Remove the "Featured Projects" Section

Zarlog

First, I know this won't get any support, but here it goes anyway:
I think that the “Featured Projects” section should be removed. I have made a list of reasons why:

1: It attracts advertising and spamming. Have you noticed recently how on featured projects that the comments section is cluttered with ads and spam? people think that commenting on a popular project is going to get them popular. The resulting outcome is several spam/advertising comments that are a waste of time to the creator, and prevents anyone from actually seeing the “real” comments.
2: Quality in featured projects has gone down. I have recently noticed that the featured projects look like they took about 20 minutes to make. There are far better projects that could be featured, but these poor quality ones get featured and the hard-labor ones don't. Recently, a project that demonstrated animal cruelty was featured (

), so another reason I think it should be removed.
3: It is discouraging to people who work hard. When a project gets featured, it (used to) mean that it was put together well and had a lot of work put into it.
Now, it seems that lots of people who actually put work into their projects get ignored, while simple projects get featured. It's like rubbing it in for people who make good projects, so they eventually want to leave, so they do so. That's not the point of scratch, remember the motto “Imagine, Program, Share!” ? Well I think this could be a major contributor to the fact that several scratchers are leaving

.

So please, give me your opinions on this problem.

Cream_E_Cookie

No support:
1. Same with all the other front-paged stuff
2. In the propose projects to be featured look:

Paddle2see wrote:
What we're looking for to be featured:
1. simple projects

3. The ST features complex projects too.

Nether_before

No support. Scratch isn't about who's the best, most skilled coder. Scratch is about having fun coding and learning valuable skills. A lot of featured projects may seem simple but they show the skills someone has learnt and let them share their skills with the world. Plus, I think it's rude to call them low quality and say they “took about 20 minuites to make” as that is offensive to people who have been or are featured and is just generally rude. Also, if you want to see more complex projects being featured, why don't you suggest them?

Zarlog wrote:
I think this could be a major contributor to the fact that several scratchers are leaving .

If someone would leave over not getting featured then they're missing the point of scratch.

PrincessPanda_test_

No support.

The purpose of the row is to show projects which deserve to be well-known. A complex project can go on itself being well-known and doesn't need to be featured. Also calling them “low-quality” and “took like 20 minutes to make them” is very disrespectful to the creator and can even discourage them. If you want a complex project to be featured,

Nether_before wrote:
why don't you suggest them?

Nether_before

PrincessPanda_test_ wrote:
No support.

The purpose of the row is to show projects which deserve to be well-known. A complex project can go on itself being well-known and doesn't need to be featured. Also calling them “low-quality” and “took like 20 minutes to make them” is very disrespectful to the creator and can even discourage them. If you want a complex project to be featured,
Nether_before wrote:
why don't you suggest them?

^^ What I wanted to say but written better. I was a bit angry when I wrote mine.

Deerleg

These “far better projects” usually get popular on their own with time.

No support.

Also, the effort put into a project is based on the creator. There is no universal standard for effort. A beginner might have spent a week to create a simple dress-up game, while an experienced Scratcher might be able to create a similar game in only a couple hours. I assume the ST takes this into consideration when selecting what projects to feature.

-NimuPie-

No Support.

Firedrake969

Deerleg wrote:
These “far better projects” usually get popular on their own with time.

No support.

Also, the effort put into a project is based on the creator. There is no universal standard for effort. A beginner might have spent a week to create a simple dress-up game, while an experienced Scratcher might be able to create a similar game in only a couple hours. I assume the ST takes this into consideration when selecting what projects to feature.

monstermash3

I agree with 1, that's a pretty big problem. But for 2, simple projects help newer Scratchers, and besides, “simple projects” is on the list of projects the ST wants to feature. But I agree with 3.

Anyway, I support, because we already have the Explore page tags.

EDIT: I did not say that just to be the first supporter.

Last edited by monstermash3 (Aug. 7, 2015 23:55:25)

CatsUnited

No Support, I wrote some good reasons why but the internet connection went down.

Zarlog

monstermash3 wrote:
I agree with 1, that's a pretty big problem. But for 2, simple projects help newer Scratchers, and besides, “simple projects” is on the list of projects the ST wants to feature. But I agree with 3.

Anyway, I support, because we already have the Explore page tags.

