Re: How to make a troop web page
Anthony J. Mako (ajmako@APK.NET)
Wed, 20 May 1998 01:02:49 -0400
Chris,
There are several ways to get the Scouts involved in the design of a troop
web site. The following, I think, is the best way. Before work begins, sit
down with the Troop Committee (and someone who knows about the Internet and
security) and decide on some ground rules for the site. Pay particular
attention to how much information about individual members will be allowed
on the site, what kind of pictures (if any) will be allowed, who's
permission should be required to post a particular picture, etc. The ground
rules should be well thought out, but not paranoid.
One thing you'll also need to determine is who will be responsible for the
site. Troop 381's site is on my personal AOL account, so I am the only one
who can make changes. That makes screening submissions relatively simple. My
old troop, Troop 59 in Oak Harbor, Washington, has a site that is on one of
the Scout's accounts on a local ISP. There, the Scoutmaster and Troop
Committee have little control over the content of the site. When I was
webmaster for Troop 59, I insisted that everything go through me. I usually
took handwritten input and put it into HTML format, then emailed it to my
Scout assistant. This is a setup I wouldn't recommend for anyone (the reason
we had it is a really long story).
The next thing to do would be to survey to troop for computers. Find out how
many Scouts have access to computers, what kind of computer they have, and
the software available to them. All that is really needed is a simple text
editor (such as Notepad for the PC or SimpleText for the MAC), and a graphic
editor (there is a list below of easy to use software). You'll also want to
find out who has experience with writing web pages or working with computer
graphics. There will likely be several Scouts who have a lot of knowledge in
these areas (or are very interested in earning Computers MB). Assign a
couple Scouts with the right amount of knowledge (or initiative) to
coordinate the efforts of the other members of the troop.
Once the ground rules have been established and you have a good idea of what
resources are available you can determine what further resources you need.
If you need time in a computer lab, you can contact local computer
businesses or schools to find out what kind of deal you can get. If you need
someone to explain how to write HTML, there are likely hundreds of resources
among local Scouters (Old Portage district alone has at least twelve
Scouters I know of). Local ISP's are always willing to spend some time with
a troop or post to talk about the Internet or the Web. Some of them have
been known to GIVE server space to Scout units.
Next, you can organize your Scouts into the necessary groups. Each patrol
should be given the chance to design their own page. Sit down with the PLC
and decide what the troop wants the page to look like. If possible, check
out several other troops' sites to see what's been done. Since you're not
worried about quality, the Scouts will be free to make the site really
reflect their brand of Scouting. Quality can come later. The Scouts who have
experience with graphics and HTML can advise theirs, or other, patrols.
There should be an overall Scout coordinator to coordinate the efforts of
the patrols and the PLC. Assign an adult with the appropriate knowledge to
assist and advise the youth coordinator.
During you talks with the Troop Committee, it may be decided that the web
site could very easily be used as a communications device. Just what
information you decide to include in the web site is up to the committee,
but it would be wise to limit it to very general information (unless you
have access to a secure server that would allow you to password protect more
sensative information).
As always, if more help is needed, you have but to ask.
YIS
Anthony J. Mako, ajmako@apk.net Scoutmaster, Troop 381
http://members.aol.com/Scouts381/ "Home of the Unofficial Boy Scout Desktop
Theme!"
Great Trail Council - Akron, Ohio
"I used to be an Eagle (C-7-97), but I'll always be an Eagle (1981)"
Useful HTML Software:
Notepad or any basic word processor. MS Word 8 can easily convert Word
documents to HTML, although the resulting code is a bit sloppy. Likewise,
Netscape Gold includes an HTML editor (it also produces rather sloppy code).
Microsoft also makes an application called Front Page which is quite good
but requires a lot of memory (the '97 version was a very hard to work with,
but I've heard good things about the '98 version). The best application
specifically designed for web site creation I have seen is HomeSite which is
available from most shareware sites.
Useful Graphics Software:
The two most common graphics types useable on the Web are Gif and JPEG. The
Gif format is best used for line art, clip art, and graphics that aren't
intended to be photo-quality. The JPEG format is best used for photographs
or other high-color graphics. Any graphics program that can save files in
these two formats can be used in web site design. For my money, JASC's Paint
Shop Pro is great for manipulating these graphics formats. Microsoft's Image
Composer is also good at creating special effects and working with
high-color images.
If you don't have the patience to learn HTML, it is probably best to use an
HTML editor. There are some very good shareware applications available. Try
several of them until you find one you like.
Likewise with graphic editors. Try some of the shareware applications until
you find one you like.
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
