FAQ: How do I get my Scout group on the web?

FAQ; How do I get my Scout group on the web?

Who is the page for?

This is the most important question! Like any publication, you have to know your audience. Usually the answer is: your Group web page is for the Cubs or Scouts, their parents, and other Cubs and Scouts locally and around the world. Scout web pages are not usually a recruiting tool.

The best Scout web page is one which involves the Cubs or Scouts: taking the photos, writing the stories, deciding what to put on it. Designing a web page can be the basis for a good meeting activity.

What should I put on the page?

To answer this question, think about who the page is aimed at, and remember, make it fun and useful.

Your Cubs and Scouts will like the page if it includes things that they did: especially photos and stories. The first thing they will look for is their own name and photo on the site (but see the note on names below).

Parents will like the page if it mentions their sons and daughters. They will also want important notices such as the term or year planner (but don't get ambitious and promise to put every single notice on the page, because you will soon get tired of updating it.)

You should include important contact information: the Scouter's email address and phone number and email address, meeting times, and the email and phone number of your provincial office.

Also include links to the South African Scout Association and to your District or Province, if they have their own pages.

A large Scout Group site could include the following sections:

About the Group: what we do, what makes us special, where we meet, our history
Recent events: reports and photos.
Upcoming events: notices, year and term planner, link to national or provincial event pages.
Patrol pages: these could be designed as a Patrol activity.
Cool things: something fun and special - another activity?
Links: local and world Scouting links, and the Group's favourite places on the internet.
Credits: anyone who worked on the site or helped with it.
Contact information

How can I promote the page?

You must tell people about the page! Promote it within the whole Group (not just the Troop or Pack) and tell the Committee and the rest of your District as well.

If your province has a Scouting newsletter, that would also be a good place to announce it. For a good site, you could even approach your local newspaper. If your Group has a close relationship with a school, place of worship, or sponsor, remember to tell them too (and make sure your site gives them the proper credit).

Keep promoting the page! Remember that if you stop promoting your site within your Group, the Cubs, Scouts and parents will stop visiting it. Put the address on every notice, and announce any updates at Group meetings.

Include the address of the page in any promotions such as pamphlets and articles in your local press.

Print a few pages from your web site and include them, with the address, on your Group noticeboard.

Finally, make sure you arrange for other sites to link to your site.

What about updates?

You must keep the page current! Old news is no news. An out-of-date web page tells the reader that, althoug someone was once enthusiastic enough to start this project, they are now not interested in maintaining it.

Don't be too ambitious! If you promise monthly updates, experience shows that you will probably get bored quite soon. Rather set a reasonable target: quarterly updates are probably enough.

Don't say things like "this week" or "next month" on the page, because you don't know when people will read it, or how long till you next update it.

Should I include Cub or Scout names and email addresses on the web site?

Definitely not. Although contact information for the Scouters is useful, you should not include full names or contact information for the Cubs or Scouts. This is vital to protect them from strangers trying to contact them for the wrong reasons. It is sufficient to include first names of the Cubs or Scouts, and the Scouter's email address and phone number. If a child wants to make contact over the internet, this should always be closely supervised by a parent.

What else shouldn't I put on the page?

Don't include boring material: the biggest turnoff on a Scout web page is "The Aim and Method of Scouting". Rather include a photo of your latest pioneering project, preferably just as it was collapsing!

Don't include anything that says 'under construction'. All pages are permanently under construction. Don't link to pages which you have not filled in yet: if you haven't done it, don't tell people about it.

Don't include copyright material, including material copyright of the South African Scout Association. If you want to use someone's graphic on your site, ask them nicely first.

No-one comes to your page to see the latest technical tricks. There are many problems with being too clever: your favourite feature might not work for everyone who visits, it may look out-of-date as new features become fashionable, and it will probably distract the visitors (and the designer) from the real purpose of the site. And, admit it, not every troop has a professional web designer who can get the fancy tricks working properly!

Don't include copies of material which already appears on official pages of the South African Scout Association: rather include a link, because this will ensure that your page does not become out-of-date if the information is updated.

Don't include anything which is inappropriate for a Scout page. This includes bad language, links to inappropriate sites, or anything that could bring Scouting into disrepute. Remember that what you say on your web page is public - always think about who may be reading it, and how they could react.

What sort of design should I use?

Keep the design simple. With a few well-chosen graphics, consistent use of fonts, a simple colour scheme, and an uncluttered design, you can present a professional and useful site.

The colours of your group's scarf could be used to give a professional feel to your site.

Avoid strong patterns and colours on the background, and don't use too many animations, because they distract the user.

What packages can I use to create a web page?

There are many packages and it is hard to keep up-to-date with the market, but below are a few possibilities.

Microsoft Frontpage is like a word processor: type up your web page and insert graphics and you're done. It also has a graphical display of the links between your pages. You'll have to buy it: see Microsoft FrontPage.

Versions of some web design programmes like Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe GoLive are sometimes available free for a trial period: you can download them from the web, or look for a computer magazine which includes them on a demo CD.

Microsoft Word is one of the easiest ways to create a web page: create a Word document, including images, and save as HTML. It won't have any fancy features, but it's a quick way to get something onto the web as a novice.

There are many free web hosting services which often allow you to create a basic web page with no past experience required.

What is HTML, and do I need to learn it?

HTML is what all web pages are made of: it's like a programming language. A few years ago, everyone made web pages by writing HTML "by hand", but most web pages are now designed using special software. This means you do not need to learn HTML.

If you like messing around with the technical stuff, you can still create pages in HTML using Windows Notepad or any basic text editor. The Beginner's guide to HTML and the Bare Bones Guide to HTML are a good place to start. Once you understand the basics, you can learn more by choosing "View source" to see how other web pages are constructed.

How do I get the page onto the web?

Once you've created your web page, you'll need somewhere to host it on the internet. There are several possibilities:

If you have an account with an internet service provider, this may include free space for web pages. Phone the help desk and ask them.
There are sites on the internet which will host your page for free.
You may have a friend, Scout, or parent who can host your page through their university, business or school.

How do I get a link to my Scout page?

Groups in your District and Province could provide links to your page (remember to do the same for them in return). Other local sites may be willing to link to your page as well. (Remember, the more links to your site, the better for you.)

This website maintains the complete list of links to Scout pages in South Africa. You can include a link to your page on this list, and to the What's New section, by emailing the webmaster. It's polite to make a link to us (and your Provincial page) if you want us to link to you!

Search engines will find your page and link to it if other people link to you. Make sure your site uses your group's name as the title and text of the main page.

I need to set up a web page for my Province

Please contact the webmaster for information and suggestions about this.

Also see FAQ: The scouting.org.za domain.

I need to set up a web page for a national or Provincial Scout event

We will probably not be able to run a website for the event, but we can put together a basic page if you supply us with the right information. We recommend that you find your own webmaster if you want anything fancy. However, we may be able to host your page, and will provide the necessary links. Please contact the webmaster.