FAIL (the browser should render some flash content, not this).

 

 

 

 

Guide to Scouting Website Development

 

by

Philip Bailey

Anna L. Booher

 

I.       Introduction

The Internet has placed at our fingertips the ability to communicate with others, disseminate information, and celebrate the search for knowledge.  All of this can be accomplished with a few clicks of a mouse. 

 

The Internet has placed an incredible amount of information throughout the world, as a result, the internet has become the portal to this storehouse of knowledge on the information superhighway.  Information throughout the world is connected by groups of computers and computer systems.  The World Wide Web is accessible to anyone with a computer, cable or phone modem.  As a result almost anyone can access the Web from the, home, school, office, public place or scout hall.  What this translates to in the scouting community is that our leadership as well as the scouts we serve must have access to the most modern and up to date information. 

 

The impact of information technology on today’s society will have as great an influence as moveable type had on the Renaissance.  Scouts enthusiastically embrace the multi-sensory capabilities of the Web.  The real trick is to develop a way that allows individuals to express themselves creatively and at the same time to solve the problem of communication in a multimedia world.  Scouting is a program that will develop highly marketable skills that will transfer into the workplace thus ensuring future success. 

 

The benefits of a Web page are numerous.  All rank advancements and merit badges can be tracked.  All memos of upcoming events could be posted or emailed allowing all of the scouting family to stay informed.  The accomplishments of both scouts and scouters can be highlighted and saved as tools for future scouts to reference.  Scouter can have an email communication link which is separate from work and home.  Lastly, Internet access provides a tremendous variety of resource for scouts as well as scouters because shared network access makes it possible to share files and other resources.

 

This document is an attempt to create a guide for web site development that units wishing to tap into the possibilities of information technology will find useful.  It is practical in nature and informative to both the novice as well as the experienced scouts and scouters.

 

II.   Guidelines for Scouting Unit Websites

There is not much guidance or resources from the national BSA for Unit Web sites because units are operated by their chartering organizations and are served by their local council. 

In a legal sense, every Scout unit is "owned" by a chartered organization, not the BSA or the local council, so our stance regarding unit websites is that they are privately owned rather than official venues of communication by the BSA.

--National BSA FAQ: Guidelines

The BSA has given us some guidance as to the content of websites:

Guidance for Unit Web Sites From The BSA

The Boy Scouts of America provides the following advice for individuals who use privately owned Web sites and e-mail accounts to communicate information about Scouting.

Decorum for Scouting Websites

Scouters should exercise propriety and good taste online. Material that will be posted to a unit site or sent from a unit e-mail account should be reviewed by at least three adult members of the unit committee. Access (the ability to place material on the site or send messages from the account) should be controlled by an adult who is responsible to the committee.

Youth Protection on Unit Websites

Names, images, and especially contact information pertaining to youth members should never be gathered or published over the Internet.

Copyright Issues on Scouting

Do not "borrow" (without permission) content for use in unit Web sites. Written permission should always be obtained,. Even when material is declared to be "free" or "public domain;" it might not be.

Councils may elect to provide links to unit website.  If the council does provide this service, they have the “opportunity to provide guidance for them by requiring the sites to be appropriate to the values of the Scouting movement”. 

Unit websites are not “official” in the sense that the site represents or communicates to the public on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America or the local council.  This concept should be included in your website Disclaimer.

III.  So What Now?—Implementing the Guidance

Unit Webmasters should contact their local councils for policies and procedures pertaining to the use of the Internet for promoting and supporting Scouting units.

Many Councils do not have specific guidance for unit websites so here are some thoughts about the implementation of the national guidance.

A. Decorum on Scouting Websites

The best advice I have read on this subject is simply this:  follow the Scout Law.  Using a little common sense and the principles of scouting, it will be hard to put something up that is inappropriate. All documents, illustrations, photographs and linked material must conform to the principles and traditions of the Boy Scouts of America.

Unit websites should avoid politics allowing the “official” sites to deal those issues.  In addition, keep the site factually oriented by avoiding opinions. 

