Details on a JOTI concept (kinda long-winded)

Since National will not accept JOTI as it currently stands - and looking at
the world site from last year (never updated?) last night I can see why there
are concerns, especially given the kids being lured and the police forces
forming special "internet squads" to pretend they're kids talking to adults
and arranging meetings - I have a different take.

That, plus a Post President who is licensed to run a radio at a JOTA who has
staffed Jamboree and understands YPG better than some adults do, made things
easy and are already started before I even looked at this morning's messages.
(By the way, three expressions of interest, let me know if there are more, and
would some of you spread the proposal below to the other Scouting lists,
please).
_______
JOTI PROPOSAL

What I proposed to my Post President and he already started work from my
outline whether or not you guys like the idea is simple - a webpage attached
to the Post site with an application. It needs to be completed and returned
(we're debating the "mailto" concept versus the snail mail, more later) and it
is pretty specific: your name, address, e-mail. Your council, unit, their
phone. Your varying addresses you might use that day (IRC, ICQ, e-mail, etc.),
The hours you'll be in operation AND your time zone if you're from the US
(country if you aren't).

We'll randomly pick from the apps and every week assign a few to Post members
to call councils in their free time to verify membership. No, we won't be able
to check every last one. Yes, you'll be better assured that the addresses will
*probably* be good people doing their normal Scouting thing.

So what the Post would produce - and would e-mail to everyone who applies
about a week before the event - would be a listing of people who are PROBABLY
(theres always those chance things) all Scouters, both Boy and Girl and
Explorers, all of whom are committed to being on their computers (and if
you're a ham and you'll be operating and want to double your possibilities for
fun, add your call and frequency and other minor details - you guys already
KNOW what I mean) for specific hours of the day. You'll be listed with your
name, the ways to contact you, and the times you'll operate and the time zone
you're from so people from the east coast can talk to the west if they want.
Out of country we'd list the country and the approximate time difference based
on the world time zone maps similar to those K2BSA uses at Jamboree.

You will become, in essence, program stations like JOTA sets up everywhere.
Will you be committing to 24 hours? No, all you're saying is that on the 3rd
Saturday of October you will be on line taking messages from other Scouters
for however long YOU want to committ to.

We would include a disclaimer on the list, of course, and we would also assume
the CHANCE they would be caught would prevent outsiders from trying to
participate, however we would still *encourage* the rules we used when we did
the NELC website with the representative from National Staff - No youth last
names or addresses transmitted. Lets just say we would prefer to have any
friendships develop with an adult's guidance before turning everyone loose.

Kind of a "This is how you should monitor your kids on the 'net" experience
for the parents of your Den, Pack, Patrol, Troop, whatever.

The Post itself is currently working on setting up a site with computers and a
Ham station for JOTA, all in one location. And they'll be listed along with
everyone else (once I look at the charter and confirm their membership).

We even discussed whether we should provide a patch like JOTA does, but
decided we only could if we sold them on a prepaid order basis, *if* the
supplier we always use can stand me putting them through another "rush" order
and if those who participate understand that they may not have the patch the
day of the event and might have to distribute them afterwards. It would be an
independent, unofficial patch that combined JOTA and JOTI in one, but it would
be something different than everyone else would be receiving. (And thus the
"mailto"/snail mail arguement began, but we'll settle that ourselves, probably
using both.)

Anyone interested, let me know. If we get above 3 replys into the 10's or
20's, we'll have it announced in detail with URL.

Tom Petrik
Advisor, Post 7388
Service Team Chair

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