This would help more people know that tag spam isn't allowed, and even some featured projects have tag spam.

<0-0::sensing>//This is Charles; he protects my signature from evil kumquats.
when I'm spawned::events hat//This is the code Charles' brain runs on.
forever
if <[100] > (distance to [an evil kumquat v])> then
delete the evil kumquat::control
end
end

How do you know if the Scratch Team doesn't do this already? How do you know if this isn't already a collective effort from all Scratch Team members?

ajskateboarder wrote:

How do you know if this isn't already a collective effort from all Scratch Team members?

They seem to not be bothering to look at trending and take down projects with tag spam and they're featuring projects with it.

<0-0::sensing>//This is Charles; he protects my signature from evil kumquats.
when I'm spawned::events hat//This is the code Charles' brain runs on.
forever
if <[100] > (distance to [an evil kumquat v])> then
delete the evil kumquat::control
end
end

EDawg2011 wrote:

ajskateboarder wrote:

How do you know if this isn't already a collective effort from all Scratch Team members?

They seem to not be bothering to look at trending and take down projects with tag spam and they're featuring projects with it.

That isn't how the Scratch Team functions they listen to reports. Not search for bad projects.

undeterminstic wrote:

That isn't how the Scratch Team functions they listen to reports. Not search for bad projects.

They need to start searching for projects with tag spam because barely ANYONE knows that tag spam isn't allowed.

<0-0::sensing>//This is Charles; he protects my signature from evil kumquats.
when I'm spawned::events hat//This is the code Charles' brain runs on.
forever
if <[100] > (distance to [an evil kumquat v])> then
delete the evil kumquat::control
end
end

while i agree that it's an issue, i don't think this is the right way to go about it. this'll only work for project on the trending page, and then they user probably think it got mass reported.

there's a suggestion for making an announcement about it but i can't use ocular rn so you'll have to do find it

subjectnamehere wrote:

they user probably think it got mass reported.

They could send an alert explaining that tag spam isn't allowed.

subjectnamehere wrote:

there's a suggestion for making an announcement about it but i can't use ocular rn so you'll have to do find it

There's other forum search engines, but here you go.

<0-0::sensing>//This is Charles; he protects my signature from evil kumquats.
when I'm spawned::events hat//This is the code Charles' brain runs on.
forever
if <[100] > (distance to [an evil kumquat v])> then
delete the evil kumquat::control
end
end

subjectnamehere wrote:

while i agree that it's an issue, i don't think this is the right way to go about it. this'll only work for project on the trending page, and then they user probably think it got mass reported.

there's a suggestion for making an announcement about it but i can't use ocular rn so you'll have to do find it

Actually this will also work for search

Based on this source it also affects search option

If you don't want to look where it says about it, then you have this:

alexandretherrien wrote:

The search feature and the explore tabs are sharing the same method to order projects. So clicking on the animations tab is the equivalent of searching ‘’animations’’ and clicking on trending. So projects on the animations tab are projects where the word ‘’animations’’ appear the most (tag spam), where “animations” is in the title (tag in the title), and where the description and the title is the shortest (having just one tag as a description).

- https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/656956/?page=1#post-6982666

I would believe that while tag spam is against the guidelines, simply taking down all projects which utulize it would be too big of a change to make, as it would cause a large amount of projects widely known to be taken down, thus causing large reprecussion.

tl: dr ST takes down tag spam, people go wa wa

entire scratch team: well i’m not doing it
uuhhhhh i’m not!
yes you are!
well someone has to

Why one specific Scratch Team member? What if something else needs their attention while they're working on this? What if someone else is available to remove tag spam projects but they're not the moderator designated to do so?

Let's remember the purpose of the Report button. I believe it was @cheddargirl who stated a long time ago that the main job of moderators is similar to firefighters. Indeed, firefighters wait for someone to call about a fire, and then they go to put them out. They don't just drive around neighborhoods looking for fires. Similarly, it's not really a moderator's job to search through random parts of the website to find things that need attention. They rely on the Report button to respond to the problems on the website.

There's been a lot of discussion about tag spam in the forums lately. I'm going to put this out there: tag spam really isn't a big problem. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen — clearly it does — but it's nothing that always requires immediate attention. If the Scratch Team receives 100 reports about tag spam projects and also 100 reports about inappropriate adult-oriented projects, they should definitely prioritize removing the inappropriate adult-oriented projects.

Tag spam isn't allowed, but if we're being honest here, it's pretty mild compared to all the other bad things that some users do on this website. In that case I would recommend to everybody to chill out and try not to worry too much about the tag spam.

Za-Chary wrote:

Why one specific Scratch Team member? What if something else needs their attention while they're working on this? What if someone else is available to remove tag spam projects but they're not the moderator designated to do so?

Let's remember the purpose of the Report button. I believe it was @cheddargirl who stated a long time ago that the main job of moderators is similar to firefighters. Indeed, firefighters wait for someone to call about a fire, and then they go to put them out. They don't just drive around neighborhoods looking for fires. Similarly, it's not really a moderator's job to search through random parts of the website to find things that need attention. They rely on the Report button to respond to the problems on the website.

