Wikipedia isn’t just the encyclopedia anyone can edit—it’s also the encyclopedia anyone can illustrate. Starting this week, logged in users browsing the mobile web on smartphones with upload capability will see a new feature: the ability to add images to articles that lack them.
In one easy step, you can upload an image from your phone’s camera or image library and add it directly to an article that has no images. You can also donate images for use on articles that already have images but may need more.
Images enhance the visual appeal of Wikipedia and its sister projects and help bring our content to life, but they’re also a powerful educational tool. There’s no better way to describe a notable building or landmark than with a current photo. Not only will you be illustrating knowledge, you’ll also be sharing your photographs with billions of people around the globe.
For example, a quick snapshot from your smart phone’s camera can showcase the beauty of the Nardis Waterfall in Trentino to Wikipedia readers who have never set foot in Northern Italy. With millions of articles on Wikipedia, no matter where you are, it’s likely that you have an important piece of knowledge to illustrate right in your backyard.
Smartphones with cameras are becoming increasingly prevalent, and more mobile sites and apps are focused on getting people to explore and photograph the world around them, so it made sense for our mobile web team to bring this feature to Wikipedia.
Unlike many other image sharing sites on the web, images donated via Wikimedia mobile are released under a free license and can be shared and reused by anyone, anywhere, for free. When you donate images to Wikimedia projects, you’re not just sharing photos with your friends, you’re sharing them with everyone in the world.
Help make Wikipedia more beautiful, vibrant and educational for all our readers! Log in or create an account on any one of the over 280 language Wikipedias or sister projects to try out this feature. And stay tuned for more opportunities to contribute via the mobile web, coming soon.
Maryana Pinchuk, Associate Product Manager
Mobile Web
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