Getting Started in theOnline Community
The Scratch online community is a global space where young people can create, share, andreceive feedback from others around the world. It is a unique aspect of our coding platform that weencourage users to explore.
To help users get more familiar with the online community, in this document, you will explore:●

What Is the Scratch Online Community?

●

What Is a Scratcher?

●Get to Know the Scratch Front Page●

Set Up Your Scratch Profile●Engagement Opportunities on Scratch●Find Inspiration, Share Your Creations, Meet Others on Scratch●Collaborating (within the Guidelines) on Scratch●Scratch Digital Citizenship and Global Reach●Reporting Inappropriate Content on Scratch●Additional Scratch Spaces of Interest

What Is a Scratcher?
A Scratcher is another name for a person who uses Scratch. We also have account statuses which
will appear on your profile page. When you create an account, you’ll be labeled as a “NewScratcher.” To make the transition to "Scratcher," you should make and share projects, comment
helpfully on other Scratchers’ projects, and be patient! After you’ve met the requirements, a link willappear on your profile page inviting you to become a Scratcher.

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What Is the Scratch Online Community?
When Scratch was first launched in 2007, it launched alongside the online community, as the teambelieved peer interaction was central to the learning process built upon the 4 P’s of Creative
Learning: Projects, Peers, Passion, and Play. The Scratch online community has grown into a
global space where young people can create, share, and receive feedback from others around theworld.We see the role of the community in two ways:●Audience: We provide a space where young people can create and share their ideas withothers around the world.

●

Inspiration: It’s a place where young people can learn from and collaborate with theirpeers. They can gain new ideas, borrow scripts and images, and incorporate them into
their own projects by remixing others’ projects.

And we see community and collaboration happening on Scratch in many different ways:●Constructive dialogue: In addition to peer interactions we see through project creation,
we also see a lot of interactions within commenting. Specifically, we see constructive dialog
on Scratch that ranges from admiration, to finding a bug and offering a solution for how to
fix it, to making a constructive suggestion on what to do next with a project.

●

Remixes: Everything shared on Scratch is licensed under a Creative Commons license,
meaning Scratchers can take the work others have shared and build upon it, adding theirown ideas. And then others can remix and build upon that!

●Thematic Studios: Studios are spaces on Scratch where Scratchers can come together
around a common interest. Studios can also be about issues important to Scratchers andoften can be a reflection of what is going on in the world.

●Collaborative Projects: Projects are sometimes created through collaborative storytellingdeveloped in comment threads, finding common interests, or mentorship and recognizing
different strengths, as Scratchers leave comments in studios, on profiles, or under projects.
Another form of project collaboration we see are Multi-Animator Projects (MAPs), which areanimations created by multiple Scratchers, then stitched together into one larger project.

We think learning about and interacting with the online community intersects well with educatorclassroom practices focused on collaboration, leadership, and community building. It may also be
a user’s first time interacting with others online and provides a great opportunity to explore what itmeans to be a good digital citizen. In a classroom setting, you may choose to approach different
aspects of the community over the course of a few lessons. Feel free to print and share relevant
sections with users.

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Get to Know the Scratch Front Page
Visit this link to get started: https://scratch.mit.edu
On the front page you can see:
●Scratch News: We share news about
Scratch Events like Scratch Team-owned
studios and the latest Scratch DesignStudio.*●Featured Projects and Featured
Studios: We highlight projects andstudios that we think show a good use ofScratch. And we feature many different
kinds of projects made by Scratchers ofmany different experience levels. Our hopeis these projects will appeal to andperhaps inspire others.

●Projects Curated by: We partner with
Scratchers who have applied and beenchosen to highlight projects they are loving
for a week.

●

Scratch Design Studio: We partner witha select group of Scratchers to develop
studio themes that will engage other
Scratchers. Any Scratcher can submit
related projects to the studio.

●

What the Community is Remixing andLoving: A snapshot determined by
metrics where you can find inspiringthings.

*When a user is not logged in, the “What’sHappening” and “Scratch News” sections are notvisible.

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Set Up Your Scratch Profile
Visit this link: https://scratch.mit.edu/users/[your username]Once you have a Scratch account, you can fill out your profile “About Me” and “What I’m WorkingOn” sections, pick a user icon, and also set up a Featured Project as soon as you have your firstproject shared. These can all be updated at any time.
A user icon is an image attached to your profile used torepresent/easily help identify you. It appears, alongside
every comment or forum post you make, in the “What'sHappening?” box, on the notifications page, and next toyour username on a project page.
New accounts start out with the default Scratch cat icon.
Stuck on what Profile Icon to use? We don’t allow users
to post photos of themselves for their icon, in order tofollow our Community Guideline about keeping personal
information private. You can create an icon that looks likeyou using Scratch, however! Try searching Scratch for an“Icon Creator” to get started: https://scratch.mit.edu/search/projects?q=icon%20creator
Maximum file size for a user icon is 512 KB and your image must be less than 500x500 pixels.
As you complete your “About Me” and “What I’m Working On” sections:●share topics you are passionate about, words that describe you, how you like to engage
with others, requests for collaboration or help, etc.