There's been a lot of discussion about tag spam in the forums lately. I'm going to put this out there: tag spam really isn't a big problem. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen — clearly it does — but it's nothing that always requires immediate attention. If the Scratch Team receives 100 reports about tag spam projects and also 100 reports about inappropriate adult-oriented projects, they should definitely prioritize removing the inappropriate adult-oriented projects.

Tag spam isn't allowed, but if we're being honest here, it's pretty mild compared to all the other bad things that some users do on this website. In that case I would recommend to everybody to chill out and try not to worry too much about the tag spam.

common zachary W


*ahem* sorry i had a little gen-z in my throat

jokes aside, i do agree with this…. i guess tag-spam really isnt that big of a deal, cuz like, its better then inapprpriate projects and etc

Za-Chary wrote:

Let's remember the purpose of the Report button. I believe it was @cheddargirl who stated a long time ago that the main job of moderators is similar to firefighters. Indeed, firefighters wait for someone to call about a fire, and then they go to put them out. They don't just drive around neighborhoods looking for fires. Similarly, it's not really a moderator's job to search through random parts of the website to find things that need attention. They rely on the Report button to respond to the problems on the website.

But that system ain't gonna work with a rule that barely ANYONE knows about.

<0-0::sensing>//This is Charles; he protects my signature from evil kumquats.
when I'm spawned::events hat//This is the code Charles' brain runs on.
forever
if <[100] > (distance to [an evil kumquat v])> then
delete the evil kumquat::control
end
end

That is ALOT of work for just one ST member ☠️☠️ And I’m pretty sure scratch already tries to take down projects with tag spam anyway though?

PeteyTheParrot wrote:

That is ALOT of work for just one ST member ☠️☠️

If they took down all the projects on just the first few pages of trending with tag spam (not that hard), then probably WAY more people would know tag spam isn't allowed.

PeteyTheParrot wrote:

I’m pretty sure scratch already tries to take down projects with tag spam anyway though?

Are you sure? Tag spam projects sometimes get featured (by a ST member who probably doesn't know tag spam isn't allowed because that rule is so probably unnecessarily hidden), and some of my reports for tag spam STILL haven't been reviewed.

<0-0::sensing>//This is Charles; he protects my signature from evil kumquats.
when I'm spawned::events hat//This is the code Charles' brain runs on.
forever
if <[100] > (distance to [an evil kumquat v])> then
delete the evil kumquat::control
end
end

EDawg2011 wrote:

But that system ain't gonna work with a rule that barely ANYONE knows about.

If you really want to, start the chain and report a few projects with tag spam. Then those project creators will know that it's not allowed. Then they'll report some other projects with tag spam, and then word will start to spread.

At the same time, however, re-read the portion of my post which states that this shouldn't necessarily be something worth worrying about, and — understandably — this is not something that the Scratch Team is obligated to prioritize over other types of reports.

EDawg2011 wrote:

If they took down all the projects on just the first few pages of trending with tag spam (not that hard), then probably WAY more people would know tag spam isn't allowed.

What I wonder is why the Scratch Team should take down these projects as opposed to just editing the description to remove the tags.

EDawg2011 wrote:

PeteyTheParrot wrote:

I’m pretty sure scratch already tries to take down projects with tag spam anyway though?

Are you sure? Tag spam projects sometimes get featured (by a ST member who probably doesn't know tag spam isn't allowed because that rule is so probably unnecessarily hidden), and some of my reports for tag spam STILL haven't been reviewed.

Likely because it's not high priority.

My ideal solution would be for the Scratch Team to secretly change the Explore algorithms to have less emphasis on tags, without telling anyone, so that then people will keep tag spamming for no reason thinking that it's doing something when it's actually not. LOL

Za-Chary wrote:

EDawg2011 wrote:

But that system ain't gonna work with a rule that barely ANYONE knows about.

If you really want to, start the chain and report a few projects with tag spam. Then those project creators will know that it's not allowed. Then they'll report some other projects with tag spam, and then word will start to spread.

From what I have seen, the ST is not actively taking these projects down even from reports. I might be wrong, but I have yet seen any projects on the trending page taken down for tag spam yet.

(ill test it right now, wish me gl)

yadayadayadagoodbye wrote:

From what I have seen, the ST is not actively taking these projects down even from reports. I might be wrong, but I have yet seen any projects on the trending page taken down for tag spam yet.

So this gets back into another thing I said above: “What I wonder is why the Scratch Team should take down these projects as opposed to just editing the description to remove the tags.” Is the Scratch Team at least removing tags from these sorts of projects without taking them down?

Za-Chary wrote:

What I wonder is why the Scratch Team should take down these projects as opposed to just editing the description to remove the tags

I mean the damage was already done the project is already popular so it won't get much more popular by removing tags.

Za-Chary wrote:

My ideal solution would be for the Scratch Team to secretly change the Explore algorithms to have less emphasis on tags, without telling anyone, so that then people will keep tag spamming for no reason thinking that it's doing something when it's actually not. LOL

Oh my god you are a genius I am DONE with tag spam. I think OP's suggestion is too harsh. This is perfect!

Za-Chary wrote:

What I wonder is why the Scratch Team should take down these projects as opposed to just editing the description to remove the tags.

Good point. The thing is, would the algorithm change the project's position after the fact?