Hello! And welcome to Scratch! We are happy you have joined the community! As you probably already know, Scratch is an educational programming language. Here on Scratch, we “Imagine, Program, And Share!” If you are new to Scratch, you may have some questions. This thread will try to answer some of those questions for you.

General Scratch Questions

Here are the answers to some question about Scratch in general.

Q: I just joined Scratch! What do I do now? A: Work on projects! Make a game, show off your art skills, or something else! Get familiar with the community.

Q: Why does my profile say I am a “New Scratcher?” What does it mean? A: The “New Scratcher” status you see is a title given to ones who recently joined Scratch. While you can make and share projects, you are restricted to a few features in the community, such as: Cannot post images, cannot post clickable links (unless they are to pages on the Scratch Website), have the 120 second rule, rather than the 60 second rule, on the Discussion Forums, cannot use cloud data, have to wait 30 seconds between comments, and cannot edit posts after leaving the page. For more information on the “New Scratcher” status, click here.

Q: How do I get the full “Scratcher” status? A:

Just be active, post constructive comments on peoples' projects, make projects, and generally be helpful around the site, and you will eventually find a link on your profile that says “Become a Scratcher”. Click it, and you will be promoted. -jvvg

Q: I don't know how to make Scratch projects. What do I do? A: Scratch has built-in tutorials covering basic functions in Scratch. If you want to see the tutorials, click here. You can also search a specific kind of tutorial, like an art tutorial, in the search panel at the top of your screen.

Q: I just finished my first project! What now? A: Share your project! Show the community what your first creation is!

Q: My project isn't getting any views! What do I do? A: New Scratchers usually don't get a lot of views right away. But don't give up! There are many ways that you can get your project viewed!

If you have a question about Scratch in general, ask them here.

Questions about the Front Page

Here are the answers to some questions about the front page. (Suggested by Heatherflame)

Q: What is the Front Page? A:

The Front Page, sometimes abbreviated as FP, is a common term that refers to the Scratch Homepage, where many projects are shown in varied rows. -Scratch Wiki

Q: What are “Featured Projects?” A: Featured Projects are hand-pick projects by the Scratch Team to be in the highest row on the front page. These projects are seen by every user when they log in to Scratch.

Q: How do I get my project featured? A: You can not propose your own projects to be featured. Others have to propose your projects for you. And even if they propose your project, there is still a small chance it will be featured. In the meantime, work hard on your projects! All of the projects on the Front Page show that they have effort put into them.

Q: How do I propose other's projects to be featured? A: Leave a comment with a link to the project you want to propose in this studio.

Q: What is the “Projects Curated By (User)” row for? A: The “Projects Curated By (User)” row is where 5 projects selected by a Scratcher, called the “Front Page Curator”, are displayed on the front page. Like featured projects, projects in this row are high in the Front Page.

Q: Can I decide what is on the Front Page? A: The short answer is “Not right now.” The only way you will be able to decide what is on the Front Page is becoming a Front Page Curator, and even Front Page Curators can only decide what in in the “Projects Curated By (User)” row. To become a Front Page Curator, you must be active and have the “Scratcher” status.

Scratch Editor Questions

Here are the answers to some questions about the Scratch editor.

Q: What is the Scratch Editor? A: The Scratch Editor is the site were you make your projects! In the Editor, you program, draw, and make your ideas come to life! (To go to the Scratch Editor, click here)

Q: What are coding blocks? How do I use them? A: Coding blocks are the instructions you give your project. Like puzzle pieces, the blocks are snapped together to create the program. This “Drag And Drop” coding is typically easier to work with than text-based programming languages. Here is an example of coding blocks:

when green flag clicked
say [Welcome, New Scratchers!]

The script above will make the sprite say “Welcome, New Scratchers!” for 2 seconds once the green flag is clicked.
(For more information on coding blocks, click here)

Q: What is a sprite? A: A sprite is an object that performs actions in your project. Without sprites, our projects would simply be backdrops!

If you have further questions about the Scratch Editor, ask them. I will try to find an answer to the questions.

Questions About How To Get Projects Noticed

Here are the answers to some questions about how to get your projects noticed.

Q: How can I get more views on my projects? A: There are many ways! A few ways are adding your projects to studios, and telling everyone about them in the “Show And Tell” section of the discussion forums.

Q: Can I just tell other users about my projects by leaving links on their profile and projects? A: No. When ones advertise like that, it often leads to spam. And spam is something that is very annoying here on Scratch. If you are reported for advertising, you could get an alert on your account or even receive a ban from your Scratch account. For more information on advertising, click here. For more information on spam, click here.

Q:I have done everything I can to get more views. Why isn't it working? A: A lot of it depends on the effort you put into your projects. Do you work hard programming it? Do you do your best with the art? Do you spend more than 5 minutes on your project? These things play a big role in how may views your project gets.

For a complete guide on how to get your projects noticed, click here.

Discussion Forums Questions

You probably already know how to get to the Discussion Forums. In fact, you are reading a thread in the forums right now! Here are answers to some questions about the Discussion Forums.