Generally avoid commercial advertisements.  Unit websites often have sponsors, or use software that requires recognition.  Do so in a manner that is appropriate and subdued.  Remember that the purpose of the site is to communicate with Scouts, their families and the unit leadership.

A poorly maintained site reflects poorly upon you, your unit and scouting. Keep your site current, it is of little value to your user if it is out-of-date.  Fix all problems that inevitably occur quickly.  Your site may be designed by a "One-hour-per-week" volunteer, but it should not look like it was designed by an amateur. 

B. Youth Protection on Unit Websites

Written permission is required to list the name of any adults and adult leaders. A formal release of liability is required to list any phone number, address or email address.

Unit web sites must consider the safety and privacy of their members and participants by obtaining the necessary permissions to release information about or images of any individual.

Unit Technology Committees should consider adopting a policy that youth names may not be used in conjunction with photographs or use first names or initials only (if John Doe" is pictured, they may use "John" or "John D" or "JD").

Linking to other sites is an integral part of the world wide web.  Web masters should take care linking to other sites.  You can not control the content of those sites, so review each site before linking it to your site.  The list of “official” BSA web sites can be found at: [BSA Official Sites].

A list of links to unofficial scouting sites [Unofficial Scouting Sites].

C. Copyright on Scouting

A copyright is the right to protect and control written material or artwork by the creator or the owner.  It is important to understand that you do not have the right to use copyrighted materials until you receive written permission from the owner that grants the right to use the material.  Also, if the owner sets any conditions or limitations, you must abide by them.  Or permission might be granted only for a limited time, after which you could not use the material.

A scout is trustworthy &  honest. Violating Copyright is stealing and should never be done.

Since Units in a legal sense are part of the Chartering organization and not the BSA, you also have to have permission to use BSA artwork or materials.  This permission is granted in the Annual Charter Agreement.  The Annual Charter Agreement states that  " the council agrees to provide year round training, service, and program resources to the organization and its unit (s)".  This paragraph grants the charter organization, and by extension the unit, permission to use emblems, insignia, logos of the BSA.

IV.  Getting Organized

A.  Appoint a Unit Technology Committee

Initiating a website is a big job and will take time, planning and probably learning some new skills.  Efficiency in development will go up dramatically when tasks are shared. 

The Unit Committee should appoint a Technology Committee consisting of at least two registered scouters from their unit and several others who will provide specialized services.

The Technology Committee is going to need help with both general areas of a website:  technology and information. The Unit Committee must assemble a team that can do both.  Look first inside the unit and then seek help in the wider scouting community and lastly, as needed seek help from others outside scouting.  There are many scouting resources and individuals who are willing and available to help with the technology.

People who know nothing about technology or computers can and are often very important members of a Technology Committee.  They bring no technology hang-ups and can sometimes bring a cold dose of reality to the issues.  So do not be afraid to invite relative computer novices to join the technology team.  There are several distinct jobs on the Technology Committee:

Web Administrator

The web administrator is the individual who will handle the technical issues and possibly do some of the initial design work.  This person is the most likely to be someone that is not a registered Scouter and will have little or no input to the content. 

 

Web Master

The Web Master is the individual that maintains the site on a weekly basis and is responsible of controlling content.  This individual must be focused on details and committed to updating the site regularly.

Experience has shown that Cub and Scout Masters should NEVER be the web master.  These leaders have enough other duties, so share the responsibilities.  Recruit another leader in the unit whose primary job is maintaining this site.

Assistant Web Master

Everyone has time they cannot fulfill their responsibilities, so appoint, train and use the Assistant Web Master to help maintain the site.

 

B.   Create a Vision for Your Scouting Site

The very first item on the Technology Committee's agenda is to develop a vision and guidelines for their site.  This step is the most forgotten when unit websites are setup.  The internet is a blend of information and technology.  It is very easy for individuals become captivated with the technology and forget about the most important feature, the information.  To increase the likelihood of a successful website the Technology Committee needs to provide answers to some basic questions.  The answers should be in writing to help in the design phase of the site and to give the team some guidelines by which to work.

