Very recently, I saw a profile page on which someone had posted an empty comment. Needless to say, it stood out, and someone asked how to post an empty comment. This was never responded to.

I had seen empty comments before; it was nothing new; however, I never knew how people posted them.

So I decided to do some digging.

On several old Scratch discussions, users shared many different ways to post empty comments. But remember, these topics were extremely old; most strategies didn’t work.

After looking around for a few minutes, I discovered a forum post from 2021 claiming that every way to post an empty comment had been shut down, and complained to ST about it.

However, later in the discussion it was revealed that blank comments could be posted, just not in some of the ways that ST had banned.

And of course, after discovering it, I had to test the idea; it 100%. works.

But in my that same discussion, I can across something I’d never considered before; the pros and cons of keeping empty comments.

I’d never before realized that empty comments may have negative impacts on Scratch; I just thought it was interesting and unique to see people post empty comments!

Unfortunately, there is a huge downside to blank comments, and I currently don’t know which side I’m on…

So what I’m asking for, put simply, is your help; should we keep blank comments?

Pros:
Empty comments are a fun and unique thing in Scratch! In certain situations, they may actually be helpful in real conversations;

ex.
Scratcher1: Are you online?
Scratcher2: @Scratcher1

When used conservatively, it’s kind of neat to notice a blank comment; compliments and positivity may be the result of keeping them.

ex.

Scratcher1:
Scratcher2: That’s rly cool, how you do it

Cons
Oh, the cons. Unfortunately, there is a downside to empty comments; and most of it goes by the name “spamming.” Empty comments can be continually used to annoy people for no reason; obviously, no positivity will be generated from this.

Worse yet, because there are so many ways to post empty comments, the message that pops up if someone spans the same message can easily be worked around.

And to make matters worse( ), if a user is banned for spamming, they can simply create an expendable account, since New Scratchers can comment.

Please post you thoughts in the comments to help me decide!

Panda998711 wrote:

(#1)
Very recently, I saw a profile page on which someone had posted an empty comment. Needless to say, it stood out, and someone asked how to post an empty comment. This was never responded to.

I had seen empty comments before; it was nothing new; however, I never knew how people posted them.

So I decided to do some digging.

On several old Scratch discussions, users shared many different ways to post empty comments. But remember, these topics were extremely old; most strategies didn’t work.

After looking around for a few minutes, I discovered a forum post from 2021 claiming that every way to post an empty comment had been shut down, and complained to ST about it.

However, later in the discussion it was revealed that blank comments could be posted, just not in some of the ways that ST had banned.

And of course, after discovering it, I had to test the idea; it 100%. works.

Yes, that`s true. You can use an emoji that Scratch doesn't support.

Panda998711 wrote:

(#1)
Pros:
Empty comments are a fun and unique thing in Scratch! In certain situations, they may actually be helpful in real conversations;

ex.
Scratcher1: Are you online?
Scratcher2: @Scratcher1

I`m assuming Scratcher2 means “yes”. This could work for “are you online” comments sometimes, but not for other comments,

Panda998711 wrote:

(#1)
Cons
Oh, the cons. Unfortunately, there is a downside to empty comments; and most of it goes by the name “spamming.” Empty comments can be continually used to annoy people for no reason; obviously, no positivity will be generated from this.

Worse yet, because there are so many ways to post empty comments, the message that pops up if someone spans the same message can easily be worked around.

This already can be done. (Citiation: See above.)

Panda998711 wrote:

(#1)
nd to make matters worse( ), if a user is banned for spamming, they can simply create an expendable account, since New Scratchers can comment.

That is called pickpocketing (sockpuppeting in other websites) and is banned. You can easily report the pickpocketer. (Or is it “pickpuppeteer”?)

Maybe only one empty comment can be commented before a user replied

support, there are hardly any “make your own (inset scratch thing here)!” projects and thats sad, i would want to make a st alert that says:
hi there, you cant close this box lol

mcsquaggle wrote:

support, there are hardly any “make your own (inset scratch thing here)!” projects and thats sad, i would want to make a st alert that says:
hi there, you cant close this box lol

wat

Aren’t blank comments harmless? They’re just for fun.

mcsquaggle wrote:

support, there are hardly any “make your own (inset scratch thing here)!” projects and thats sad, i would want to make a st alert that says:
hi there, you cant close this box lol

I am extremely confused about what you’re talking about here.

hydrofungus wrote:

Aren’t blank comments harmless? They’re just for fun.

