Making the Forums Simpler to Understand

WolfCat67

In a recent post by @ceebee, one of the reasons the Discuss tab was removed was due to the forums being confusing. So, of course, I had to make a suggestion about how to fix that up.

Forum Tutorial

That's right; a forum tutorial. There would be multiple sections, and it would walk you through the forums. You could have a bar at the bottom of the page, maybe with some Scratch Cat art of different emotions based on what the text says. It could explain to you different parts. Here they are, in order that they would appear, with what it could say. (Subject to change. Bold text would not be included unless otherwise shown with an asterisk. All text in <> signifies an action, something that should be replaced, or just a quick note from me.)

Welcome*
<Happy Mouth-Open Scratch Cat>
Hello, <Username>! Welcome to the discussion forums! Seeing this place for the first time may be overwhelming, but don't worry, I'm here to help!

The Forums
<Smiling Scratch Cat>
<Arrow Pointing to Forum Section of Table>
Here, you can find the different forums for discussing. There's the Questions about Scratch forum <point to QaS>, which can be used for asking questions about the Scratch website as a whole. You can also answer questions there! There's the Help with Scripts forum <point to HwS>, where you can go to ask for help with your project. You should get an in-depth answer in no time! Of course, if you'd like, you can help out there, too. There's even a forum for showing your projects to other people, called the Show and Tell forum <point to SaT>! If you do not speak English, you can check out the other language forums and find one that may fit your language. <Of course, this text would be translated!> If you can't find one for your language, head to the Other Languages forum.

Stickies
<Head to QaS>
<Point to Top Sticky, Whatever that may be>
These posts, labelled with a pin and the word “sticky”, are, well, <Straight-Face Scratch Cat> “stickies”! <Smiling Scratch Cat> These topics have been highlighted as important by the Scratch Team. It is recommended that you read them before posting to learn more about the forum you're posting in. <Happy Mouth-Open Scratch Cat> Stickies are special in that they always remain at the top of the forum, so they'll always be easy to find when viewing the forum.

ITopics
<Go to a pre-selected ITopic, I don't know which one>
<Smiling Scratch Cat>
This post is called an “ITopic”. ITopics are simply topics that have been linked to by stickied topics. These topics are also important, but may not be as important as the stickies themselves. Still, it is recommended that you read them if you have time. Unlike stickies, these topics do not stay at the top of the page at all times.

BBCode
<Quick Rundown of BBCode Options, What they Do, etc.>

Finish
<Happy Mouth-Open Scratch Cat>
So, that's about it! I hope you enjoy posting on the forums!

Of course, there would be a “Skip Tutorial” link in the bottom-right corner of the text that would immediately skip the tutorial.
With @LionHeart70's suggestion on top of this, there would be an option at the bottom of the footer to allow you to view the tutorial again at any time.

Pop-Up (from @LionHeart70)

There would also be a reminder to read the stickies that appears as a note on a new forum poster's first posts, sort of like the “Remember to be respectful” pop-up in comments. It may have more people using proper forum etiquette and also prevent rejected suggestions.

Last edited by WolfCat67 (July 6, 2017 17:08:41)

walkcycle

Can you link directly to the post?

WolfCat67

walkcycle wrote:
Can you link directly to the post?

Alright, I've updated the OP to include it.

powercon5

I was thinking about this aswell. If the Scratch team say there a problems with the forums instead of hiding them away they should improve and fix those problems.

walkcycle

WolfCat67 wrote:
Alright, I've updated the OP to include it.

Cool, semi-support because i want to think about it more. But a tutorial system sounds like a good idea on first impression.

walkcycle

powercon5 wrote:
I was thinking about this aswell. If the Scratch team say there a problems with the forums instead of hiding them away they should improve and fix those problems.

Here's what was written:

ceebee wrote:
Hi folks. Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback. I can see there are a lot of passionate forum users here! I understand that change is difficult, especially when it is a change you disagree with. However, it should be noted that this is not something we've decided to do on a whim. We've thought about this a lot and the decision was made after a lot of discussion and examination of the numbers. We want to make sure that Scratch is easily accessible and welcoming to new users - this helps them become acquainted with Scratch so that they can learn all about the awesome things that you all already know. Placing more emphasis on things like Create, Explore, and Tips help with this. The discussion forums, while absolutely a great resource in the long term, can be a confusing and overwhelming introduction to Scratch when users first arrive. And as many people have already pointed out, the discussion forums are not used by many Scratchers. In fact, only 0.8% of active Scratchers have even looked at the forums in the past month.

The discussion forums aren't disappearing, they are still there, and you can always find them by going to the footer or using the direct link. We plan to examine ways we might better point to the forums in the future - ways that will make more sense so that new users do not feel overwhelmed or lost. Thanks again for all the thoughtful feedback and Scratch On!

muellly

I support this. This is a great way to introduce new Scratchers to the forums and it will make the forums less overwhelming for new Scratchers. Also maybe at the end the Scratch cat could tell them to introduce themselves in the new Scratchers forums to get started?

Sheep_maker

It seems to me that some forums are meant for new Scratchers (like the New Scratchers forum), but some new Scratchers won't be welcome in other forums (like the Suggestions forum) because of their lack of proper grammar/spelling conventions.