Now reduce these answers to two sentences,  stating your vision for this project.  Describe what the committee wants this site to become.  This vision can change over time, but start small.  An example of a good vision is

The Crew 3 website will support the Crew by providing timely and accurate information about the Crew activities.  The site will be scout safe, user friendly, available, incorporate the values of the Scout Law and positively reflects on the Crew and Scouting.

This vision establishes several principles for the design team including safety, ease of use, availability and a purpose for the site.

C.  Establish Guidelines for Your Design

Guidelines are by their nature general principles.  The guidelines should avoid specifics and technology, trusting the committee to appropriately supply those details.  Below are a set of guidelines that would be appropriate for the vision of Crew 3's site:

Crew 3
Website Guidelines
  • Start Small and grow
  • Make this a safe experience.
  • Make the site easy to access and use.
  • Keep the site current and relevant to the users.
  • Apply the Scout Law in the development and maintenance of this site.

Publish these guidelines and make sure that all members of the committee understand them.

D.  Establish Goals for Your Site Design

Develop a set of goals or milestones that will let the committee know you are on the right track.  It will take a minimum of one month to do these tasks correctly and a better guess is six to eight weeks.

Below are listed key events in the development process.  Many task can be accomplished very quickly, if this is not a new process for you.  Some may require purchases or acquiring commitments from individuals or other significant resources.

Development Goals for
CREW 3 Website
Item Tasks Due
Date
1 Develop a site model  
2

Identify and contact resource persons

  
3

Collect information and convert it to electronic formats. 

  
4

Select Software

  
5

Acquire a unit domain name

  
6

Select an Internet Host

  
7

Publish & Test the site

  
8

Site approved by unit committee

  
9

Publicize the site

  

These tasks are generally the ones that are needed for all websites.  Each of these topics are discussed in detail in later chapters. 

It will take a minimum of one month to do all these tasks correctly and a better guess is six to eight weeks.

V.     Do It on Paper

Websites in their simplest form are written items converted to an electronic medium.  So, plan your website on paper first, then create it on the world wide web.  This will help avoid some of the problems where technology can interfere with creative process.  Remember the technology is the tool not a goal.

A.  Create a Site Model

This is the second most important step and is also often skipped: Start your web site design with pencil and paper.  During this process visit other unit websites and see what you like our dislike about their sites.  Take notes and share impressions with the committee when you discuss the website design.

Work with the model of only five or six pages.  Identify which items you absolutely need and which items would be nice to have and could be delayed.  The fewer pages you have to create initially, the faster your site will be available.  It cannot be stressed too much:  Do NOT over promise or over commit.  Start small!  If you start small and work together you should be able to put together a good site in a weekend (6-8 hours).

 

Sketch your site page by page.  When designing pages, try to follow as many of the following items as possible:

Announce the publishing of new pages after they have been published, not when you hope to have them published. Lots of excitement is generated at this point in development cycle without any real understanding of the initial time and effort required to publish a site.  Be patient and work quietly in the committee.

 

B.  The Basic Scouting Website

The most basic scouting web site should consist of four or five pages:

Download a basic starter kit for your unit.  Scouting starter kits are available at [Scouting Starter Website Kits] These sites templates include these five pages plus all the graphics and navigational likes for a starter site.  Or you can design your site from scratch.

Now let us deal with these pages in reverse order, you should have at least the information for two of those pages and possibly the third.

 

Mission Page

This page should include your vision or mission statement. This statement should be readily available and should be available to all who visit the site.  You may want to include any guidelines here also, but this is not as important as the vision.

Disclaimer Page

Unfortunately we live in a litigious world and I wish this page was not needed.  This statement is not required, but is considered to be good practice. 

Contacts Page

Names and email address of the members of the committee who are responsible for content or maintaining the site.  This email address is usually one that created specifically for this purpose and is not a personal email address.

You now have three pages complete with two to go!

Calendar Page

This may be the most important page on your site.  Do NOT get hung up on format.  Remember the information is the star on this page, not your ability to design a web page.  A simple list of dates, activities and any information the Scouters or parents might need is a very effective tool.

