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  • BeAScout.Org

    #1
    BeAScout.Org is a relatively new interactive website that allows people looking for Cub Scout, Boy bScout or Venturing program to find units in their area.

    It's worth checking out if you aren't familiar with it.

    Units can customize their "pin" which symbolizes the location of their unit. When someone clicks on the pin, a photo or logo chosen by the unit appears along with basic information about the unit and an e-mail to the unit leader can be sent easily.

    My council isn't making much use of that resource ---not yet anyway. I customized mu units pin, but couldn't find any others that had been customized.

    If it's not customized, the default e-mail goes to the council and only limited information is provided when the unit icon is selected.

    Just a week or so ago my DE sent me two emails that went to the council for our district (as District Membership Chair I follow up on such inquiries).

    So---

    Does your council use and promote beascout.org? Have you checked your unit to see if the pin has been updated?

    Is this working for you?


    Seems like a slick system if it gets up and going.

    I've checked various areas around the country and found some where the pins have mostly been updated. So it looks like some councils are probably using it and others, not.
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  • #2
    Our District Membership Chair started putting out forms at Roundtable before JSN and then included the forms with our JSN packets. She also sent out emails to our Google groups and to individual units listed on the Council web site. Too bad that half of them are outdated or used the old council hosting site that has long been shut down. She will probably use the recharter info as it arrives to update or request to update the BeaScout site.
    Our pack has updated it's info with it, but we haven't heard of any of our new cubs that used the site first to find us. I do need to remind somebody in the Troop to update that info. The pin placement is wrong and it just has the council phone number. Even if we just get the troop website up there, we have a better shot of getting a boy or two, instead of just relying on the packs.
    As the ASM for Den Chiefs in our troop, I actually used the site to try and contact CM's around the area, to see if their unit would be interested in Den Chiefs from our Troop. Have gotten some feedback, just not what my Den Chiefs were hoping for!

    Comment

    • #3
      So how do you customize your pin?

      Comment

      • #4
        They finally purged the database of inactive or "paper only" crews. So now my pin is no longer overshadowed by non-existent units!

        No new prospects from it. But at least I have a visual representation of where my neighbors are!

        Comment

        • #5
          Jet526,


          To customize your pin:


          Log on to your myscouting.org account.

          In Unit Tools, select Be A Scout.

          You must be a registered leader in the unit you wish to customize.

          Comment

          • #6
            thank you

            Comment

            • #7
              Now that this tool has been out there for a while is anyone seeing much traffic from it?

              As a District Public Relations Director, I'm wondering if I should be heightening the awareness of it to the units in my district. My DD and DE don't seem to think too highly of it and I suspect that's because they receive so few hits from it.

              Thoughts anyone?

              Comment

              • #8
                Our council has heavily promoted this tool. Staff has worn t shirts with the address on it, includes it on recruiting yard signs, and has reminded units to update their pin and contact info regularly.
                The troop has already had one new scout join by using this tool to find and contact us.
                However, now I think council needs to get the word out on this to the community and not just to scouters.

                Comment

                • #9
                  My Cub Pack has the best pin I've seen anywhere on the website, in my opinion.

                  Council flyers, yardsigns and such increasingly carry BeAScout.Org on this publicity material.

                  I've had two hits in the past year.

                  So I'd say it has had a small positive impact ---so far.


                  I use the website quite a bit. It allows me to take tours around the country to see who is sponsoring Scout units and where. Few units have updated their pin. Mostly that's for my own entertainment.



                  Comment

                  • #10
                    I don't know exactly how the site registers a hit but I use beascout to keep tabs on what's going on with the troops and packs in our area. Especially if one of them goes through the trouble of setting up a new website. I've used it to check which nights they meet, though I often have to do a separate search for their CO to find out when they are on the facility schedule.

                    If individual units are able to update their own info on the site I think they would be better served by making that info as complete as possible.

                    I've also used the site to check back into my old areas that I lived in. On the off chance that I come into some money and want to leave an endowment to my old units.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      I suspect that by "hits" folks mean email inquiries.

                      I think BeAScout is a pretty good site, for what it does.

                      Because by and large, units are not putting any additional information out there beyond the basic Charting Org, and council, it will not be the big advertising, information, billboard BSA envisioned.

                      Also, most folks, no matter how internet, tech, social media, savvy they are, realize that an email to a local council, or even to the unit, thru this site, is basically throwing it down a black hole.

                      What folks are using this site for is to find units that are in a specific location. They can browse their area (or the area they are moving to) and find promising units. They can then go directly to the CO for more information, and/or ask friends about a specific unit.

                      I have often recommended BeAScout to folks who are looking for a unit, or looking to move units. It gives them a pretty good idea of what is out there and where.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        There are definite limits on how fancy you can get with a pin on this website. But you can do a LOT better than the default option, which just makes a referral to the council.

                        Within those limitations I'm pretty proud of my Cub Pack's pin.

                        Check it out:

                        https://beascout.scouting.org/BeAScoutMap.aspx

                        Select unit #6, Pack 240.


                        If your unit has a pin you like, I hope you'll post it. I'd like to see it.

                        Councils, or perhaps National, should have a contest for the best BeAScout.Org pin.

                        Give units some ideas of the kinds of things they can do and some incentives to do things well!(This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          SP- The link doesn't show your area. Could you give your zip code and unit #?

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Sorry.

                            Try 98146 and look for Pack 240 ---probably the second unit on the list.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              That's pretty nice SP. It looks like your pack is also blessed with a lot of parks in your general area.

                              Comment

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