Q: What exactly are the Discussion Forums? A:

The Scratch Discussion Forums are a part of the Scratch Website where Scratchers may show others their projects, ask for help, suggest ideas for the Scratch program or website, and more. -Scratch Wiki

(For more information on the Discussion Forums, click here)

Q: How do I use the Discussion Forums? A: First, what kind of post do you want to write? There are several different categories in the Discussion Forums. The category you are in now is the “New Scratchers” category. If you want to show everyone your project, go to the “Show And Tell” category. Next, you write your topic. To do this, find the blue button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. The button will say “New Topic.”

Q: What forum category should my post go in? A: For the answer to that question, go here.

Scratch Community Questions

Here are answers to some questions about the Scratch community.

Q: What is remixing? A:

A remix is a modified and shared version of an uploaded project. -Scratch Wiki

(For more information on remixing, click here)

Q: What do I do if I find a rude on unkind comment on Scratch? A: Don't comment back. Instead, hit the “Report” button. This will let the Scratch Team know about the comment. (Don't report comments for no reason, or you could receive an alert) If you find a comment on one of your projects or profile that you don't like, you can delete it.


Q: How do I get famous on Scratch.? A: Out of the 54 million users on Scratch, I can only think of a handful that are famous. It is highly unlikely you will get famous on Scratch. Also, remember that Scratch is a place to learn, not a place to gain fame. Don't do Scratch to gain the approval of others. Do it for you!

I hope this answered your question. If you have a question that isn't answered here, feel free to ask. Scratch on!

Great guide! I like how you explained things in detail, although something about the front page (projects, studios, and curating it). Overall, nice job! Reporting it to be stickied.

Heatherflame wrote:

Great guide! I like how you explained things in detail, although something about the front page (projects, studios, and curating it). Overall, nice job! Reporting it to be stickied.

Thank you!

Heatherflame wrote:

Great guide! I like how you explained things in detail, although something about the front page (projects, studios, and curating it). Overall, nice job! Reporting it to be stickied.

Thank you for the idea! I will probably add something about the front page soon. (With a credit to you)

Heatherflame wrote:

Great guide! I like how you explained things in detail, although something about the front page (projects, studios, and curating it). Overall, nice job! Reporting it to be stickied.

OK! Added a part on the Front Page!

Bump

This is a great guide! I am going to make a project that explans the scratch community to new scratchers, and can I use some of these questions?

swim1016 wrote:

This is a great guide! I am going to make a project that explans the scratch community to new scratchers, and can I use some of these questions?

Of course! And thanks for the feedback!

Hi! This guide has some good information, but I believe most of this is covered in the stickies already. Also, I should warn you that as far as I know the ST aren't necessarily looking for any more stickies in this forum. But good effort!

~ Cat

XCat wrote:

Hi! This guide has some good information, but I believe most of this is covered in the stickies already. Also, I should warn you that as far as I know the ST aren't necessarily looking for any more stickies in this forum. But good effort!

~ Cat

Agreed. You can try asking joshuaho to add your topic to their list of helpful topics https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/270392/

scratchinghead wrote:

XCat wrote:

Hi! This guide has some good information, but I believe most of this is covered in the stickies already. Also, I should warn you that as far as I know the ST aren't necessarily looking for any more stickies in this forum. But good effort!

~ Cat

Agreed. You can try asking joshuaho to add your topic to their list of helpful topics https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/270392/

Ok. Thanks!

Superatomsun wrote:

scratchinghead wrote:

XCat wrote:

Hi! This guide has some good information, but I believe most of this is covered in the stickies already. Also, I should warn you that as far as I know the ST aren't necessarily looking for any more stickies in this forum. But good effort!

~ Cat

Agreed. You can try asking joshuaho to add your topic to their list of helpful topics https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/270392/

Ok. Thanks!

That's an excellent idea! I've added it. Thank you for taking the time to make this - I'm sure this will be really helpful for new users!

Bump

Bump

Bump

i reported this (to be sticked)

when I receive [unansered post v]
answer [post v] :: looks
say [l'm glad to help]

What I'm wondering is if you can become studio curators as a new scratcher.

when green flag clicked
say [Cool!] for (2) secs
ask [Can you be a curator of a studio as a new scratcher?] and wait
if <(answer) = [yes]> then 
say [:)] for (2) secs
ask [can I be curator] in [Get Popular ASAP] and wait :: sensing
if <(answer) = [yes]> then
become [curator] of [Get Popular ASAP] :: control
else
say [?] for (2) secs
end
else
say [:(] for (2) secs
end

ok thats enough

<(5) [odd v] ? :: operators>

when somebody goes to my profile :: events hat
if <did they comment on my profile? :: sensing> then
reply [what] :: control
end

when green flag clicked
forever
change [counter v] by (1)
if <(timer) > [1]> then
set [FPS v] to (counter)
set [counter v] to [0]
reset timer
end
end

Yin-_-Yang wrote:

What I'm wondering is if you can become studio curators as a new scratcher.

Yes you can. In future please use questions about Scratch for questions.

Thanks this is really help full

Great guide!