Last modified: 2013-08-28 09:02:29 UTC
My usual workflow: (Starting in the Category: namespace) 1) Search Commons categories 2) Find the most descriptive category - sometimes there is the only one, sometimes one has to pick few ones. This case deales with the simplest case of the only one. 3) Assume one finds the best matching category (or just created one) 4) I start file upload 5) The current category should at least be offered to be added to the image. Or even by added by default. Similar workflow: (Starting in the File: namespace) 1) I find an existing image that matches my new images perfectly. 2) My new uploaded image should have initially all the categories the original image had. Some of it might be easier to do using UploadWizard, but filing under core (it might be possible for the core as well). Maybe in general uploads should/could inherit catgories of the place the user is actually in. Might be a very usable thing for mobile uploads - find similar picture, upload more, next..., next..., next... Quick process without tedious category search (of course unless the user choses to edit them by hand)
I'm sort of cautious about this. I can see that it could be useful, but I think it could also be detrimental in a lot of cases, where the user has to remove a bunch of categories they never wanted. Slightly different idea: Maybe we could instead keep the list around, and offer to add the categories to the upload(s) with a single button press at the top of the page. It wouldn't be totally without friction, but it would preserve the status quo and offer you (and people like you) an awesome shortcut. Just a thought, let me know what you think.
When I started to pay more attention to the workflow I noticed that it is more and more useful to me. I uploaded a derivative work today (a vector silhouette of animal's head out of the foto) and I actually wanted to have the same categories. I was thinking more about something along the lines of a separate "Upload here" button (on a sidebar)? If you start with it, you are clearly uploading a derivative or similar work. Button to "kill them all" sounds like another JavaScript fragile gadget... not sure
OK, now I'm seeing a much better solution arising. Pages in the NS_FILE namespace could get an additional "upload" link that has something like ?keepcats=true in the query string, then we can check for that on the server side and forward on a list of the categories to the client side. OK, I like it. I'll keep this in mind.
Great! maybe even we could easily link to it from the wikitext by saying on the category page: [[Special:UploadInto/{{PAGENAME}}|Add a picture to this category}} or on NS_FILE page: [[Special:UploadInto/{{PAGENAME}}|Upload a derivative work]] Knowing our community it will be creatively used also for use cases like You can [[Special:UploadInto/Category:Apples|upload images about apples in this category]], but please go to [[Special:UploadInto:Category:Oranges|oranges instead if necessary]].
Well, that would require even more special pages. I'm probably not going to do that. You could use [[Special:UploadWizard?intocats=category]] or similar, but it would require additional changes. Really, it seems like your suggestions mostly could be solved by creating campaigns and using them.
I am not sure if I follow you on this... we've drifted too far off the original idea?
