limited to redirects with only one revision and would apply only during the move process, helping reduce routine administrative requests and making file renaming more efficient.
You can read and participate in the discussion here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Village_pump/Proposals#Proposal:…
Your feedback, questions, or concerns would be very valuable for determining whether there is community support for this change.
Thank you for your time and participation.
Regards,
User:ZI Jony