(If this is a dupe, please let me know since if a topic on this exists already I would like to contribute to it.)

I've noticed a lot when I go into Collaborations and occasionally TiMaC (where I doubt these are allowed (the actual activity part is though, I think), but that's besides the point), there are threads created by the leaders of studio camps such as Scratch Writing Camp (Often shorthanded to “SWC”, not to be confused with Scratch Welcoming Comittee (an official studio)) where discussion for their collaborative effort of making up prompts and activities for their camps occurs.

These topics on their own are okay, since they are collaborative in nature. However, a majority of them have notices on the top saying not to “stalk” and to leave the thread if not invited.

While I do believe that simple spoiler warnings are okay (Reading on may spoil your S/C experience), threads should not be telling people not to look at them as everything shared on scratch is public, and this imposes false restrictions on other scratchers.

Here's some examples I found with varying levels of hostility (not naming threads or users for obvious reasons):


I do not believe that these should be allowed on Scratch as, while I do understand that having a spoiled experience with anything seems unfair, I feel that these warnings violate the Scratch Community Guidelines by imposing false restrictions on other scratchers (which is part of the reasoning behind why remix rules and anti-recolor notices aren't allowed. In fact, “imposes false restrictions on other scratchers” is a direct quote from @achouse's announcement on the subject.)

Thus, they should be officially against the rules. I've noticed countless threads with these notices and strongly feel that they should have action taken on them.

…What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the replies, just don't start flamewars, please.

EDIT: Just for clarification, This post does not refer to disallowing posts being made on leader discussions, but the “if you weren't invited, leave”-type notices. Everything on scratch is public, and I feel like people should be respecting that.

Firstly, I'd reccomend you remove the examples. Some people might quite possibly go out-a their ways ‘n find those topics.
I already found ’em just for the sake of good ol' c u r i o u s i t y, however I don't gossip, and needn't to.

Anyways, I'd seen one of these in the past when I have absolutely nothing to do and just wanna read somethin', and they do feel like just making you an outcast from something. The usage of “Stalker” isn't even correct, as a person that's just reading isn't even harassing nor persecuting; Just going to a public forum topic ‘n readin’ — Something already innocent, lacking of ill-will (ill will is good to lack) if they aren't gonna pull the troll-face card.

If you wanna do somethin' privately, a P U B L I C forum is N O T the place for that and should go elsewhere.
I say:

I saw one threatening to report you if you leak it, but I will not link it and you shouldn't go looking for it.
Support, they're not stalkers, they're just overly curious. Edit: Also, like everyone else is saying, you're using a public forum, stop acting like it's a private forum and that we're stalkers.

We need the Scratch Team to see this. SUPPORT!

The problem is endemic to TIMAC too.
If someone uses a forum available to everybody, they have no right to stop people from viewing what they write.

Support. What’s the point of making a “private” topic in a public space and calling people “stalkers” just for being curious about what’s going on in said topic? [plus, the topic creators aren’t even using the word “stalker” incorrectly]

Why not report these threads if it's not allowed under CGs?

ajskateboarder wrote:

Why not report these threads if it's not allowed under CGs?

The thing is, I haven’t noticed any action taken when I report threads for these notices (combined with wrong forum related reasons).

Support, it is against the spirit of Scratch to prohibit other users from viewing or contributing to your public content.

Support.

I've come across many (in fact all shown above), and I hate it. why make a ‘private’ topic and a forum where 116 million people can see?

Basilikos wrote:

The problem is endemic to TIMAC too.
If someone uses a forum available to everybody, they have no right to stop people from viewing what they write.

TIMAC?

minecraftmanpp_tutor wrote:

Basilikos wrote:

The problem is endemic to TIMAC too.
If someone uses a forum available to everybody, they have no right to stop people from viewing what they write.

TIMAC?

Things I’m Making And Creating. It tends to have a lot of SWC related topics which confuses a lot of people when it comes to the leader topics

Support, those people who put those Anti-“Stalking” notices probably are the ones who screams in class when the lights go of for a few seconds.

I agree that some of those kinds of announcements are not friendly - and that goes against the Community Guidelines.

However, in a collaboration, sometimes there is unwanted input. Scratch does not allow private groups so everything must be done publicly. I personally don't feel that stating that the collaboration is not looking for input from outside the collaboration is a violation of the Community Guidelines. But expressing it in a hostile fashion is.

What paddle2see said

Paddle2See wrote:

I personally don't feel that stating that the collaboration is not looking for input from outside the collaboration is a violation of the Community Guidelines. But expressing it in a hostile fashion is.

The problem is that all the examples OP gave are hostile in at least one way.

Wait so is the swc thing allowed on the TIMACs? I once asked, and someone said probably yes, as st never closed those topics-



Ah yes, calling a random person stalker because they wanted to click on some random funny topic misclicked

I don’t think they should add that. Yeah, something like “If you don’t want to spoil your experience with the SWC, I do not recommend reading this.” if fine to most, but here, “Hello there stalker!”, it’s calling somebody a stalker even though they most likely aren’t. That probably breaks the be respectful thing in the cgs because calling someone a stalker is bad to me.
Everything is public on Scratch, and there has been rejected suggestions to restrict viewing all of something. They don’t have any right at all to shoo away people from viewing the topics the fact I have read some because they said I can’t


So full support

hydrofungus wrote:

Ah yes, calling a random person stalker because they wanted to click on the describe the video game topic but misclicked

Pretty sure the "Describe the [X]" topics are in Things I'm Reading and Playing.

DifferentDance8 wrote:

hydrofungus wrote:

Ah yes, calling a random person stalker because they wanted to click on the describe the video game topic but misclicked

Pretty sure the "Describe the [X]" topics are in Things I'm Reading and Playing.

Okay fine so some random unrelated timac forum

IT’S 5 PM IN THE AFTERNOON JUST GOT HOME FROM SCHOOL CAN YOU BLAME ME????????

Paddle2See wrote:

I agree that some of those kinds of announcements are not friendly - and that goes against the Community Guidelines.

However, in a collaboration, sometimes there is unwanted input. Scratch does not allow private groups so everything must be done publicly. I personally don't feel that stating that the collaboration is not looking for input from outside the collaboration is a violation of the Community Guidelines. But expressing it in a hostile fashion is.

So telling people that discussion is limited to a few people as well as spoiler warnings aren't against the rules, but telling people they can't even view the topic unless they're a part of it isn't, correct?

I mostly have issues with the 2nd thing I listed (“Leave if not invited”, etc), because, even if these notices are not super hostile in nature, they very well seem overly restrictive and kind of rude. That's what I'm suggesting to ban completely.