Check out my new Scout management/tracking website

[scoutgroove 10]

Thanks sailingpj - that is not intentional. The only time an email address should be required is when someone signs up. That's a bug - I'll fix it.

[sailingpj 18]

Your welcome.

 

I would also suggest that you add a written quick reference guide. I much prefer to read directions than watch them. Usually by the time I get around to reading directions I am just looking for how to do a specific task, so i just want to skim through until I see what I need. A series of videos does not do that.

 

I am not really getting a clunky vibe here, more of a work in progress vibe. It feels a lot like a google site, something made mostly from templates.

 

I agree that the price is a bit steep for the functionality that is currently offered. What you currently have is a fancy version of what I made on Excel for my ship. That Excel doc can do everything your site does, and all it cost me was a few hours work and some paper and ink when I need to print it out. When I need to show it to someone I bring my computer, email them, or share with them the copy on Google docs.

 

With that system I have all the functionality that is on your site with no money out of pocket for me or my ship. Of course my Skipper still insists on keeping his binder with all the signatures in it.

 

I believe that all of that is part of the reason nld says your site is overpriced. It is just a slightly fancier way to do what every unit already has some system for doing (keeping a roster with everyone's contact info, and keeping track of advancement; neither are really complicated tasks), and it doesn't actually do a whole lot. Unless your site can put out some insanely awesome reports, I doubt it will catch on.

[Oak Tree 15]

The site very much comes across as a work-in-progress.

 

You're going to get your most useful feedback from users, who will request that you fix things or add features. Maybe you would want to give away a year's worth of service to some troops to see if you can build up a user base.

 

I think you're going to find that some troops want more granular security controls, so that certain people have read-only access to some data, and so that parents automatically have access to their own kids.

 

I personally don't like the phrase "Pass off" - I've never heard it used in our troop. I'd just make it a checkbox.

 

What these programs do is not all that complicated - it's basically a database. But there are lots of fine points. Can you give me a list of all the awards I need for the next court of honor? Do you take into account the prior service that leaders have with other units in calculating their service stars? Reports of which leaders need which training?

 

Right now it seems like this site might be a step up for a unit that uses no software now, but it's going to be a step down for anyone using any other program.

[John-in-KC 311]

I hope you've licensed this product with BSA Licensing, because I've already contacted them. It's amazing what a domain "whois" search reveals.

 

BTW, don't even think about removing the Universal Symbol aka the Tenderfoot badge after the fact. I have a screenshot, and I've told BSA Licensing I have it.

 

As far as your pricing, you are way overpriced compared to TroopMaster. Makes the decision easy. As Elizabeth Robinson once said: "You are the Weakest Link. Goodbye!"

[scoutgroove 10]

John-in-KC,

 

Why ARE you and several others so incredibly hostile for no apparent reason? I don't get it. If I wanted to hide my personal information from a WHOIS lookup, I would have. You are so completely ridiculous.

 

Regardless, I'm done here. Its pointless to argue with people like you.

[ScoutNut 147]

>>"What do you think about giving the PLs the ability to log in to pass off requirements on MBs?"

[scoutgroove 10]

...and by the way, if that is what you had an issue with, then fine. Removed. No big deal. I'm fine with you sending a screenshot to BSA, because if they feel like they need to send me a "Cease and Desist" because they feel like I infringed on something, then I have complied. If they want to bill me for using the likeness of something of theirs, then I'll work with them on it. I'd rather not deal with drama from people like you.

 

You act like I ran over your kitten or something because I'm trying to put together something that could make life easier for people who *choose* to use it.

 

So silly.

[Oak Tree 15]

Yeah, I'm not sure I get the level of hostility either. I look back at scoutgroove's first thread, where he asked whether such a site would be useful, and got relatively polite responses. When he later posts that now there actually is such a site, he gets beaten up.

 

I was trying to identify the cause here. One obvious thing is that now the first post is very much like an ad. In general, the readers of the forum don't want to have threads on every possible Scouting product, so threads that are ads feel a bit like spam. Still, it seems like there could be a bit more courtesy involved.

 

Other points could be that the site looks to be unfinished and a wee bit expensive. With both of those traits, the poster comes across more as someone looking to make money rather than as someone offering a service. If the site had still been free ("I threw this together - do you think this is in the direction that people would like?") then maybe the reaction wouldn't have been quite so harsh.