Yes, but because of how blank comments are posted, they can be used for spamming much too easily.

Panda998711 wrote:

hydrofungus wrote:

Aren’t blank comments harmless? They’re just for fun.

Yes, but because of how blank comments are posted, they can be used for spamming much too easily.

How are they posted then? I thought the filter still detects blank characters.

hydrofungus wrote:

Panda998711 wrote:

hydrofungus wrote:

Aren’t blank comments harmless? They’re just for fun.

Yes, but because of how blank comments are posted, they can be used for spamming much too easily.

How are they posted then? I thought the filter still detects blank characters.

Zero-width characters and stuff.

-

Anyways, doesn't the filter already stop you when you post the same comment too many times? It happens with any comment.

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

Zero-width characters and stuff.

Aren't zero-width spaces censored? I always thought they were.

Panda998711 wrote:

mcsquaggle wrote:

support, there are hardly any “make your own (inset scratch thing here)!” projects and thats sad, i would want to make a st alert that says:
hi there, you cant close this box lol

I am extremely confused about what you’re talking about here.

i am talking about those projects with a png image of something that has all text cleared to make way for custom text

k7e wrote:

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

Zero-width characters and stuff.

Aren't zero-width spaces censored? I always thought they were.

Well, RTL characters are censored, haven't tested zero-width ones.

Wait. Unsupported unicode characters! That's it! You know those things when you look up %15 or something in the search bar and you get a weird character with numbers? When I posted that on a comment, it was empty!

edit: this is the character: 
edit2: it isn't censored (phew, i thought i would have gotten muted)

mcsquaggle wrote:

Panda998711 wrote:

mcsquaggle wrote:

support, there are hardly any “make your own (inset scratch thing here)!” projects and thats sad, i would want to make a st alert that says:
hi there, you cant close this box lol

I am extremely confused about what you’re talking about here.

i am talking about those projects with a png image of something that has all text cleared to make way for custom text

I don't think that's related, this is for comments, not sprite costumes.

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

k7e wrote:

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

Zero-width characters and stuff.

Aren't zero-width spaces censored? I always thought they were.

Well, RTL characters are censored, haven't tested zero-width ones.

Wait. Unsupported unicode characters! That's it! You know those things when you look up %15 or something in the search bar and you get a weird character with numbers? When I posted that on a comment, it was empty!

edit: this is the character: 
edit2: it isn't censored (phew, i thought i would have gotten muted)

%15?

kleemiya_the_furball wrote:

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

k7e wrote:

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

Zero-width characters and stuff.

Aren't zero-width spaces censored? I always thought they were.

Well, RTL characters are censored, haven't tested zero-width ones.

Wait. Unsupported unicode characters! That's it! You know those things when you look up %15 or something in the search bar and you get a weird character with numbers? When I posted that on a comment, it was empty!

edit: this is the character: 
edit2: it isn't censored (phew, i thought i would have gotten muted)

%15?

if i remember right yes

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

k7e wrote:

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

Zero-width characters and stuff.

Aren't zero-width spaces censored? I always thought they were.

Well, RTL characters are censored, haven't tested zero-width ones.

Wait. Unsupported unicode characters! That's it! You know those things when you look up %15 or something in the search bar and you get a weird character with numbers? When I posted that on a comment, it was empty!

edit: this is the character: 
edit2: it isn't censored (phew, i thought i would have gotten muted)

It shows up as a square for me, not a blank space.

MythosLore wrote:

-snip-
It shows up as a square for me, not a blank space.

hmm so it's not %15, but I think it's something like %20, just anything that starts with %

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

MythosLore wrote:

-snip-
It shows up as a square for me, not a blank space.
-snip-

hmm so it's not %15, but I think it's something like %20, just anything that starts with %

but %20 is space and using that doesn't let you post it

ninjahanzo wrote:

scratchcode1_2_3 wrote:

MythosLore wrote:

-snip-
It shows up as a square for me, not a blank space.
-snip-

hmm so it's not %15, but I think it's something like %20, just anything that starts with %

but %20 is space and using that doesn't let you post it

ye ik I was just saying it was something else