Commons:User pages

For the official guideline governing user pages, see Commons:User-specific galleries, templates and categories.

Shortcuts

• COM:USERPAGE
• COM:USERPAGES

Every user on Commons has their own individual user page and user talk page. This guideline covers the content of user pages. For guidance on user talk pages, see Commons:Talk page guidelines#User talk pages. For guidance on user-specific galleries, categories, and templates, see Commons:User-specific galleries, templates and categories policy.

User pages are a key means of supporting communication between users by providing information about users and their accounts, and are widely linked from many locations in order to support this. Other uses of user pages are secondary to this.

Definitions

Commons' software, MediaWiki, allows all logged in users to have their own user page. Anonymous users also have user pages, but they will share these with other users of the same IP. This can facilitate communication among participants in the project. If your username is JohnDoe:

• Your user page is the page at User:JohnDoe
• Your user talk page is the page at User talk:JohnDoe
• Your user subpages, are pages of the form User:JohnDoe/blah or User talk:JohnDoe/blah.
• Your userspace is the collection of all the above.

User pages are linked to from page histories, recent changes, the list of users and from any page where you sign your name.

Userpage content guidelines

Babel user information
es-N Esta persona tiene una comprensión nativa del español. vi-3 Người dùng này biết tiếng Việt với trình độ tốt. en-2 This user has intermediate knowledge of English. This user has file mover rights on Wikimedia Commons. (verify) MyGallery
Users by language

Your user page allows you to present some information about yourself, like your skills (especially language skills), your interests, and what other Wikimedia projects you contribute to. "Userboxes" are often used for this, as these can be localized for different languages. A variety of other content is also acceptable for Commons contributors.

Userboxes

[OK] Userboxes, especially

• user permissions on Commons and/or other Wikimedia projects (see Userboxes and Category:User rights templates)
• language abilities (see Commons:Babel and Category:Language user templates)
• technical abilities such as graphics and photography skills, audio editing skill, or scripting skills
• any secondary Commons user accounts, especially bots or other automated or semi-automated accounts
• accounts on other Wikimedia projects

Images and other content about the user

[OK] User pages may contain an image to represent the user (especially photographs of the user); these may be tagged with {{User page image}} - a template to put on the file page of a userpage image, to identify it as such for the purposes of Commons:Project scope#File in use on Commons only.

[OK] User pages may contain other content about the user, but this

• may not be blatantly promotional,
• should not express hatred of or vilify others.

Note that Commons is not a social network and users are not entitled to "profiles" in the way they are on social networks such as Facebook. User pages are intended to support Commons' work by providing information about contributors, especially information which is relevant to those contributions. Regular Commons contributors are allowed a certain amount of leeway and discreet links to relevant web pages elsewhere are normally permitted.

Galleries

Examples

Two contrasting userpage designs:

• [OK] Recommended: User:Example userpage new
• Not recommended: User:Example userpage old -
  
  May include content of a graphic, violent, or sexual nature.

[OK] Users sometimes highlight content on their user pages, especially content they have uploaded themselves. This is generally accepted, but in some cases can cause problems. Because user pages are a key means of supporting communication between users, such galleries should not

• be of excessive size, such that they may be difficult to download for those browsing from slow connections
• contain images of a graphic violent or sexual nature, or other images which users are likely to not wish to encounter outside of a specific educational context (such as a Wikipedia article) without any warning.

Large galleries, or galleries containing images that merit warnings out of context, should be moved to galleries on a subpage in the user's userspace - see Commons:User-specific galleries, templates and categories policy#Gallery pages. Links may be made to such subpages from the user page (eg using {{User subpage box}}), with appropriate warning for visitors if necessary (eg using {{Nsfw-link}}).

Note that an alternative to constructing user galleries is using user categories - see Commons:User-specific_galleries,_templates_and_categories_policy#Categories. You can then make use of templates like {{User category slideshow userbox}}.

Copyright, privacy, scope and other policies

User pages are not exempt from policies that apply sitewide. This means especially

• copyright
• Commons:Project scope (encyclopedia "articles" are a notable example, along with other excluded educational content)
• issues around photographs of identifiable people
• and harassment or privacy violation that might lead to users being blocked from editing.

Some useful templates

Besides the userboxes mentioned above, some other useful templates for user pages include

• {{User committed identity}} - a template that helps confirm a user's identity
• {{Userpage}} - a template that helps identify the page if it is copied outside of Commons
• {{Bot}} - a template the identifies bot accounts on their user page (automated or semi-automated user accounts, controlled by another user)
• {{Testimonial}}

See also

• Meta:Help:User page

Help

Ways to get help

• Look at the Frequently Asked Questions.
• If you place {{helpme}} on your talk page, a volunteer will visit you there as soon as possible!
• Join the #wikimedia-commons IRC channel for real-time chat. New to IRC? Click here to be connected instantly!
• Go to the Commons Help Desk.