How can I get started?
To get started, check out our simple tutorial on the right side of this page. Support for video on Wikipedia is still evolving, so you may run into some bugs. Help us squash bugs and improve your experience.
Anyone can edit, and individual contributions are welcome. But if you're just getting started, you may be interested in joining a WikiProject. Working with a team can be fun and easy. There are currently project categories for videos of architecture, dance, government, heritage, machines, music, parks, school, sports, and wildlife. Or you could start your own...
What's different about video on Wikipedia?
Unlike other sites that support video uploading, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. That means your contributions will become part of a huge, free educational resource. No dancing cat or skateboarding dog videos here—Wikipedia needs your help building a high-quality archive of encyclopedic content.
Videos should be short, lightweight (under 100MB), carefully composed, and definitely encyclopedic. What counts as encyclopedic? The answer varies by type of video. The Wikipedia community sets its own standards and video is fresh territory. Be informative and use your judgement! For more, visit the proposed guidelines for video and the foundational rules of Wikipedia.
Because all of Wikipedia is free to share and reuse, your contributions must be offered under Creative Commons BY-SA or equivalent license. Under this license, you retain copyright on your works, but allow others to reuse, redistribute, and reimagine them. Though Creative Commons allows others to build upon your works, you will always be given proper attribution and credit for your work.
For more help, visit the Video on Wikipedia talk page.
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Shoot your video
Get out there and record your video.
Tip: Join a WikiProject or visit MakeInternetTV for help on composition. -
Convert your video to an open format
Get Miro Video Converter and convert your video file to ".ogg Theora."
Tip: Firefox users can install Firefogg for automatic conversion and skip this step. Tip: To skip this step, Firefox users can install Firefogg install Firefogg install Firefogg for automatic conversion. Tip: You have Firefogg installed, so your browser will automatically convert when you upload. -
Turn on the video upload beta
Create a Wikipedia account, log in, then visit this page to turn on video uploading.
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Add your video to an article on Wikipedia
Go to the article and click edit. Then click the add video button and follow the instructions to upload your video to the Wikimedia Commons.
Tip: the button looks like this:
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Tell your friends!