Recap of team meeting, April 1

Slack Log (Requires SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. login to view. Set one up if you don’t have a Slack account.)

Welcome and links to documentation

Attendance: @katiejrichards, @topher1kenobe, @mdburnette, @angelasjin, @cagrimmett, @rmartinezduque

Welcome to the newcomers joining the Photos channel (Slack usernames): @Amit Patel, @Bhavesh Desai, @Himanshu Shekhar, @sagarladani, @Aezas Shekh, @aslammultani, @Brijesh Mandaliya, @Shusei, @Deval Talati, @Mayur Baroliya, @Bilal Ahmed, @Guillaume

Project milestones

With this being our first meeting, we don’t have “milestones since…”, rather overall milestones to share to kick us off. However our next meeting will include numbers since this meeting and will allow us to track how the directory is growing month-to-month.

As of this meeting, the directory includes over 2300 user-contributed photos, including passing numbers 2200 (Squirrel on a palm tree at dusk) and 2300 (Shadow phone) in the last week alone! With 75+ currently pending moderation, we’re well on our way to 2400 already.

The last week also included the 200th individual contributor to the directory, Hardik Thakkar. 🎉

Once again, our next meeting will feature some monthly numbers, but here are a few stats for the week leading up to this meeting:

  • 230 photos were submitted in the last week
  • 57% have been approved
  • 33% are pending
  • 10% have been rejected for not meeting conditions to be published in the directory

Current issues

➡️ One of the most recent challenges that the moderators have had to tackle is how to moderate photos that have already been uploaded by other authors/photographers to similar photo sharing sites like Pixabay, Unsplash, etc. Posting an image to another photo sharing site like Pixabay is not inherently a problem, as long as some considerations are made. We do need to consider whether there is a conflict between the license of the other photo site and CC0, which is the license the Photo Directory explicitly uses.

Moderators make every effort to verify sources. Please be aware that any photo found to exist on another site may take extra time to approve and publish.

Relatedly, another issue we’ve come up against when a photo has also been uploaded to another photo sharing site is determining who holds the copyright to the image. Unfortunately, we’ve found that many of these photos shared in multiple locations across the web are being submitted to the WordPress Photo Directory by someone who does not hold the copyright for the image. Photos submitted by users other than the original author will be rejected. As a reminder, one of the conditions the uploader agrees to when submitting a photo to the Photo Directory is “I have the copyright or other legal right to upload this image” as stated on the submission page.

One potential solution here might be to ask the uploader if the photo can be found on another photo site. This may, at least, streamline the approval process.

➡️ Also, there is an application to join the Photo Directory moderating team in the team handbook. The team reps are currently thinking through how to effectively onboard new moderators, since there isn’t a significant history of the WordPress project using volunteer moderators.

Open discussion

➡️ A ticket has been opened to add a checkbox to select ALL the checkboxes on the submission form, but this would be limited ONLY to people who already have a high number of approved photos. Potentially 30 or 40 is the starting number. By that time, they’ve checked those boxes a LOT, and know what they’re agreeing to.

➡️ Also, we’re still seeing the “silver” tag as color option. A ticket should be submitted to have it removed, if it isn’t already. (Silver was added haphazardly when colors were still able to be added manually. All colors are now selected from a list of possible options.)

➡️ The Social team is looking for ways to promote the directory and is looking for stories behind the photos. If you’ve uploaded a photo and have a story to share about its origins, reach out to @rmartinezduque in the #photos Slack channel.


Next Meeting

You are welcome to join the team at any time! If you are new to the Photos team, please introduce yourself in the #photos channel before the meeting (or anytime!) and feel free to join us in the meeting and participate as you are able.


Photos Team Mission

The Photos team helps people use and contribute to the WordPress Photo Directory through creative commons licensed (CC0) photography that can be used without cost or attribution, for any purpose, via wordpress.org/photos.

Getting Involved

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join in, comment on posts, and participate in meetings and on projects.

  1. WordPress.org/photos
  2. WordPress Photo Directory team handbook
  3. Our Team Blog