Talk:Community Wishlist/Wishes/Add a like button to media

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A tangential tool

While it is not a straightforward like, my proposed solution actually fits perfectly to the third point. Commons already has a gadget, accessible through preferences that lists your saved images. For more information regarding this tool please see commons:Help:Favourites. Best regards, A09|(pogovor) 13:13, 29 July 2024 (UTC)

I think that the provided link is broken. Theklan (talk) 15:01, 29 July 2024 (UTC)

No it is not. The links leads to the intended page. A09|(pogovor) 16:35, 29 July 2024 (UTC)

Ok, so something like this, but in the system, for everyone, and easy to use. Theklan (talk) 22:21, 29 July 2024 (UTC)

Everyone can use it. All they need to do is turn on the gadget through the preferences. Fave can’t really work for IPs in its current form. A09|(pogovor) 06:25, 30 July 2024 (UTC)

When people have to turn things on this means most people won't know about it and won't use it. However, making this one a default doesn't seem reasonable. I think people could just use the thank you more often, such as thanking people for their file uploads. Another idea would be bots that regularly posts on an uploader's talk page where uploaded files have been used in Wikimedia projects since the last report and some stats about mediaviews – however, both of these can be problematic as in the uploader getting involved in putting media in Wikipedia articles where it isn't very useful. Moreover, people could post WMC links more often to social media sites (example) which is done very rarely for strange reasons, which is probably a factor why the site is still so unknown etc. Lastly, WMC is not a social media site and people already over-facilitate aesthetically pleasing photos rather than images that fill important gaps such as illustrations for large Wikipedia articles that would really benefit from illustrations. Prototyperspective (talk) 12:42, 30 July 2024 (UTC)

People isn't sharing media on social media sites because it is currently not possible to do it in a native way: Community_Wishlist/Wishes/OEmbed_for_Commons. Theklan (talk) 10:39, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

Well I think I have never used a share button to share things on social networks and think many other users don't use that either (for example because it's rare to see the prefilled texts in posts so if they use it they change the default text or share it otherwise). This of course doesn't mean many others use these but what I'm saying is that it's not the only and possibly not the main issue there. However, I still support adding share buttons because of the people that use them and because they also serve to facilitate people sharing media even if they don't use these, e.g. because they see it's encouraged somewhat and because they are reminded of that by the buttons. Prototyperspective (talk) 11:52, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

I've created a redirect on Commons. Cookai🍪 _(💬talk) 16:49, 29 July 2024 (UTC)

Commons only ?

Do you want this feature specifically only for Wikimedia Commons ? I think Commons is not super discoverable to most and having it only on Commons seems as a missed opportunity and added complexity at the same time to me.

However traditionally the (English) Wikipedia community has been very vocal about not wanting social features. See also: w:Wikipedia:NOTSOCIALNETWORK. This might have changed, but... I doubt it. Does anyone have any ideas on how such a feature would work and how it might be made in a way that Wikipedians would accept it ? —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 13:21, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

That page is about content, not features to share WP contents which however may still be usually a bad idea or at least by far not as useful as for WMC. But here's two relevant ideas:

• sharing parts of Wikipedia articles: you select some text and then get the option to get a link which you can then share, for example when discussing something with others (a problem is that this may lead to that part getting modified in problematic ways and that people can already do this or share the link the relevant section). For this see commons:Category:Share-a-Fact which is I think a nice idea that apparently just drowned
• Making it easier to share section links by showing anchors next to section titles like on GitHub, Our World in Data, and most other relevant websites – I think I've already seen a phab issue about this but don't have it now

Prototyperspective (talk) 20:03, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

It is about content, however a very vocal group tends to have a much wider interpretation of that... I think it is pretty shortsighted, which is why i wrote w:Wikipedia:Facebookization several years ago. 17:56, 3 August 2024 (UTC) —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 17:56, 3 August 2024 (UTC)

I love this idea for Commons and the first priority should be to get it working there. I never considered extending the ability to like a file to the Wikipedias - which makes sense as Wikipedias have such a high volume of users and thus opinions. For Wikipedia logged in users I would support putting the like button on the page you land on immediately after clicking a file, next to the [details] button. On desktop the hovertip would say "like this file on Wikimedia Commons". On mobile, once you click the like button the popup display box would say "You just liked this file on Wikimedia Commons". This would encourage Commons participation in my opinion. I would not support liking fair use images. Commander Keane (talk) 02:38, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

IMO this works rather well for Commons (though Favourites already exists) but Wikipedia isn't a media repository and doesn't needed it. SHB2000 (t • c) 02:42, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

I can live with that, make Wikipedians visit the Commons file page if they want to like it. On the other hand, Commons "owns" the page I mentioned, once you click on a file you are in Commons territory in my opinion. Commander Keane (talk) 03:00, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

Like the idea, just some remarks

I like the idea. There are undoubtedly many snags to the proposal, but I would give it a chance. Two remarks:

1. I would especially promote it for goal 3, to be able to find good images easier on Commons; the images that are liked the most should be sorted at the top of search results.
2. Commons has already Featured pictures, Quality images and Valued images, and many contests for best photos. Perhaps they could be integrated one way or another. I hope a like button makes it more easy to participate in selecting the best photos (the other ones require now a procedure).

JopkeB (talk) 15:23, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

1. it would be useful for that but one could also make use of the file-uses...uses on large Wikipedias would count a lot as would many uses across many Wikipedias. Combined with the other things like FP that may already be enough for sorting things up to the first two pages or so given that one also has to show files that are likely most relevant to the search terms. 2. there also are MOTD and featured media, not just images.

However, it can cause problems like people starting to use it like some social media site, people creating many vote accounts, and so on. One could also use the thanks received for file uploads this way, maybe combined with favorites but in both cases these are used very little. Prototyperspective (talk) 22:51, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

Yes, I agree: uses in other projects, like Wikipedias and Wikivoyage, should also count as sorting criterium.

Yes, I agree: a like button can cause problems, that is in the "snags" I mentioned. But I like the concept: an accessible and easy to use tool to give your appreciation for an upload. JopkeB (talk) 05:40, 3 August 2024 (UTC)

No

Wikimedia is not a social network. This is a fundamental principle, and not one the Community Wishlist should try to erode. * Pppery * _{it has begun} 21:52, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

I don't think the idea is good either. Wikipedia shouldn't become Instagram. In my opinion, that would also lead to a bigger battle between the best pictures and attempts at fraud, as we already know from other social networks that work with likes. In addition, tens of thousands of files that are great but simply too old will vanish from the scene cause people tend to like new pictures. RaveDog (talk) 18:05, 4 August 2024 (UTC)

Strong oppose per @Pppery, likes do not add anything meaningful to Commons. Commons and other WMF projects are not popularity contests. QuickQuokka ^{[⁠talk • contribs]} 07:48, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

I think this wish needs to separate itself from the term "social media". The description opening up with that in the first dot point doesn't help. Sharing on social media should be a completely different wish and discussed elsewhere.

Commons and other WMF projects are not popularity contests is confusing to me. Isn't a diagram with 15 uses across various projects more "popular" than one obscure photo with just one use in Wikibooks? Isn't a user with 1000 file uses more "popular" than a user with 3?

Wikimedia is not a social network - what about the thank button? Isn't that social? I was sceptical of that at first but ended up finding it highly useful. Commander Keane (talk) 02:56, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

Struck some of my comments on consideration. I still support the wish though.--Commander Keane (talk) 03:38, 20 October 2024 (UTC)