 

As for using the Scout logo - yep, you'd have to make sure you're licensed. Suing isn't likely to happen until after you ignore a cease and desist letter. It does seem a bit over the top to crow about turning him in, but que sera sera, c'est la vie, or in today's youth parlance, "whatever".

 

[sailingpj 18]

"or in today's youth parlance, "whatever"."

 

Nah, It's "whatevah dude"

 

You also have to sigh, shrug your shoulders, and turn away just right at the proper time. Also if the situation is right an eye roll may be called for.

 

Personally I didn't get much of a spammy vibe from the first post. A little, but I didn't really notice it until I read Beavah's posts.

 

I am also guessing that the mods didn't see this as spam or an ad because they didn't close or delete it.

[Beavah 205]

Oh puhlease. Da title of the thread is a giveaway, eh? Straight out spamming. Check out my commercial site and give me "feedback"... Righhhht.

 

In most forums the fellow would already be banned. In some states he'd owe Scouter Terry money.

 

Every commercial entity that sells scout products or services would love to be able to get their site exposed to a couple thousand scouters for free, eh? Especially if that thread stays around forever to pop up when anyone does a search on scouter.com. Also increases his search engine ranking. But if everybody did that, not only would scouter.com be buried in commercial "feedback" threads, but Scouter Terry would get less ad revenue,eh? Maybe enough less to make da site not worth maintaining.

 

One measure of ethics is to always behave in a manner such that if everyone else made the same choice as you, things would work out well. That's the essence of LNT, eh? Buildin' one new fire ring doesn't seem like much. But if every group of campers builds just one new fire ring a year, it would be a disaster for most of our public lands. No different for spammers like scoutgroove.

 

Now I can see how many forum members might not "get it", eh? Just like some folks don't "get" LNT. Da thing is, scoutgroove knows what he's doin' is wrong. Heck, for his commercial site he's got to build in protections against other spammers just like himself. Despite that, he's doin' it anyways, and projecting his own lack of courtesy onto others. Typical for some disreputable firms, of course. But shameful in a scoutin' context.

 

Beavah

[John-in-KC 311]

A year ago, when Mr ____________ (I do have the name, it's amazing what a domain whois search finds) did his call for functionalities, I found the following comment from Eagle92:

 

2) If you offer a competitor to Troopmaster, and Packmaster as well, then GOOD LUCK as it will be an uphill battle. My suggestions would be easier to use, CHEAPER, and able to hook up to SCOUTENT as some requirements off the top of my head. I'm sure others can add can other ideas.

 

Well, Scoutboost was not less expensive.

 

So far as I could tell, Scoutboost does not claim to mate to ScoutNet.

 

Now, this morning, my network is telling me the domain name is no longer recognized. That said, godaddy.com still shows the domain being alive. Oh, well.

 

To Mr __________: Had you gone to BSA Licensing along the trail, had you done your thread title: SERVICE ROLL-OUT, had you actually referred with quotes back to your survey post a year ago, ... you'd might not have gotten the reaction you did from me.

[scoutgroove 10]

I took the site down entirely. I'd rather lose all the hard work I put into it than deal with people like you.

[KC9DDI 11]

LOL. I'm rude? From a spammer? Well, now, there's this thing about pots and kettles...

 

And there's this other thing about two wrongs and a right... :-)

 

I would think that if the site owners or moderators had a big problem with this thread, they could have taken care of it without your help, Beavah? I can't say for sure what scoutgroove's motivations were when he started this thread, but I have can see no reason to believe he intended to do anything rude, malicious or unethical. Maybe he violated some social norms and unwritten rules around here, but I have no problem reading and giving feedback about a product targeted specifically at Scouters. But, for some reason, you couldn't just let a decent discussion continue, or just die out on its own?

 

Its a shame when mildly bad situations are made worse for no good reason...

[FScouter 24]

"I am also guessing that the mods didn't see this as spam or an ad because they didn't close or delete it. "

 

There is no rule against spam or unpaid advertisements. It's a discussion topic, and with 30 reponses apparently an interesting topic. The forum membership demostrates their interest by discussing topics.