[Wikimedia-l] RfC: Should we support MP4 Video on our sites?

[Nathan]

On Fri, Jan 17, 2014 at 2:15 PM, Andrew Lih <andrew.lih at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm not sure what debate you're referring to. If it's about whether video
> belongs in Wikipedia, I don't think it's even in question.
>
> Wikipedia started in 2001 as all text.
>
> It didn't have photos then, we now have photos.
> It didn't have audio then, we now have audio.
> It didn't have video then, we now have video (albeit not that much).
>
> Video shouldn't need special justification to be a full-fledged part of
> Wikiepdia's content.
>
>
>
More specifically, if growing Commons as a repository for video in the same
way it is for images is the best use of Wikimedia resources. I'd think
lobbying Google to be more expansive in its license permissions for cc-by
YouTube videos, curating existing educational video content, etc. might
bear more fruit. Not to say that using video from Commons to illustrate
other projects isn't valuable, but hosting millions of videos not used on
any projects (as it is with images on Commons) seems like a misuse of time
and effort given the far more popular alternatives.