Please tell me if this is a duplicate, and please check out >this< topic about bringing back discuss. That said, this topic was suggested by @Invisible_Factory. These are the important concepts. Tell me if I'm missing some, I'll mostly just be paraphrasing here:

@WolfCat67 suggested:
Bring back the Discuss bar on the top page, but don't remove Tips! Instead, make the search bar a little smaller to make room (after all, the search bar is HUGE and just seems to be so big to take up the remaining space you've got there.) Discuss could either be before tips or after tips. This would work, and would probably satisfy a lot of people.

Now, the ST does say that the search bar is bigger in other languages (Try in German (Deutsch) for example).

@stickfiregames suggested:
If they don't want the buttons to take up too much space they could always merge About into Tips, since it's nearly useless once you've joined Scratch. Better still, show About if you're logged out or Tips if you're logged in.

@makethebrainhappy suggested:
I believe that I have come up with a solution that is compromise between both sides. Put the forums in the messages tab.

@1a3c5e7g9i suggested:
I would like to suggest that the missing button(s) should be compiled in a “More” drop-down list. (About would be in it, too.) This would solve the “Discuss” problem and keep the space intact.

@stickfiregames suggested a different take on this one:
I like the idea of a dropdown, but I'd prefer if the forums had their own link and the help pages had a dropdown. Why? Because “more” doesn't give much information about what's in it and feels like a place to dump left over links, while “help” is immediately obvious and makes sense as a whole. Having a dropdown would also let it link more underviewed and useful pages, like the wiki.

@DisasterPug suggested:
Maybe when you click create it says nearby the workspace:
Need help? Ask on the forums here
and it would save the project because otherwise that would be annoying

ZZ9PluralZAlpha suggested:
I've been reading above how the Explore section is used a lot by some people and rarely by others (myself included). What if there was an option to change the button that is currently explore between Explore and Discuss using a simple dropdown in Account Settings. That way, people can have the button they want there depending on what is used most.

Now I know that the account settings isn't the most obvious place, but at least it's a compromise

VideoGamerCanInvent suggested:
]What if, there was a button that said “Edit”, which would be located at one of the blank sides of the Scratch bar, and from there, a list of buttons would show up. You could select 4 of these for the Scratch bar.

RaefWorks_Animation suggested:
How about a compromise? Scratch can have an option of adding discuss back into the toolbar via account settings.

SheepMaker suggested:
Ooh so maybe if bringing back the Discuss button isn't an option, then we can scatter links to the forums around the website in other places, where new Scratchers might be more likely to click on if they happen to need it. For example:

• a link to the Help with Scripts page in the editor
  
• link to Show and Tell on project pages
  
• maybe a link to Requests in the costumes/sound tabs of a sprite/the stage
  
• Connecting to the Physical World or Developing Scratch Extensions in the extensions category in the palette
  
• and links to the forum in a non-English language if there is one for it (eg link to Español if the website/editor is in Spanish)
  

Sheep_maker wrote:

Here's a quick mockup for a link to the Show and Tell forums:

Clicking on this would open the forums in a new tab.

Rebuttals to the ST's reasoning: 5 buttons makes the search bar too small in certain languages!
Yeah, it might, but there were 5 buttons before for who knows how long, and you didn't fix it until now -.- Besides, the ST could add another search bar at the top of the explore page to satisfy users who have small search bars in their languages with 5 buttons.
We removed it to emphasize Create and Explore.
They were the same size, that doesn't emphasize Create and Explore at all. They still look just as obvious as before
Only 0.8% of Scratchers clicked it last month.
How many of those knew it even existed? Discuss isn't a very obvious title, most didn't realize it was a forums. Besides, why make it more obscure?
It might be confusing / overwhelming to New Scratchers.
Okay, I'll take that. But isn't there a whole forum post about how that is a weak argument for no support? Ironic, eh? Besides, it also helps them socialize, take part in the community more, and answer questions (eg, Help with Scripts category)
Also, please check out this topic by @Wolfcat67 about making the forums simple / less confusing
It's still in the footer.
When was the last time you looked in the footer? And read it all the way through? That's all I have to say.

Phew, that was a lot of copy and pasting. Please, tell me if I've missed some but provide a link!
-Aurora


PRELIMINARY RESULTS

I think that this would be more organized and readable if you used [quote] tags. Just an idea.

Maybe you could add some rebuttals to the ST's reasoning for removing the discuss button. Some of their reasoning was it makes the search bar to small in other languages, to empathize other options, only 0.8% of Scratchers clicked it last month (Despite them not telling us if the other 99.2% knew about the forums in the first place.), it might be to confusing and overwhelming to new Scratchers and the button is still in the footer.

duckboycool wrote:

I think that this would be more organized and readable if you used [quote] tags. Just an idea.

