TL,DR: This suggestion is for a dislike button that would not do anything when clicked, except show a pop up encouraging users to be constructive. It would NOT do any action to indicate that the dislike was actually sent to the project owner.

I've seen users posing unconstructive stuff about projects (ex: This project sucks!) sometimes. I feel bad for the owners of the project, especially if they worked very hard on the project. I report the content, but I just wish they would stop. I've thought up a solution, a dislike button that encourages users to be constructive.

Basically, when the dislike button is clicked, the button stays still, and doesn't do any action that suggests the dislike was actually sent to the project owner. Instead, a pop-up would show up, encouraging the user to be constructive. It would give tips for more effectively disliking the project (like saying something they liked and offering suggestions). It could look something like the pop-up you see when you try to report a project because you didn't like it:


Mockups by kccuber:


Q&A:

Q: Can't you just report the project under “I don't like this project” to see the constructiveness message?
A: Well, yes, but it's not easily noticeable. You have to go to Report, then Other, then “I don't like this project.” Not everyone knows about the illegitimate reasons, so they might just post an unconstructive comment.

Q: Isn't this rejected? https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/discuss/topic/415864/?page=18#post-4482219
A: That suggestion is for a dislike button that suggests that the dislike was sent to the creator, and it doesn't recommend being constructive. This one is for a dislike button that does not suggest that the dislike was sent to the creator, and it recommends being constructive. Pretty big difference.

If this suggestion is a dupe/still rejected, let me know!

I believe that this would still be rejected due to the bold parts of the quote.

Paddle2See wrote:

Thanks for an interesting suggestion! However, we're going to pass on it. We really want to encourage the idea of “constructive criticism”. When Scratchers see something they don't like, we would rather they think about what would need to be done to make it something they could like - and then find a tactful and polite way to communicate that to the project creator. A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

DarthVader4Life wrote:

I believe that this would still be rejected due to the bold parts of the quote.

Paddle2See wrote:

Thanks for an interesting suggestion! However, we're going to pass on it. We really want to encourage the idea of “constructive criticism”. When Scratchers see something they don't like, we would rather they think about what would need to be done to make it something they could like - and then find a tactful and polite way to communicate that to the project creator. A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

This dislike button would recommend constructive commenting, and never suggest that the dislike was sent to the project owner. Is it still rejected?

ScratchCat1038 wrote:

DarthVader4Life wrote:

I believe that this would still be rejected due to the bold parts of the quote.

Paddle2See wrote:

Thanks for an interesting suggestion! However, we're going to pass on it. We really want to encourage the idea of “constructive criticism”. When Scratchers see something they don't like, we would rather they think about what would need to be done to make it something they could like - and then find a tactful and polite way to communicate that to the project creator. A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

This dislike button would recommend constructive commenting, and never suggest that the dislike was sent to the project owner. Is it still rejected?

That still doesn't solve this.

Paddle2See wrote:

A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

DarthVader4Life wrote:

ScratchCat1038 wrote:

DarthVader4Life wrote:

I believe that this would still be rejected due to the bold parts of the quote.

Paddle2See wrote:

Thanks for an interesting suggestion! However, we're going to pass on it. We really want to encourage the idea of “constructive criticism”. When Scratchers see something they don't like, we would rather they think about what would need to be done to make it something they could like - and then find a tactful and polite way to communicate that to the project creator. A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

This dislike button would recommend constructive commenting, and never suggest that the dislike was sent to the project owner. Is it still rejected?

That still doesn't solve this.

Paddle2See wrote:

A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

I'll look for more opinions before I close this.

This could work, end it would teach people not to use the button, but then people may question why it exists. And some people will think it's only there for people to actually dislike a project.

DarthVader4Life wrote:

That still doesn't solve this.

Paddle2See wrote:

A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

Well the process that Paddle is talking about this:

Paddle2See wrote:

When Scratchers see something they don't like, we would rather they think about what would need to be done to make it something they could like - and then find a tactful and polite way to communicate that to the project creator.

Which this dislike button does help with because it encourages constructiveness.

BearSlothCoding wrote:

DarthVader4Life wrote:

That still doesn't solve this.

Paddle2See wrote:

A dislike button of any sort doesn't really help with this process.

Well the process that Paddle is talking about this:

Paddle2See wrote:

When Scratchers see something they don't like, we would rather they think about what would need to be done to make it something they could like - and then find a tactful and polite way to communicate that to the project creator.

Which this dislike button does help with because it encourages constructiveness.

Then why does it say, “of any sort”?

This is completely pointless.

The youtube comment dislike button certainly isn't doing much to curb toxicity.

i have resurfaced

ResExsention wrote:

This is completely pointless.

The youtube comment dislike button certainly isn't doing much to curb toxicity.

i have resurfaced

Won't it encourage constructiveness?

I don't support, as this seems like it's overly complicated and also would probably be confusing for a lot of people.

ScratchCat1038 wrote:

ResExsention wrote:

This is completely pointless.

The youtube comment dislike button certainly isn't doing much to curb toxicity.

i have resurfaced

Won't it encourage constructiveness?

It would not
as I said, youtube comments are still as toxic as they used to be even with the fake dislike button.
What makes you think that this will be any more effective?

ResExsention wrote:

ScratchCat1038 wrote:

ResExsention wrote:

This is completely pointless.

The youtube comment dislike button certainly isn't doing much to curb toxicity.

i have resurfaced

Won't it encourage constructiveness?

It would not
as I said, youtube comments are still as toxic as they used to be even with the fake dislike button.
What makes you think that this will be any more effective?

This button would not give any impression that the dislike was sent to the creator (unlike youtube) and show a message that encourages constructiveness (unlike youtube).

Semi-support. I do like the fact that this suggestion makes people more constructive, but it does seem a bit strange to have a trick feature.

Sounds like a dumb reason, but I’m worried that it look to negative for scratch and users could get discouraged just by seeing it without clicking it.

mockup a

mockup b


As usual, let me know if I can change anything.

han614698 wrote:

-snip-

Nice! I'll add it to the OP later.

han614698 wrote:

mockup b


As usual, let me know if I can change anything.

It is far to informal and has an a aggressive tone. The current one on the report is better as it is informative with a nice and polite tone.

ScratchCat1038 wrote:

han614698 wrote:

-snip-

Nice! I'll add it to the OP later.

Can you upload the images to cubeupload instead? assets.scratch.mit.edu doesn't work for me.

dertermenter wrote:

han614698 wrote:

mockup b


As usual, let me know if I can change anything.

It is far to informal and has an a aggressive tone. The current one on the report is better as it is informative with a nice and polite tone.

I agree with you.