Here are my two cents to throw into the conversation about the current state of GWDFI. It’s our responsibility. For the longest time I would see these essays and think “hey it’s not that big a deal because I’m not the problem.” I was part of the problem. If we want any kind of solution, we have to get used to taking feedback and speaking up. If a manager says, “please don’t do this,” we have to not argue and instead trust that they know what they’re doing. If somebody is speaking badly and is trying to harass anybody we have to speak up and say “ don’t do that here.” If someone is struggling, it is our responsibility to let them know where they can go and that this is not the place. It is not your responsibility to look after the safety of other children online. Simply alerting a manager that you need help with a situation is okay. Yes, the managers enforce the rules but it’s up to us to follow them. Spreading drama isn’t okay. Vague posting isn’t okay. Anything you post anywhere can be seen by everybody, including the person who was posted about. The other part I think we don’t talk about nearly enough is that a lot of us have gotten older. Scratch is for people eight and up. If you are above the age of 12, if you are a teenager, you need to understand that this platform was not designed for you. That goes for me too. We are welcome here as long as we continue to welcome others. We’re all allowed to be here as long as we understand that it is our responsibility and duty to keep the younger kids on this platform safe. This is a children’s site. We all collectively need to do better. I need to do better. I think we need to start looking at everything we post and actively deciding when we are part of the problem. Because we are the problem. But we are also the solution.
*please note* When I say it’s our responsibility- I just mean that we cannot turn a blind eye. If someone is posting something that isn’t okay- report it and remind them of our rules. *second note* I’m not a manager. Mangers- you can tell me if any of this is wrong