●

stay within the Community Guidelines; be welcoming to all, appropriate for all ages, anddon’t share any personal information (such as your full name, location, or school name)●we restrict links you share to outside sites, so no social media handles or links to personal
websites where unmoderated chat can happen or personal information could be revealed

The “What I’ve Been Doing” section of your profile will be automatically populated as you like andfavorite projects, take actions in studios you manage or curate, share projects, etc.

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Engagement Opportunities on Scratch
Multiple ways to engage; choose what makes you comfortable!
In order to engage in the online community, you must have a Scratch account and be logged in.
When another Scratcher engages with your content (remixes, comments on yourprofile or project, likes or favorites your project), you may get a notification (look forthe envelope in the header bar).
Engagement Options
Like or Favorite another Scratcher’s project. When youlike (heart) a project, Scratchers that are following you cansee that notice in the “What’s Happening” section when theyare logged in and on the front page. It also shows in the“What I’ve Been Doing” section of your profile.
The same is true when you favorite (star) a project, but thoseprojects are also saved/shown in the “Favorite Projects”
section on your profile page (so you can always return tothem later) and other users visiting your profile can see them.
Note: You should never feel coerced into liking or favoriting
projects. Projects or comments that demand such actions
are discouraged and can be reported via the “report” button.

You can choose to follow fellow Scratchers or studiosthat interest you. Following means you’ll receive notifications
about what those Scratchers are liking and favoriting. The listof Scratchers you are following (and who is following you) andstudios you are following also appear on your profile (so you
can easily revisit them later).
Note: Some Scratchers are interested in F4F (follow forfollow), but you should never feel pressured to follow anyone
you don’t want to. Politely indicating you don’t do F4F or
simply not responding is perfectly fine.

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Share! While logged in users can create projects and keepthem just to themselves, we encourage Scratchers to shareprojects so other Scratchers can be inspired by them.
Sharing is also a great opportunity to ask other Scratchers touser-test projects for bugs, offer ideas to iterate and expand
a project, or look for collaboration opportunities. When wefeature projects, we look for a variety of experience levels andinterests to showcase all the ways one can be creative inScratch. Our Scratchers come from a variety of backgrounds
and ages and experience levels, and we welcome everyone.
Note: We ask Scratchers not to spam links to their projects incomments. Instead, many studios welcome projectsubmissions if your project matches the theme and there areShow & Tell/Advertising studios as well.
Also, you can also unshare a project. Under “My Stuff” youwill find the option to unshare any shared project. When
ready, you can always share again.
Remix another Scratcher’s project and add your own ideas.
Remixing is encouraged, since we have seen how remixing
can lead to creative, interesting projects. It is a great way tocollaborate and connect with others and can lead to newideas and also help others grow as creators. You’re welcome
to use anything you find on Scratch in your creations, as longas you provide credit to everyone whose work you used andmake a meaningful change. And if someone remixes yourproject, consider giving it a like or leaving a comment!
Note: Just as you can remix things created by others, when
you share on Scratch, you’re giving others permission toremix your content in their creations as well. Others can buildand expand upon the ideas you've started and it can be agreat way to collaborate on Scratch! If you feel someone had
remixed your project and not made any significant changes,
added something inappropriate, or created a remix that iscompletely unrelated to the original project, you can use the“Report” button to have the Scratch team of moderators
review it.

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Leave constructive or encouraging feedback on other
Scratcher’s projects.
Respond to comments on your own profile or projects.
Scratchers who aren’t comfortable yet with engaging withothers via comments can choose to turn off comments on
their profile and on individual projects that they share.
Comments can always be turned back on.
Note: Inappropriate comments can be reported using our“report” buttons. We encourage Scratchers not to engage
with inappropriate comments and instead to report them for
the Scratch team of moderators to deal with instead.
Participate in a Scratch Event studio, create your own
studio, or join another Scratcher’s studio. Scratch
studios are a great way to gather ideas and creations fromyour coding community. Studios can be used to shareinspiring projects, organize projects by theme, and promotecollaboration.
See our Scratch Studios Guide(https://resources.scratch.mit.edu/www/guides/en/scratch-st
udios-guide.pdf) for more detailed information on creatingand managing studios.
Or learn more about our Scratch Event studios here:
https://resources.scratch.mit.edu/www/events/en/ScratchLe
arningResource_ScratchEventStudios.pdf

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Find Inspiration, Share Your Creations, Meet Others onScratch●Drop by the Scratch Welcoming Committee to say hello in the comments and check out
projects with helpful information and friendly greetings.
(https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/146521)●The latest Scratch Design Studio (SDS) is a great place to be inspired by a theme andcreate something fun. Look for it on the front page or visit
https://scratch.mit.edu/users/ScratchDesignStudio. Once your project has been shared,
you can copy the project link and put it in a comment on the studio so the studio curators
can review it (to ensure it follows the guidelines in the studio description) and then add it!

