Scratch

coolstuff wrote:

Everyone: The decision is final. As moderators, we've known about it for a while, and have had plenty of discussion on this. The rule will be fourteen-year-olds.

For those of you comparing 14-year-olds to 12- and 13-year-olds, I will tell you there is a big difference. In the US of A and most of the world, highschool starts at age 14. When I was in grade 8, I thought "Ha! I'm king of the hill - nobody can defeat me!" But then I got into grade 9, highschool. Now I'm bottom of the stack again. I had a point when I started typing this, but apparently I've forgotten it. The point is, while you may think you've seen everything there is to see (in Elementary school), highschool is loads different. The same goes for age. As a fourteen-year-old, you're probably going to get the most experience you'll ever get, even though you may think as a thirteen-year-old that there's nothing more to it.

It's not about commitment. We are making no stereotypes, it's just that there has to be some sort of cut-off age. Fourteen is quite reasonable as such - it's the age where most kids reach maturity.

And allow me to make one last point: complaining about the age limit really isn't helping prove to us that you're extremely mature. 

I'm in the process of writing a topic on what it's like to be a moderator. Expect it in the coming weeks. 

true. and if it was 13+ the 12-year olds would complain, ect....

I know right. (

coolstuff wrote:

And allow me to make one last point: complaining about the age limit really isn't helping prove to us that you're extremely mature.

High five, buddy! 

I agree with all of your arguments. There has to be a cutoff somewhere. Fourteen sounds good to me.

Chrischb wrote:

scmb1 wrote:

coolstuff wrote:

And allow me to make one last point: complaining about the age limit really isn't helping prove to us that you're extremely mature.

High five, buddy! 

+1 XD

+1 

(Wow, five pages already... xD)

Chrischb wrote:

BTW, repost: Does the 14 year rule affect the TBG?

I don't think so... Otherwise nobody would be able to moderate the TBGs! You guys have been doing great; and the TBGs are a very different place than the Scratch forums. I don't think it will be affecting the TBGs.

Chrischb wrote:

coolstuff wrote:

Chrischb wrote:

BTW, repost: Does the 14 year rule affect the TBG?

I don't think so... Otherwise nobody would be able to moderate the TBGs!

There's Ducky. ;D

Anyway, most of the TBGers are under 14. 

ScratchReallyROCKS wrote:

coolstuff wrote:

Everyone: The decision is final. As moderators, we've known about it for a while, and have had plenty of discussion on this. The rule will be fourteen-year-olds.

For those of you comparing 14-year-olds to 12- and 13-year-olds, I will tell you there is a big difference. In the US of A and most of the world, highschool starts at age 14. When I was in grade 8, I thought "Ha! I'm king of the hill - nobody can defeat me!" But then I got into grade 9, highschool. Now I'm bottom of the stack again. I had a point when I started typing this, but apparently I've forgotten it. The point is, while you may think you've seen everything there is to see (in Elementary school), highschool is loads different. The same goes for age. As a fourteen-year-old, you're probably going to get the most experience you'll ever get, even though you may think as a thirteen-year-old that there's nothing more to it.

It's not about commitment. We are making no stereotypes, it's just that there has to be some sort of cut-off age. Fourteen is quite reasonable as such - it's the age where most kids reach maturity.

And allow me to make one last point: complaining about the age limit really isn't helping prove to us that you're extremely mature. 

I'm in the process of writing a topic on what it's like to be a moderator. Expect it in the coming weeks. 

Alright. Whatever. I don't get what High School experience has anything to do with moderating a kids programming website. Oh well. I don't really care to be a moderator now anyway.

There are four transistions in an american school system, and mostly true everywhere.
~The first is from Elementary School to Middle school, when a student goes from having one teacher to several. Also, there are usually different class levels at middle school, when at elementary there usually aren't any. (I am generalizing from my experiances from moving across country several times. This could be unaccuarate where you live).

~The second is from Middle School to High school. Work significantly increases. From less than an hour of homework to several. Also, social pressurese start to build with sports, clubs and classes. In high school there are alot more choices, but with them comes much more difficulty. You have to balance social life, sports, school, and free time.

~The Third is from Junoir year to senoir year. You have all of the stuff I explained, but now you have to apply to colleges, scholarships, write essays, fill out forms, get ready for graduation and much more. Its alot of hard work.

~Finally, you get to college, and I really don't know what goes on there. A mix between parties and school is what I have heard from my firends already there.


