User:Alan Liefting/A list of problems on Commons

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This is a list of problems, in no particular order, that I have encountered on Commons. It is part of a project of mine to try and improve the quality and reliability of this project.

The List

[edit]
What is it that links them all?
  • Incorrect categorisation, not using {{En}} (if it is English) or other lang templates, and no vetting of image quality are some of the problems seen with mass uploading
  • Poor quality arguments are put forward in discussions, eg Template_talk:Institution#Remove_from_content_categories
  • Easy to get files onto Commons but hard to get them off
  • There is a mentality that every last bit of digital detritus must be kept
  • Many editors feel that the burden of proof for file info lies with the community rather than the uploader.
  • Files often have scant information added when uploaded
  • Category pages often have poor layout, i.e templates and category listing over-writing each other, because of no Template:{{Alan Liefting/A list of problems on Commons}}
  • Category pages are often cluttered with templates that are of use to editors but of no use to viewers eg [3]
  • Some of the language is too casual. [4], Category:Traffic cops. [5]
  • The categorisation is one hell of a mess. Are they used more often here on Commons than they are on WP?
  • There is not a lot of work being done on tracking the backlog or creating statistical info
  • Commons is considered to be for the use of editors rather than for viewers. e.g Category:Stamps
  • Template:Todo should be Template:To do - a missing space makes its function less apparent
  • There was a Category:Australia_and_Oceania. Since Australia is part of Oceania it was a completely redundant category
  • huge numbers of files go up for deletion. Obviously there is too much shit being uploaded
  • Ugly and inconsistent notices. This one [6] s the ugliest I have seen to date. It was a note to editors in a gallery page. And there are overlapping, squashed up templates at Category:Time
  • Category:Adolescent girls and politics. Why.....??? Rationality prevailed and it was deleted: Commons:Categories for discussion/2015/01/Category:Adolescent girls and politics
  • User pages are in the content categories
  • We are unpaid volunteers does a shabby job rather than professionals building a quality resource.
  • Being a multilingual site creases some issues, eg. poor grammar from ESOL, and the need for complex templating and translations.
  • It seems that the workload is too great for the current lot of active editors.
  • The cateorise templates clutter up the gallery pages, seem to be ignored, and are only for editors anyway.
  • All sorts of errors: [7]
  • Files are horever being put up for deletion beause of licencing issues. Obviously we can't trust uploaders to be honest.
  • Some editors don't realise the Category:Biographies is for publications about people and think it is ok to categorise images of people in it.
  • We are too trusting of editors, eg. Commons:Deletion requests/File:Area of Hotrayrain..jpg.
  • Given the number of sockpuppets, trolls, scammers, advertisers, hoaxers, mischief makers, and targeting Commons we cannot COM:AGF.
    • SHIT! It gets worse [8]. 1400 odd hoaxes (maybe)
  • I don't think we need to have barnstars in the viewer categories.
  • Institute templates, used for creating infoboxes and therefore of no interest to Commons viewers, are placed in content categories. Unfortunately there is not likely [citation needed] to be a gallery page for the actual institution.
  • I haven't seen Commons:Viewer defined yet but at least we have Commons:Users.
  • The quality of editing is just plain BAD! May editors have little understanding of how Commons works. It is not surprising though given the language barriers and the sheer complexity of the whole thing.
  • All of the deletion and reverting and multiple edits by many editors in due to a combination of vandals, trolls, scammers, inexperience editors, complexity of the project and a lack of clear, wide ranging, prescriptive policies, and guidelines.
  • It is hard work getting rid of rubbish. Commons:Deletion requests/File:Veiw of Hotrayrain..JPG
  • Some editors are really keen to get unskilled newbies up to speed. It would not be elitist to demand a certain level of skill before becoming an editor. Commons is really complicated and it before being and editor you need to have language skills, computer skills, critical thinking skills, analytical skills etc. THere is too much work that need to be done to hand hold editors who prove to be useless
  • I need to check but I think it is incredibly easy to create an account. I means we get too many bad faith editors.
  • How many high calibre editors don't bother with Commons because of the substandard quality and misguided anti-elitism?
  • Many editors are egalitarian and this seems to flow onto making decisions about hand holding unskilled editors.
  • Commons:WikiProject Christmas trees in 2013 Italia should never have been created.
  • What comes first? People or society? [9]
  • Poor rhetoric/critical thinking: Commons:Deletion requests/"Le Chasseur de crocodile" by Charles-Arthur Bourgeois, Commons:Categories for discussion/2015/01/Category:Paris maintenance
  • It seems that to some degree there is a focus on uploading as many images as possible, and to develop a set of valued, quality, featured images. This is at the expense of the quality of Commons.
  • Commons:Backlog was a simple redir to the cat
  • Too easy for idiot editors such as this one to create an account and add outright rubbish.
  • The infrastructure is poor. I had to set up Category:Commons categories in 2015! A lot of really basic policies are yet to be approved.
  • Can a user really call themselves a Wikimedian just by uploading an image of themselves? Special:Contributions/சக்திகுமார்_லெட்சுமணன்
  • Uploaders will often incorrectly call something "own work", or they may be telling outright lies.
  • File deletion numbers are climbing. [10]
  • File uploads are rise rapidly and regular editor numbers are reaching a plateau:
  • Commons growth
    Commons growth
  • Number of active editors
    Number of active editors
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