Okay, I just decided to do it like this but that would probably help. The thing is, I was paraphrasing for some of them, just getting the general gist across. Also, totally forgot to link to my sources o.O

muelly wrote:

Maybe you could add some rebuttals to the ST's reasoning for removing the discuss button. Some of their reasoning was it makes the search bar to small in other languages, to empathize other options, only 0.8% of Scratchers clicked it last month (Despite them not telling us if the other 99.2% knew about the forums in the first place.), it might be to confusing and overwhelming to new Scratchers and the button is still in the footer.

Yeah, I might put that below the compromises

Auroura_Wolf wrote:

muelly wrote:

Maybe you could add some rebuttals to the ST's reasoning for removing the discuss button. Some of their reasoning was it makes the search bar to small in other languages, to empathize other options, only 0.8% of Scratchers clicked it last month (Despite them not telling us if the other 99.2% knew about the forums in the first place.), it might be to confusing and overwhelming to new Scratchers and the button is still in the footer.

Yeah, I might put that below the compromises

For the small search bar rebuttal maybe you should put that the ST could add another search bar at the top of the explore page to satisfy users who have small search bars in their languages with 5 buttons.

What about using a bookmark?

walkcycle wrote:

What about using a bookmark?

That's not the point, that won't help new people find it

Auroura_Wolf wrote:

That's not the point, that won't help new people find it

Is the whole point of the debate to help new people find it?

walkcycle wrote:

Auroura_Wolf wrote:

That's not the point, that won't help new people find it

Is the whole point of the debate to help new people find it?

That is one of two points, the other being accessibility for frequent forumers. To be fair, you did solve the second problem there though

The second problem is definitely not completely solved with that. I have a bookmark, and I have had one since before the update, but it is still much more annoying to use. Even though I am pretty used to it.

I still don't like the Tips page anyway, even if they didn't remove the forums. It's less convenient than the one in the editor.
But I like @stickfiregames' first idea:

stickfiregames wrote:

If they don't want the buttons to take up too much space they could always merge About into Tips, since it's nearly useless once you've joined Scratch. Better still, show About if you're logged out or Tips if you're logged in.

ST, if Tips doesn't get as many clicks as the forums did in a month, will you consider one of the ideas in the OP?

Also, you know you done messed up when a suggestion gets 100-200+ posts in the first day.

Auroura_Wolf wrote:

That is one of two points, the other being accessibility for frequent forumers. To be fair, you did solve the second problem there though

Thank you. (The user scripts, typing ‘discuss’ after .edu/ in the url, and the link also give access.)

On the first point, ST tracks what is going on on the website, such as new users finding the forums. They adjust. So, I'm okay with letting them try new things.

Aurora_Wolf wrote:

It's still in the footer.
When was the last time you looked in the footer? And read it all the way through? That's all I have to say.
-Aurora

wow i feel like an odd one out i'm like the only one who actually notices the footer wow

FancyFoxy wrote:

Aurora_Wolf wrote:

It's still in the footer.
When was the last time you looked in the footer? And read it all the way through? That's all I have to say.
-Aurora

wow i feel like an odd one out i'm like the only one who actually notices the footer wow

I guess you are xD I don't check the footer, although I do use it now to get to the forums, I've adjusted so my problem isn't ease of access, it's new forum users

'Bring back the Discuss bar on the top page, but don't remove Tips!'
In some languages, the search bar was tiny while the Discuss button existed, for example, in Russian. Removing Tips is completely necessary. Besides, who even uses Tips?

xC4rm3n_Bx wrote:

'Bring back the Discuss bar on the top page, but don't remove Tips!'
In some languages, the search bar was tiny while the Discuss button existed, for example, in Russian. Removing Tips is completely necessary. Besides, who even uses Tips?

I already said this, please actually read my post before making comments like that xD anyway, Tips hasn't been around long enough for its usefulness to be measured. I mean, it's only been 5 days, and the more tests you have the closer your experimental result gets to your theoretical result

bump

I personally think the best is merge About into Tips and make a button called Forums in the drop down menu. Though look at the top, Scratch and your profile don't stretch too the edges, we could add a button… In different languages just make it smaller!

I remember making a suggestion a while back that was in complete rebuttal to the “too confusing” aspect of its removal. However, it's also a nice addition. You may want to mention it. Here it is: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/269353/

xC4rm3n_Bx wrote:

'Bring back the Discuss bar on the top page, but don't remove Tips!'
In some languages, the search bar was tiny while the Discuss button existed, for example, in Russian. Removing Tips is completely necessary. Besides, who even uses Tips?

New Scratcher's?

Also, why make a topic to respond to a forum topic.
This is just a duplicate.