EDIT: I did not say that just to be the first supporter.

Wow, I am suprised that someone actually agrees! Yes, I guess you are right about #2, and the spam problem seems to be slowing down, as for #3, that is not a good way to get people to make better projects.

Nether_before wrote:
No support. Scratch isn't about who's the best, most skilled coder. Scratch is about having fun coding and learning valuable skills. A lot of featured projects may seem simple but they show the skills someone has learnt and let them share their skills with the world. Plus, I think it's rude to call them low quality and say they “took about 20 minuites to make” as that is offensive to people who have been or are featured and is just generally rude. Also, if you want to see more complex projects being featured, why don't you suggest them?
Zarlog wrote:
I think this could be a major contributor to the fact that several scratchers are leaving .
If someone would leave over not getting featured then they're missing the point of scratch.

Deerleg wrote:
These “far better projects” usually get popular on their own with time.

No support.

Also, the effort put into a project is based on the creator. There is no universal standard for effort. A beginner might have spent a week to create a simple dress-up game, while an experienced Scratcher might be able to create a similar game in only a couple hours. I assume the ST takes this into consideration when selecting what projects to feature.

PrincessPanda_test_ wrote:
No support.

The purpose of the row is to show projects which deserve to be well-known. A complex project can go on itself being well-known and doesn't need to be featured. Also calling them “low-quality” and “took like 20 minutes to make them” is very disrespectful to the creator and can even discourage them. If you want a complex project to be featured,
Nether_before wrote:
why don't you suggest them?

Thank you for your opinions

. I still don't understand why the one that demonstrated animal cruelty was featured though, because I thought that projects that had harming of people or animals and other violence weren't allowed. (I don't want to say which one it is, as not to offend the creator, but you should know what I'm talking about.)

ShinySkarmory227

Here's my two cents:

1. The advertising problem is to be expected. The age range (8-16) is the age range where people start learning how advertising may help them, but don't know the right places to put it, or they're not completely understanding advertising, but know how to do it. It's going to happen, it just will.

2&3. The ‘Featured Projects’ section includes

Paddle2See wrote:
6. project that different kinds of people would find enjoyable

(ITopic: Propose projects to be Featured (Read first post first !!!), Show and Tell), some people like simple projects, some people like more complex projects. Everyone sees it, after all. Discouragement isn't the problem. The problem is, no one is proposing your projects. if it's awesome, make sure others see it, or else no one will know it's awesome!
————–
Just noticed this was a necropost-ish thing, sorry about that.

Last edited by ShinySkarmory227 (Aug. 10, 2015 17:20:10)

Medley7

Support and no support their should be a section on the front page for more complex ones and less complex ones, for people who prefer those, since then people will be more aware on it, however, the cat project joule be removed

pastaguy

No support.

I like the “Featured Projects” section because if I don't want to make anything, I can go to a project in the “Featured Projects” section for a good project.
Also, it makes people happy to know their project is featured.

DaSpudLord

No support as per above.

Cute_Boot

Cream_E_Cookie wrote:
No support:
1. Same with all the other front-paged stuff
2. In the propose projects to be featured look:
Paddle2see wrote:
What we're looking for to be featured:
1. simple projects
3. The ST features complex projects too.

Blank1234

support 99^99^99^99^99^99^99^99%

edited to be less spammy

Last edited by Blank1234 (Aug. 15, 2015 05:10:09)

Nether_before

Blank1234 wrote:
support (large amont of 9's)%

I get that you support but isn't that bordeline spam?

Blank1234

Deerleg wrote:
These “far better projects” usually get popular on their own with time.

really tho, they dont. most good projects range from 1-50 views, and ive seen good projects that are a few years old with less then 10 views

monstermash3

Zarlog wrote:
monstermash3 wrote:
I agree with 1, that's a pretty big problem. But for 2, simple projects help newer Scratchers, and besides, “simple projects” is on the list of projects the ST wants to feature. But I agree with 3.

Anyway, I support, because we already have the Explore page tags.

EDIT: I did not say that just to be the first supporter.
Wow, I am suprised that someone actually agrees! Yes, I guess you are right about #2, and the spam problem seems to be slowing down, as for #3, that is not a good way to get people to make better projects.

Probably at least 20% of featured project comments include advertising links…

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