Popularity. If you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll see that it means “the state or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people”. I know that a lot of people on Scratch want to be “popular” Scratchers. But what does it really mean to be popular? Here is an interview that I took with CocoaLove to see her opinion on the “popular” matter.

Interview:
Me: What do you feel that the word “popular” means on Scratch?
Cocoa: I think that, on scratch, the word popular is very misinterpreted. Many people would think of it as having the most followers, but I think that popularity is when someone works hard on their projects and gets attention for it. I think that there are many people that should be more popular on scratch, many people that have awesome projects that… they worked hard on that should get more attention.

Me: Why are you considered “popular” on Scratch?
Cocoa: Well, like I said, I haven’t really considered myself popular, but I guess since I am part of so many shops and collaborations, people see my name quite a bit, and I DO work hard on my projects, so I guess some people just notice… and I know that sounds very modest (<-sarcasm) but it's what I think… I also think that my personality is pretty out going.. and I have a very big sense of humor (maybe too big, sometimes xD).

Me: Do you think that being popular is fun, or that it is kind of overwhelming?
Cocoa: I really appreciate all of the attention I get on scratch, and I admit, it is fun, it can be a little overwhelming, though, when you see 30 messages and don't want to skip any of them. I altogether enjoy scratch, though. All of it, the supporting community, the shops, the scratch team is awesome… everything.

Me: What advice would you give to Scratchers who want to be popular?
Cocoa: 1. Work hard on your projects, don't rush them, and if you are at a loss for ideas, take a break and come back and an hour or two, or at least work on something else for a while. 2. Work on projects that you enjoy, not what you think other people would enjoy. Do what your good at and what you enjoy doing! 3. If you have a skill that you want to share, then becoming part of a shop is a great way to display that skill! 4. Be yourself, don't be what others want you to be.

Thank you so much for answering these questions, Cocoa! I really appreciate it. Now for an interview by Yllie, another very famous and popular Scratcher.

Me: What do you feel that the word “popular” means on Scratch?
Yllie: The word “popular” on Scratch simply (and harshly) put, means that you have more than the average amount of followers. It's relative, so on YouTube I'm not popular for having, say 1000+ followers, but on Scratch that number is considered huge. But being popular also means that you are a likable and friendly person, which has nothing to do with the amount of followers you have.

Me: Why are you considered “popular” on Scratch?
Yllie: I think I'm considered popular because I am friendly, make quality projects and have many followers.

Me: Do you think that being popular is fun, or that it is kind of overwhelming?
Yllie: Being popular is mostly fun and enjoyable. It's great to see that your hard work is appreciated and viewed and loved by thousands of people around the world. Also, it's fun that whenever I visit a studio and go to the admin section, I see that I'm invited to curate it. :P However, when I've recently released a project my mail box tend to overflow with hundreds upon hundreds of new messages every time I login. While that's certainly awesome, it can indeed be stressful and annoying sometimes.

Me: What advice would you give to Scratchers who want to be popular?
Yllie: First of all, becoming popular isn't a goal to strive for. You have to realize that popularity is a consequence, not a cause for success. It's important to remember why you joined Scratch in the first place: to create, share and learn - and that's exactly what you should do. Create the best projects you can, share them to the community and listen to the feedback that you get. Learn by and embrace this feedback and use it to make your projects even better. Popularity then comes naturally.

Thank you, Yllie. It seems as if both CocoaLove and Yllie agree that popularity isn’t the most important goal to strive for. Both of them seem to think that is important not to get obsessed with becoming popular, as the reason Scratch was made for was to enjoy making projects and meeting people. While popularity may seem very fun, it can actually get to be a little annoying. Yllie states that “However, when I've recently released a project my mail box tends to overflow with hundreds upon hundreds of new messages every time I login. While that's certainly awesome, it can indeed be stressful and annoying sometimes. " I agree that it can be quite annoying to notice an overflowing mailbox when you log onto Scratch first thing in the morning. CocoaLove says “…it can be a little overwhelming, though, when you see 30 messages and don't want to skip any of them.” I totally agree with you, Cocoa! While I don’t consider myself “popular” on Scratch, I hate not having enough time to answer all of the messages and questions I receive on my profile or projects.

So next time you decide that your mission is to become the most popular Scratcher ever, think about what these two famous and popular Scratchers have to say about popularity. It just might change your mind.

~Coder11000


Credit to the amazing CocoaLove, a great Scratcher and a kind, amazing friend who is always there for me. I also give credit to Yllie: Thank you for allowing me to interview you, and thank you for being you. 

This is a great initiative! Interesting topic and relevant questions. I certainly agree with both of you, I hate not having time to reply to all of the kind comments I get

Yllie wrote:

This is a great initiative! Interesting topic and relevant questions. I certainly agree with both of you, I hate not having time to reply to all of the kind comments I get

I completely agree! I wish that I had time to respond to each and every scratcher who messages me, and I try to respond to as many as I can, but it can be quite stressful!

Yllie wrote:

This is a great initiative! Interesting topic and relevant questions. I certainly agree with both of you, I hate not having time to reply to all of the kind comments I get

Thanks!

CocoaLove wrote:

Yllie wrote:

This is a great initiative! Interesting topic and relevant questions. I certainly agree with both of you, I hate not having time to reply to all of the kind comments I get

I completely agree! I wish that I had time to respond to each and every scratcher who messages me, and I try to respond to as many as I can, but it can be quite stressful!

Thanks, Cocoa!

Bump.

Well, I think that you don't have to be popular. You just need to be noticed.You should comfort other people.You should be nice.Bye.

Can I have an interview?

MegaByteCorporations wrote:

Can I have an interview?

Sure! I need some more people. Can you answer the questions in the article?

_Jesus_Lover_88 wrote:

Well, I think that you don't have to be popular. You just need to be noticed.You should comfort other people.You should be nice.Bye.

I totally agree!

What an interesting discussion! I think it makes some very good points about valuing quality of relationships over quantity. I added it to the Welcome topic so Scratchers can find it more easily. Thanks so much for putting this together

Paddle2See wrote:

What an interesting discussion! I think it makes some very good points about valuing quality of relationships over quantity. I added it to the Welcome topic so Scratchers can find it more easily. Thanks so much for putting this together

Thank you so much! This means an huge amount to me!

30 messages is a little

glitcX wrote:

30 messages is a little

Please don't necropost (posting on old, dead, topics, for more info see the link Knight showed)