The reason that high school experiance is relavent is because they know how to balance everything. It also is because once you get to highschool, you have probably seen most things, or if you haven't, you will.

Last edited by TheSaint (2010-09-29 21:40:18)

Last edited by XplodingEggs (2010-10-19 23:07:09)

TheSaint wrote:

ScratchReallyROCKS wrote:

coolstuff wrote:

Everyone: The decision is final. As moderators, we've known about it for a while, and have had plenty of discussion on this. The rule will be fourteen-year-olds.

For those of you comparing 14-year-olds to 12- and 13-year-olds, I will tell you there is a big difference. In the US of A and most of the world, highschool starts at age 14. When I was in grade 8, I thought "Ha! I'm king of the hill - nobody can defeat me!" But then I got into grade 9, highschool. Now I'm bottom of the stack again. I had a point when I started typing this, but apparently I've forgotten it. The point is, while you may think you've seen everything there is to see (in Elementary school), highschool is loads different. The same goes for age. As a fourteen-year-old, you're probably going to get the most experience you'll ever get, even though you may think as a thirteen-year-old that there's nothing more to it.

It's not about commitment. We are making no stereotypes, it's just that there has to be some sort of cut-off age. Fourteen is quite reasonable as such - it's the age where most kids reach maturity.

And allow me to make one last point: complaining about the age limit really isn't helping prove to us that you're extremely mature. 

I'm in the process of writing a topic on what it's like to be a moderator. Expect it in the coming weeks. 

Alright. Whatever. I don't get what High School experience has anything to do with moderating a kids programming website. Oh well. I don't really care to be a moderator now anyway.

There are four transistions in an american school system, and mostly true everywhere.
~The first is from Elementary School to Middle school, when a student goes from having one teacher to several. Also, there are usually different class levels at middle school, when at elementary there usually aren't any. (I am generalizing from my experiances from moving across country several times. This could be unaccuarate where you live).

~The second is from Middle School to High school. Work significantly increases. From less than an hour of homework to several. Also, social pressurese start to build with sports, clubs and classes. In high school there are alot more choices, but with them comes much more difficulty. You have to balance social life, sports, school, and free time.

~The Third is from Junoir year to senoir year. You have all of the stuff I explained, but now you have to apply to colleges, scholarships, write essays, fill out forms, get ready for graduation and much more. Its alot of hard work.

~Finally, you get to college, and I really don't know what goes on there. A mix between parties and school is what I have heard from my firends already there.


The reason that high school experiance is relavent is because they know how to balance everything. It also is because once you get to highschool, you have probably seen most things, or if you haven't, you will.

Yeah, but it's a KIDS website. Scratch won't cause hard work or hours of homework.

Whatever. I don't care anymore anyway.

I love this
I'm sorry, I'm a horrible person, I know
I just love it

Lightnin wrote:

...And I can't disagree with your assertion that Dazachi and Illusionist were both doing a great job - that's absolutely true. But for reasons discussed upthread, this age limit is the best of a set of difficult choices.

Well seeing as neither of them have said anything on this thread, I would like to know what they think of this change. and since they have been doing a great job, I see no reason to dethrone them unless they want to. Since I know many 13 and 12 year olds are much more mature than any 14 year olds I know, I think they would do just as good a job as anyone who was 14.

And by the way, how did the scratch team come up with this decision? Did they call a meeting, with the main topic being, 'you know, we should have an age limit on being a moderator'? Or did they have some sort of provocation, like that people running did not seem mature enough?

I think that you could do a good enough job picking, and age has nothing to do with maturity. I personally find it very offending, since I consider myself much more mature than most of the 14 year olds at my school, even though I'm only 12, and I think that its absolutely pointless to have this rule, since you could simply just select people that were over 14, if it was really That necessary. Its just pointless and redundant, since you could just hand pick the ones that you though were more mature, instead of simply disappointing them all in one single forum thread.

This new rule will surely lead to good users trolling and flaming.

Last edited by XplodingEggs (2010-10-19 23:07:36)

But you see, I've dealt with these things before. Pornography, cusswords, swearing, etc. I've done all those before. I've had to do it.

I understand the Scratch Team's POV, but look at ours. Imagine, cheddargirl, that you weren't a mod, just a caring and helpful user. Suddenly, you spot something. OMG! It's the moderator elections! You put in hours into making your speech. You're so passionate that you receive general approval and are a favorite to winning the elections. Then pretend you're only 11, and the Scratch Team slams this down. Now multiply that frustration by 10, and you will see why there's so much protest and flame wars.