●Look in the “Scratch News” section of the front page to see notices on our latest Scratch
Events. These events are often Scratch Team-owned studios where all are welcome toparticipate by sharing a project. Learn more here: https://resources.scratch.mit.edu/www/events/en/ScratchLearningResource_ScratchEventStudios.pdf●Look for collaboration opportunities like Multi-Animator Projects (MAPs), which areanimations created by multiple Scratchers and then stitched together into one larger
project. You can search the site for MAP projects and find active projects still looking forcollaborators (usually noted in the notes and credits on a project page).

●

Join studios around topics you are interested in or passionate about. Look at the studiodescription to see the goals the studio manager has for the space. Studios are, by default,
open to every Scratcher and no studio (or Scratcher) should discriminate on the basis ofage, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, abilities, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity.
However, you are asked to respect the guidelines set by a studio manager in terms of thetypes of projects they are looking for, whether one can advertise, curation requests, etc.

Collaborating (within the Guidelines) on Scratch
Shared accounts are not allowed on Scratch, because they could expose personal information,such as email addresses. Likewise, linking to outside sources (like video chats or live streams) forthe purposes of chatting/working on a collaboration could lead to exposure of personal
information, so sharing links to those services on Scratch isn’t allowed. Instead, Scratchers areencouraged to use remixing to iterate on each other’s work and the comments under the project orin a forum post to discuss work on the project/troubleshoot.
Some helpful forum spaces are “Help with Scripts” (https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/7),“Collaboration” (https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/10), and “Requests”(https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/11).
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Scratch Digital Citizenship & Global Reach
Visit this link: https://scratch.mit.edu/community_guidelines
We want to model collaboration, leadership, and community building that we would like to see
across the Scratch platform, and ideally across the web. The Community Guidelines promotehealthy interactions online, as well as modeling positive digital citizenship. A link to our guidelines ison the bottom of every page. Our six core guidelines are:●Treat everyone with respect●Be safe: keep personal and contact information private●Give helpful feedback●Embrace remix culture●Be honest●Help keep the site friendly

The Scratch Team models and encourages digital citizenship through our interactions withScratchers in comments; in Scratch Team-owned studios/events where we aim to be inclusive to
Scratchers of all experience levels via open-ended prompts and invitations to create; and byrecognizing our global community by creating translation studios alongside event studios.
We also aim to strike a balance between expression and moderation. While we allow intense
conversations and emotionally charged content, we do remove unconstructive content,
inappropriate messages, and anything else that violates our community guidelines.
It is also important that Scratchers keep in mind everything shared (from comments to studios toshared projects) are public and visible to anyone logged in or not.

Reporting Inappropriate Content on Scratch
Users that are logged in can report inappropriate comments they see by hovering over thecomment and clicking the “report” option that appears, or report inappropriate projects using thereport button on the project page.

For users that are not logged in or for other concerns, we can be reached via the “Contact Us” linkat the bottom of every page.

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Additional Scratch Spaces of Interest
Already comfortable engaging in Scratch? Here are some additional
opportunities:●

Propose Projects to be Featured studio https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/28715018 –Propose a project created by another Scratcher, which you think shows a good use ofScratch, for featuring on the front page.

●

Propose Studios to be Featured forum topic https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/569708– Propose a studio you or another Scratcher has created for featuring on the front page.

●Front Page Curator Applications studio https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/386359 – Every
week, a member of the Scratch community is selected to hand-pick projects that willappear on the front page, and this is the studio to apply for the opportunity.

●

Become a curator in a Scratch Event studio – In general, curators are not chosen uponrequest, but some Scratch Event studios and the Scratch Design Studios (SDS) offer
Scratchers the opportunity to apply beforehand to help. If there is no curator application
process for a Scratch Event studio, being active, helpful, and kind could lead to a curator
offer from a studio manager. Learn more here: https://resources.scratch.mit.edu/www/events/en/ScratchLearningResource_ScratchEventStudios.pdf

Print a Copy of Our Community Guidelines Poster!
A gift from the Scratch Team: here is a printable PDF poster of our Scratch Community Guidelines(8.5x11 or 18x24). This is great to post for students participating in the online community or for
setting classroom norms when engaging online.

Tip: If you’d like to translate this guide, click here to make a copy of this Google doc.

Created by the Scratch Foundation (scratchfoundation.org). Shared under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License (CCbySA 4.0).