Scratch

Sometimes people ask why we don't list all the rules of stuff you can't do on Scratch. Whenever I get asked that question, I always think of this picture of a sign from a beach in China.



It's a graphical list of all the things you can't do: No dogs, no guns and knives, no poking a heart-shaped balloon with a pointy stick. Y'know, the usual. XD

Having a gigantic list of stuff you can't do is one approach to explaining the rules, but after the third or fourth row, your eyes tend to get tired. Plus when people do mean things that aren't on the list, you have to add the new thing to the list. Otherwise they'll be like "Hey, you never said I couldn't say someone's project sucks in Latin."  So then you have to go to the giant list of stuff you can't do on Scratch and add on a whole new entry:

Thing you can't do # 347: Don't leave mean, unconstructive comments on people's projects in Latin.

Of course, this is just an example, but you see what I mean: The list gets really large and cumbersome, and nobody wants to read it anyway.

That's one reason why we made a set of guidelines that you can use to understand what is and isn't ok on Scratch, without having to make a gigantic list. The Terms of Use pretty much sum it up. Though they've gotten longer in the recent past, they're still pretty short compared to lists of rules and legal stuff you see on a lot of other sites.

Be respectful. When sharing projects or posting comments, remember that people of many different ages and backgrounds will see your contributions.

Offer constructive comments.  Instead of just criticizing a project or forum post, say what you like about it and offer suggestions on how to make it better.

Give credit.  Feel free to make modified versions of other people's projects - just make sure to give them credit. One place to give credit is in your Project Notes.

Be honest.  Don't pretend to be someone other than who you are or try to game the community.

Keep personal information private.  Don't share your email address, phone number, or other personal contact information.

Help keep the site friendly.  If you feel others would find a project or comment mean, insulting, too violent, or otherwise inappropriate, click the link that says "flag as inappropriate."  In the Forums, you can do the same thing by clicking on the "Report" link below a post. The Scratch team will review, and may remove any project, comment or post.