LionHeart70

Ooh, yeah! Support for a guide! I get that some people might be very confused with the forums.
However, could there be an option to make this able to access at any time? Some people who leave the forums for a while might be confused if they come back and might want a little refresher.
Also maybe a link to the wiki page about the forums at some point in the guides?

powercon5

LionHeart70 wrote:
Ooh, yeah! Support for a guide! I get that some people might be very confused with the forums.
However, could there be an option to make this able to access at any time? Some people who leave the forums for a while might be confused if they come back and might want a little refresher.
Also maybe a link to the wiki page about the forums at some point in the guides?

I think a small button in the corner would be enough. If you want to see it again you can press it, if you pressed it by mistake you can just close/skip it.

LionHeart70

powercon5 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
Ooh, yeah! Support for a guide! I get that some people might be very confused with the forums.
However, could there be an option to make this able to access at any time? Some people who leave the forums for a while might be confused if they come back and might want a little refresher.
Also maybe a link to the wiki page about the forums at some point in the guides?
I think a small button in the corner would be enough. If you want to see it again you can press it, if you pressed it by mistake you can just close/skip it.

Pretty much what I was suggesting. But yeah.

powercon5

LionHeart70 wrote:
powercon5 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
Ooh, yeah! Support for a guide! I get that some people might be very confused with the forums.
However, could there be an option to make this able to access at any time? Some people who leave the forums for a while might be confused if they come back and might want a little refresher.
Also maybe a link to the wiki page about the forums at some point in the guides?
I think a small button in the corner would be enough. If you want to see it again you can press it, if you pressed it by mistake you can just close/skip it.
Pretty much what I was suggesting. But yeah.

I never said that wasn't what you was suggesting

I was just building on what you said.

LionHeart70

powercon5 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
powercon5 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
Ooh, yeah! Support for a guide! I get that some people might be very confused with the forums.
However, could there be an option to make this able to access at any time? Some people who leave the forums for a while might be confused if they come back and might want a little refresher.
Also maybe a link to the wiki page about the forums at some point in the guides?
I think a small button in the corner would be enough. If you want to see it again you can press it, if you pressed it by mistake you can just close/skip it.
Pretty much what I was suggesting. But yeah.
I never said that wasn't what you was suggesting I was just building on what you said.

It's kinda what I meant anyway. Nonetheless, that's a good idea.

whimsical

Support!

I think that's a great idea!

I imagined the tutorial as a window with a “next” button for each section, sort of like the window that pops up when you create a new Scratch Account, but then I realised that it would cover some of the forums page, making it harder to add arrows pointing to things :T rip

Oh, actually, you know what? An easy way of doing all this is to just make the tutorial into a video, and when the user goes into the forums for the first time, there'll be a window with the video! (of course, there will be a little “x” in the top right corner of the window if anyone wants to skip the tutorial)
This won't look as cool, but hey, it still works xD

(But a bar at the bottom seems really nice too.

)

WolfCat67

…Bump.
I know it hasn't been 24 hours but it's off the first page please don't hurt me

LionHeart70

Could a reminder to read the stickies appear as a note on a new forum poster's first posts, like how the “Remember to be respectful” thing pops up for New Scratchers?
I think that might prevent a lot of rejected suggestions being suggested..

WolfCat67

LionHeart70 wrote:
Could a reminder to read the stickies appear as a note on a new forum poster's first posts, like how the “Remember to be respectful” thing pops up for New Scratchers?
I think that might prevent a lot of rejected suggestions being suggested..

Ooh, that sounds like a good idea. However, it already sort of lists that in the tutorial I created above.
Though more times wouldn't hurt. Gotta jam it into peoples' heads.

LionHeart70

WolfCat67 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
Could a reminder to read the stickies appear as a note on a new forum poster's first posts, like how the “Remember to be respectful” thing pops up for New Scratchers?
I think that might prevent a lot of rejected suggestions being suggested..
Ooh, that sounds like a good idea. However, it already sort of lists that in the tutorial I created above.
Though more times wouldn't hurt. Gotta jam it into peoples' heads.

Yeah..
Everyone, repeat after me! Read the stickies, read the stickies, read the stickies..

powercon5

LionHeart70 wrote:
WolfCat67 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
Could a reminder to read the stickies appear as a note on a new forum poster's first posts, like how the “Remember to be respectful” thing pops up for New Scratchers?
I think that might prevent a lot of rejected suggestions being suggested..
Ooh, that sounds like a good idea. However, it already sort of lists that in the tutorial I created above.
Though more times wouldn't hurt. Gotta jam it into peoples' heads.
Yeah..
Everyone, repeat after me! Read the stickies, read the stickies, read the stickies..

So what you saying is to read the stickies? Hmm never thought of that.

LionHeart70

powercon5 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
WolfCat67 wrote:
LionHeart70 wrote:
Could a reminder to read the stickies appear as a note on a new forum poster's first posts, like how the “Remember to be respectful” thing pops up for New Scratchers?
I think that might prevent a lot of rejected suggestions being suggested..
Ooh, that sounds like a good idea. However, it already sort of lists that in the tutorial I created above.
Though more times wouldn't hurt. Gotta jam it into peoples' heads.
Yeah..
Everyone, repeat after me! Read the stickies, read the stickies, read the stickies..
So what you saying is to read the stickies? Hmm never thought of that.

Seems like nobody does

A reminder would be good, some users might not know about the stickies.

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