CopperCarla

shortridge: But it looks like that's OK with AHG; its site makes it fairly clear that it was started for parents. As far as I'm concerned, that's not Scouting.

??

Aren't we, as parents, supposed to guide our children in accords with our own moral values? As a parent, I felt that joining BSA was appropriate for my son. Parents started AHG because they felt that GSUSA didn't offer the type of program they wanted their daughters to belong to.

AHG was started by and is run by parents. BSA is run by parents. Does that make BSA all about the parents?

Re: Facebook

Having just taught a class this past weekend to scouters regarding this subject, I'll refer everyone to BSA's Social Media policy, which was published Fall 2011.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Marketing/Resources/SocialMedia.aspx

Summary:

* Follow the Scout Oath and Law online

* Use two deep leadership Youth Protection online

* Adhere to the terms of service of the vendor

All personal profiles should be PRIVATE

All social media channels should be PUBLIC

For Facebook it should be a PUBLIC fan page

Problems with using Facebook for scouting include:

* It requires someone to create a FB profile, which they may not want to do.

* FB's stated terms are for 13 and older, which excludes many youth.

* Per the "public" requirement, you can't maintain membership or advancement records via a public page.

That said, you can use FB to SUPPLEMENT your unit's visibility, but do not use it as your only means of online communication. Yes, it requires some duplication, but many people are on FB frequently, so get them where you can. Create events on your FB page in order to publicize them, but request that scouts/adults actually sign up on the unit website in order to maintain youth information privacy.

When putting photos up, make sure you have 1) parental permission for publishing them, and 2) do NOT identify individual youth by name in photos put on a public page.

As a reminder, when dealing with youth via the internet, remember the two-deep rule. If someone instant messages you or emails you, ALWAYS include another adult in your reply. I suggest that you remind the scout in your reply to cc: someone else when contacting you or another leader - older scouts will understand YPT requirements.

Change happens fast, especially online.

* Radio: 37-38 years to have 50 million listeners

* TV: 13 years to have 50 million viewers

* Internet: 4 years to have 50 million surfers

* Facebook: 9 MONTHS to have 100 million users

* Charlie Sheen: 25 HOURS to get 1 million Twitter followers

* Kony Video: 1 WEEK to get 112 million YouTube views

CONTROL THE MESSAGE by being proactive. Good advice is to have anything posted on on a public or social media page approved prior by at least 3 committee members to ensure that the correct message is being put out. Once posted, it is virtually impossible to retract anything. Pics from years ago, supposedly deleted, are still available if people have the direct link (this was recently in the news).(This message has been edited by coppercarla)

I ended up on this discussion specifically because of ScoutRoom.net. I just heard about it, took a look around its website, and wondered what others thought who have used both TM and SR.

We currently use TM, with its DotNet backup option, and its TMWeb option. TM to TMWeb requires a sync process of its own. That allows the Adv. Chr. to have the main application on her laptop, but other adults can access the database to record service hours, training, etc. via a web portal.

THEN we sync TM to SOAR for the troop's website. Yes, it's a bit of a pain to have to sync twice, but it works and gives us most of the results of what we want. (Although, I have to admit... I'm in fear of corrupted files because of all the syncing... hasn't happened, but I've been in computers since the 80s, and know too much to be completely confident.) SOAR has been very responsive to suggestions I've posted.

We're paying for four products, tho. TM, TM dotnet, TMWeb, and SOAR. Altogether it's slightly under $200/yr.

So... anyone out there using ScoutRoom.net? Like it? Hate it? Their cost is $49/yr, or $2/scout. Feature wise, it looks like it does everything my combination of TM & Soar together do, although I'm not crazy about the web interface design -- that could certainly use a bit of improvement, imho.(This message has been edited by coppercarla)

I *so* wanted my daughters' time in Girl Scouts to be as memorable as what I had growing up. However, as a leader in both BSA and a volunteer in GSUSA, I saw two very different organizational structures.

My daughters sold thousands of boxes of cookies for GSUSA... and yet the benefits that came back to their troop were minimal. My son sold popcorn and saw lots of benefits back to his pack, and then later into his scout account in the troop.

Because I worked near the GSUSA local council office, I often picked up patches, etc. for the troop leaders. I saw this big shiny (*expensive*!) council office, and knew where that cookie money went. However, I rarely even *saw* anyone outside of the store, let alone interacted with them. A coworker of mine helped his daughter's troop... and was treated like a pariah when he'd go in, as if he didn't have a clue. (He was actually the "cookie mom" for a couple of years.)

Then I'd go to the BSA council office to pick up patches, etc. for the pack or troop. Our council office was cramped, a bit run down, but full of life. I knew the majority of our scout executives by name, and they always would say "hi" and ask how the unit was doing. And looking at that office, I knew that my FOS donations were going to help out scouts and camps, not pay for a cushy office for the executives.

Had we known about AHG years ago, and had it been partnered with BSA at the time, my daughters' would likely have been members. They wanted a program run more like BSA, and now that they are old enough, they have quit Girl Scouts and are part of the Venture Crew.

GSUSA's secular, feminist vigilante viewpoint is a turnoff to many families, which is the niche that AHG is set to take over. I'd honestly prefer if AHG took a similar view to BSA in that a belief in a higher power was the religious requirement, but I respect their right to base their membership on their values. That is, after all, as American as it gets. Those who would demand otherwise are as intolerant as the people they are casting stones at.