Scratch

JTxt · 2010-09-23 00:04:06

This is not a suggestion exactly, but an attempt to understand where we're at. Perhaps this will help inspire better suggestions.

ScratchR-1.x-major-features-and-function-overlap-4-11-2011.pdf UPDATED

This table shows how I believe major Scratch website features(Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) overlap in how they are used by the community(to Bookmark, Promote, Categorize, Collaborate.) So they serve the same purposes, but do not work together much.

What do you think?
Do you see errors/something missing?
Agree/disagree?
Close/horribly flawed thinking?

Thanks!

Also, I hope this doesn't sound too critical. The Scratch website has served us well, and continues to improve.
I started this while trying to outline my thinking behind FaveTags. (an attempt to combine and simplify these features.) I completed this for andresmh, but I hope it will be helpful to others too, so I'm posting it here. I'm hoping we can step back and clearly define the problems/review what we have better so we can create better solutions.

Edited 4/11/11 new table (here's the old version.)

Last edited by JTxt (2011-04-11 22:20:07)

Jonathanpb · 2010-09-23 00:52:35

Wow, nice table! smile

EDIT: 4000th post. >_< Why can't I have 1763 or 2543 or 3756? Nice post counts. sad

Last edited by Jonathanpb (2010-09-23 00:53:26)

JTxt · 2010-09-24 11:52:18

Thanks!
This table could be expanded further:

-Forums: promote(show and tell), collaborate(can interact and work together.)
-Wiki: promote(example projects receive attention), categorize(linked examples listed in topics), collaborate(users build content together)
-Suggestions site: promote(users vote to promote suggestions), collaborate(users discuss and refine suggestions)
...
do you see more?

-Featured, Featured galleries and the Curators section are also very similar... It's power given to individuals (often private galleries are chosen) by the scratch team (or is the scratch team) to promote projects for a time. (I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just comparing features now.)

Last edited by JTxt (2010-09-24 11:54:08)

Lucario621 · 2010-09-24 15:27:08

Awesome! Really shows a lot of information...

As you mentioned, having a wiki section and forums section would also be great! smile

Chrischb · 2010-09-24 18:37:13

O_O THAT TABLE PWNZ

...I have no idea what to say. sad

Jwosty · 2010-09-24 18:53:47

Chrischb wrote:
O_O THAT TABLE PWNZ

...I have no idea what to say.

Same...
______
Same...

JTxt · 2010-09-27 12:32:08

Thanks!

Here's more:
-Top Remixed: promote/categorize(promotes projects that are top remixed recently)
-Top Viewed: promote/categorize(promotes projects top viewed lately)

I don't want to add forums, wiki, suggestions, top remixed... to this table just yet because it already covers 4 major features that represents 4 major function/uses/purposes to the community... (and might be difficult to fit on one page.)

favorites: bookmark,
love-it: promote,
tags: categorize,
galleries: collaborate...

and shows the overlap.

I hope this helps when people are thinking of new suggestions.
How can this help us?
I don't want to share my ideas yet, I'd like to see what others think, and iron this out first.

Last edited by JTxt (2010-09-27 13:08:07)

RocksAndFire · 2010-10-07 17:40:59

I completely agree. I added 3 votes to it in the suggestons thing a while back. I also like this mockup you made:

ian528 · 2011-02-12 10:08:12

I like it!

JTxt · 2011-02-15 15:19:19

ian528 wrote:
I like it!

Thanks, I hope it's helpful, feedback from the scratch team would be nice.
The point that hopefully this is making is:
We have major sections of the site and features that do almost the same thing, but don't work together.

- Love-its promote anonymously, unlike Favorites, but have much more influence on the site- and both don't say WHY they liked it.
- Tags promote and say why they liked it "Cool, Art..." but they don't bookmark for the user like "favorites" and they're are sorted by the generic "Love-it".
- Galleries are nearly the same as tags, but also allow for private tags and a place for groups to form...

How can we redesign these features to make organizing, bookmarking, collaborating, and promoting projects better? (more fair, relevant, collaborative...)
Hopefully, we can imagine better ways this can work.

I proposed simplifying and combining these functions into one feature (with a few different views and facets), it may not be the best way.... but let's please talk about about it, or better ways.

Last edited by JTxt (2011-02-17 12:39:47)

JTxt · 2011-04-12 13:21:19

Updated the table!

Agree/disagree?

Can you think of better ways for for the Scratch website could help us promote, bookmark, categorize, collaborate? (Or does the site even need to help us do all that? perhaps something is missing?)

Last edited by JTxt (2011-04-12 13:23:06)

amcerbu · 2011-04-13 17:36:43

JTxt wrote:
Updated the table!

Agree/disagree?

Can you think of better ways for the Scratch website to help us promote, bookmark, categorize, collaborate? (Or does the site even need to help us do all that? perhaps something is missing?)

I like the idea originally proposed on your AddZero account, FaveTags. I think that the use of such a system would decrease the "over love-it" problem, where users press the love-it button because
(a) the project notes say something like "LUV IT AND ILL GIVE U A KOOKIE,"
(b) the creator is "famous," or
(c) the project appeals (almost exclusively) to a certain part of the Scratch community, particularly younger members.

I can't understand why the Scratch team hasn't made any attempt to incorporate FaveTags...

By the way, I think that tags on a project should send notifications to the creator, and that tags can only be submitted with his permission. Otherwise you get a buildup of junk tags that group the project in irrelevant ways and clog up the Scratch search engine.

JTxt · 2011-04-14 12:56:17

Thanks amcerbu for your support!
I tend to write way too much.
I'll try to back up farther:

What is a Scratcher?
To me:
Someone that creates, shares, and remixes with Scratch, this simple and powerful creative tool.

What is the goal of the Scratch community website?
To me:
Enable Scratchers with similar or related aspirations to find, help, and inspire each other?

That seems to be what the Scratch team had in mind, to me; but am I wrong?

Last edited by JTxt (2011-04-14 13:10:23)

Scratch

archived forums

#1 2010-09-23 00:04:06

Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#2 2010-09-23 00:52:35

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#3 2010-09-24 11:52:18

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#4 2010-09-24 15:27:08

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#5 2010-09-24 18:37:13

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#6 2010-09-24 18:53:47

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

Chrischb wrote:

#7 2010-09-27 12:32:08

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#8 2010-10-07 17:40:59

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#9 2011-02-12 10:08:12

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#10 2011-02-15 15:19:19

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

ian528 wrote:

#11 2011-04-12 13:21:19

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

#12 2011-04-13 17:36:43

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

JTxt wrote:

#13 2011-04-14 12:56:17

Re: Features (Favorites, Love-its, Tags, Galleries) and function overlap.

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