Also, include a prominent date on the page as to when the page was last updated.

Home Page

This page is the one everyone will initially see when they visit your site.  This page will probably require most of your design time.  This page should include:

C.  Collect & Convert the Information

Once you have your sketches, then assign tasks.  Now the hard work begins, so do not dump the rest of the project on the Web Master. The web master needs to focus on design and navigation or what is some times called the  “look & feel” of the website.  Remember this is a team effort.  While the web master is attempting to implement the design, the rest of the team needs to

Create the calendar on a worksheet or word processing document, 

Note:  Give all documents and artwork to the web master in electronic format.  This will save him time. The design process is ending, but the web master and administrator are about to get very busy.

VI.     Getting an Internet Name

Everyone has heard of ‘dot com’ names.  These names are not difficult to acquire, but do take a little patients and imagination.

The names are reserved through organizations called registrars.  Once you have acquired your name then you are ready build your site.

VI. Get Your Domain Name

A. Extend Yourself

The name that is associated with the dot com suffix is called a domain name.  A domain name is a series of letters, numbers or words that are associated with an electronic location called an IP (internet protocol) address. For the nonprofessional an IP address compares well to a phone number.  Your phone number rings at your house no matter from where in the world someone is calling. An IP address is the same and by extension so is the Domain Name.

A domain name is a more memorable way for visitors to find your site. A name may be up to 63 characters in length. You are limited to using alpha-numeric characters plus the hyphen. Note that the hyphen can not be the first or last character of the domain name. It is generally not recommended to use a hyphen unless anyone using the site would naturally know to use the hyphen. It could make it difficult to find your site.

Do the easy part first...select the extension you want to use. There are a number of different types of domains.  But only three in the us are very common at this time: 

As a scout unit you are qualified for all three, but the .org may require a few extra steps in the setup process. Country-specific domains, such as .us or the (USA ), .ca (Canada) and .uk (United Kingdom), had also been available.

The easy answer is always go with .com unless there is a good reason not to do so.  Almost everyone checks the name plus .com first. 

B.   Make a Name For Your Troop, Pack or Crew

Brainstorm with your design team on a various name possibilities.  If possible include your unit in a contest to name the site.  Make a list of names and variants individuals liked plus a list of the ones they did not like. Selecting a name can be a difficult process, but sometimes it goes quickly.  Look at obvious names first:  Troop109 or Pack312. Then expand the horizon to your city, state, council, district...AtlantaTroop12 or Troop312Vermont.   Make the name easy to recall and related to your unit.  Visit other scouting websites and determine how they are named.

Now that you are armed with a list of possible domain names and the ones to avoid, there are a number of places on the internet to check the availability of a name.  A good starting point is with Network Solutions at http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/whois/. Follow the directions and you can get a definitive answer as the availability of the name.  Do NOT simply go to your browser and do a search.  A browser search does not show names that have been purchased and never used.  This is a very common practice.

Before you buy the site however, check with your unit committee.

C.    What is a Name Worth?

Once you have a name picked out, you need to buy it.  The rate varies from registrar to registrar. For .com, .net and .org domains, the rate usually varies from $5 - $35 per year. For international domains, the rate is anywhere from $25 to $250 dollars (US) per year. For .us domains, the cost varies from free to $80, and is determined by the local registrar. 

You can register the domain yourself, and save yourself some fees; just visit any domain registrar's site. You will need to know several things, such as the primary and secondary DNS (Domain Name Server) name and IP address of the server you intend to host your domain on, and your host's NIC ID, if they are to be the technical or admin contacts for the domain. If you intend to be the admin, technical, billing and zone contact for your domain, all you will need to know if the DNS info. If you do not know this info, use a whois to look up your host's domain name, and use the DNS entries from that domain name.   Since much of this information is

This next step will now need to wait until you have selected you Web Host.

D.    How do I find a Domain Name Registrar?

You need to select a registrar.  A list of registrars is available on several places on the net.  One place to find a registrar is a list at  http://www.internic.net/alpha.html.   Shop the prices and then purchase the name.  You will need a credit card to make this purchase and it will take approximately 24-72 hours for the name to matriculate through the system. 

