Wikimedia Commons | the Wikimedia UK blog!

Talking to Creative Commons’ Ryan Merkley about CC Search and Structured Data on Commons

9 December 2017

CC Search beta was launched in February. This new tool incorporates ‘list-making features, and simple, one-click attribution to make it easier to credit the source of any image you discover.’ Its developer, Liza Daly, describes it as ‘a front door to the universe of openly licensed content.’ As a small organisation, Creative Commons did not… read more »

Increasing diverse content on Wikimedia projects with UK music festivals and labels

8 June 2017

I’ve been doing some outreach to various UK music festivals and labels to encourage them to release content on their artists and to consider giving Wikimedia community members press passes to take photographs at their events. Last weekend I did some photography at Field Day 2017, taking photos of artists like Loyle Carner, Mura Masa,… read more »

Bunhill Fields: Wikimedia, gamification and richer media content

31 March 2017

I really like Magnus Manske’s WikiShootMe tool. It visualises Wikidata items, Commons photos and Wikipedia articles on an OpenStreetMap. Wikidata items are shown as red if they have no photo and green if they do have one. For the past few months, I’ve been spending my lunch hours walking around the area near the Wikimedia… read more »

Wiki Loves Monuments 2016: follow up and thank you!

21 December 2016

Every year thousands of people from across take part in the world’s largest photography competition. After a hiatus in 2015, the UK took part in this year’s competition. The winners were outstanding, and if you haven’t seen them yet you can do so on our blog. For the UK, 266 people uploaded more than 6,270… read more »

Wiki Loves Monuments UK 2016 Winners Announced!

16 November 2016

More than 250 people took part in the UK competition, uploading 6,200 photos of cultural heritage which anyone can reuse. Thank you to everyone who took part. The winners of the overall competition will be announced in December. Wiki Loves Monuments is a global photographic competition run by the Wikimedia Foundation and its local chapters… read more »

Wikimedia projects aren’t built in a day – Roman coinage on Commons

4 November 2016

This article is based on a paper given at this year’s Museum Computer Group held at the Wellcome Trust on October 19th. Legacy and sustainability were two of the biggest issues York Museums Trust (YMT) grappled with when running two Wikimedian in Residence programmes with Wikimedia UK. During these residencies we made real progress and… read more »

Wiki Loves Monuments 2016 kicks off the world’s biggest photography competition

26 October 2016

Wiki Loves Monuments returns to the United Kingdom in September. The competition has a heritage focus and we want your help to photograph every monument in the country. The prizes are funded by Wikimedia UK and the Open Data Institute, with £250 for best photograph and a £100 special prize for the best photo of… read more »

Pride in London – photographer Katy Blackwood on working with Wikimedia UK

5 December 2016

My name is Katy Blackwood. I’m a music photographer, fledgling photo-journalist and writer that has been published in print, worked as a professional and, on Saturday, donated her time and photographs to Wikimedia UK in the name of knowledge and free content. The event was Pride in London, an occasion surely close to the heart… read more »

Celebrate women in science with Wikipedia

29 October 2015

This post was written by Martin Poulter, Wikimedian in Residence at the Bodleian Libraries, and was originally published on the library’s blog. This October will mark the bicentenary of Ada Augusta Byron, otherwise known as Ada Lovelace, often called the first computer programmer. Among the many events happening in Oxford this autumn, the Bodleian Libraries and IT… read more »

What would London look like without Freedom of Panorama? A letter to MEPs

13 August 2015

The letter below was sent to all UK MEPs on 2 July signed by Michael Maggs, Chair of Wikimedia UK What would London look like without Freedom of Panorama? Who would you need to seek permission from before photographing the skyline? Dear MEP I’m writing from Wikimedia UK, the leading UK charity dedicated to providing… read more »