Wikimedia Commons

The **Wikimedia Commons** (cried "Commons" or "Wikicommons" an aa) is a store o free content eimages, soond an ither multimedia files. It is a projeck o the Wikimedia Foondation. Files uploaded ti this store can be uised lik locally uploaded files on aa ither projecks on the Wikimedia servers, lik Wikipedia, Wikibooks an Wikinews.

The project wis proponed in Mairch 2004 an launched on 7 September, 2004. An important raeson for the setup o a central store wis a wish ti lessen duplication o effort ower the Wikimedia projecks an leids, sin the same file haed ti be uploaded ti monie different wikis ane bi ane afore the Commons wis creatit.

The possibility o local uploads exists yet, but shoud be uised maistlins for material that local project policies permit, but that wadna be permitted bi the licensin policy o the Commons, sic as fair uise content. As o 2005, the Wikimedia Commons itsel daesna allou fair uise or uploads unner non-free licences, sic as licenses that restrick commercial uise o materials. Licences that are aaricht are them lik the GNU Free Documentation License or Creative Commons licences wi nae restricks on uise, as weel as the public domain.

Gien its main function as a supportin projeck for the ither Wikimedia wab steids, the main content policy for files uploaded ti the Commons is that thay maun can be uissfu on onie o the Wikimedia projecks. This daesna mean material sic as richt personal picturs an airtwark, in contrast ti eimage sharin stores lik Flickr an DeviantART. Nanetheless, grat nummers o files hosted on the Commons arena uised direckly on onie Wikimedia projeck an likely nivver will be; sae the projeck haes grown intil a store o multimedia in its ain richt, that is aften airted til frae airticles on Wikipedia an ither Wikimedia wabsteids ti gie supplemental materials.

The project haes grown gey quickly syne its birth. On 24 May, 2005, it raxed a milestane o 100,000 uploaded media files (ootwi thoosands o wather an mercat data eimages for Wikinews). It wis the first Wikimedia projeck til uise MediaWiki 1.4 an aa. The defaut leid for the Commons is Inglis, but the interface can be configured (in uiser preferences) til uise onie ither leid. Some pages hae been owerset intil ither leids an aa.

Files on the Wikimedia Commons are categorised uising MediaWiki's category seistem. Mairanower, thay are aften collected on individual topical gallery pages. As o May 2005, monie different collections can be isolated: mair nor 10,000 public domain pentins frae auncient ti modren times, 7,733 pronunciation files in a hantle leids, hunders o public domain recordins o classical muisic, an a growin collection o short videos.

Atho the projeck wis oreiginally proponed ti haud free text files an aa, thir files are yet hosted on anither projeck, Wikisource.

The Wikimedia Commons haes received an honourable mention at the 2005 Prix Ars Electronica awairds in May 2005..

## See forbye
* Creative Commons - a projeck giein free content licences an a directory o freely licensed works
* Internet Archive - the lairgest freely accessible online collection o videos
* Ourmedia - a commonty media archive

## Ootside airtins
* Wikimedia Commons
* Wikimedia Commonplace , a Windows tuil for uploading files tae the Wikimedia Commons