In the mean time, you need to find an internet host.

 

VIII. Finding An Internet Host

NOTE:  This task is presented after the design phase, but it make take several days and phone calls to select a host.  This process could easily start very early the design process. You now have a domain name.  The next step is determine where you are physically going to place your website.  The site does not need to be in your hometown or even in the same country for that matter.  It does not effect performance or your ability to update or change your account.  You can live in Wisconsin and your internet host is in Florida.

 

A host is a service provider that is connected to the internet that will have a copy of your website available to the entire internet.  Selecting a web host can be a little tricky.  This can be the most expensive part of owning and maintaining a website.  You will want to minimize this reoccurring cost.  There are people and organizations that may host your site at no cost.  You must ask around the council and district to see if that is the case.  If not you might have to buy an internet hosting plan.  The costs of these plans have dropped dramatically.  Some are only three to four dollars per month. 

A.    Host Features for Your Scouting Website

Internet Hosts come in all shapes and sizes with all type of "bells and whistles" to get you to buy their service.  There are a few that you need to have and some that would be nice to have.

B.      Being Patient Pays

Go slowly.  Evaluate several web host providers.  Select the one you like most and setup an account.  You will probably need a credit card to do this although many have begun to accept other forms of payment such as PayPal. 

The host should provide you with a log-on name & password and a location to start.  This is usually sent to your current email account.  In some cases you will have to wait until the site is setup and the domain name starts working, before you can access the account.


IX.  Ready...Set...Go...Setup Your Scout Site

Things are probably moving very quickly at this point.  You have your unit domain name, your website host and all the information that is going on the site.  It may take 24 to 72 hours for your domain to point to your internet location.

Upload your site to the net.  Test every page and every link!  Then have someone else test the site.

Inform the Unit Committee, so that they have to opportunity to review the site.  Once the Committee has approved the site, then it is time to announce the site to your unit.

 

IX. Maintaining Your Scouting Unit Website

A. Keep Your Unit Website Current

This is the single biggest reason most websites are not visited regularly.  Keep your content fresh.  If you are keeping a calendar, make sure it is current and gives enough information about the events including times and places.  Add your photos of an event as soon as they are available, not six months after the event when the boys and their parents have long forgotten.

B. Grow Your Scouting Content Slowly

There are lots of good ideas that can make a website useful and fun.  Your website can slowly grow by adding new pages for visitors to visit. 

One of the best and most common is a picture album of events.  Why not have some of the descriptions in your photo album written by the scouts?  Scrap booking is a fast growing hobby in many homes.  An experienced scrapbooker is good source to help you lay out you album and to tell the story. Another idea is Unit History.  Visit other sites and see what others are thinking.  Let your creativity take over and have fun making these pages.

C. How Much Should You Budget?

Costs are always a problem for projects and the numbers listed below are theoretical.  Many find that the cost is less than one hundred dollars per year.

 

 

Item

Cost

Reoccurring?

Domain Name

$10-25

Yes, annually

Web Hosting

$0-250

Yes, annually

Software

$65-200

No

 

 

 

Total Initial Cost

$75-475

 

Total Annual Cost

$10-275

 

 

 

 

 

X.   Linking to Other Sites

 

 

 

 

Linking to other sites is an integral part of the world wide web.  Web masters should take care linking to other sites.  You can not control the content of other sites, so review each site before linking it to your site.  The list of “official” BSA web sites can be found at the National Boy Scouts of America website.

Sites can be divided into three basic categories:

Official BSA sites are those that are developed and controlled by the BSA.  A good practice would be to include these links on your site.

Unofficial BSA sites are sites developed by scouters and have content useful to your membership.

Non-Scouting sites are just that: Sites that are not specifically developed for scouting.  Be very careful of these sites.  Make sure that the site is worth the risk and there is plenty of warning that the user is going to a non scouting website.

eScouting.net © 2006 | Scout Website Design & Development| Guidance, Templates, Graphics & Webmaster Resources|