Another merit badge related bit of news

[Bob White]

What if they did that Knothead and something updated in one handbook?

[evmori]

What if they did that Knothead and something updated in one handbook?

 

Then they toss an upgrade on their site & have it available to download for those who have purchased it already! Way more cost effective & readily available!

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Horizon]

It would not be that difficult to create .pdf files of all of the handbooks, and offer a subscription system for downloading them. Make it cheap enough (say, $1) and you will not get too much of a piracy problem. I would only do that if the bandwidth charges were too high. In a perfect world, the electronic versions of handbooks would be free.

 

I believe it would INCREASE the number of boys who actually use the handbooks in merit badge classes. It would also provide a solution to the "we are all out of the books" response at the Scout shop a few weeks before Summer Camp. Worse was this year when our shop stopped stocking many books because of new versions coming. That did not help those headed to Summer Camp at all. An online version would be perfect for that scenario.

 

I do not know how much revenue BSA gets from the sale of merit badge books - but I would welcome a fee based online system to replace that revenue.

[firequenchers]

I do not have a Merit Badge book in my hard at his minute, since I am at home and they are at my office. Is there a copywrite on them? I do not ever recall there being one.

 

YiS,

 

Jeff

[NJCubScouter]

I happen to have a pamphlet here (Emergency Prep, 2003) and yes, there is a copyright statement in it. (Actually it would be protected by copyright law even if the statement wasn't there, but I believe the potential penalties for violations would be different.)

 

In light of some of the discussion above, there is an interesting statement on the inside front cover, which as I recall has always been there in one form or another, that says in part: "The costs of development, writing and editing of the merit badge pamphlets are paid for by the Boy Scouts of America in order to bring you the best book at a reasonable price." Does that mean that the actual sale price ($3.49, although apparently I paid $3.99 for this one at an independent store) only pays for the printing and distribution? If so, that raises the possibility that the BSA could put these things on the Internet for no cost or nominal cost, without incurring significant additional costs themselves.

[HawkUH60]

Hello

As a part of my Wood Badge ticket I am putting on a "Medical Merit Badge Midway" for my district. I have the potential instructors for it but I would like to know if anyone has out there has any power point presentations (or other another type) for Medicine, Dentistry, Public Health or Veterinary Medicine? If you do it would be greatly appreciated. YIS CPT John Green

[GaHillBilly]

In response to Lisabob's question, "Why in color . . .?"

 

Bob White wrote,

"Cost-wise it is not that much more costly to do color instead of black and white due to digital printing as opposed to four-color offset which used to be the only way to get a full color image.

 

The reason for the change is they are more attractive and more pleasurable to read."

 

Scoutldr wrote,

 

"Sorry to be cynical, but has anyone picked up a high school textbook lately?

 

Kids won't read black and white. If they read at all, we have to make it look like a comic book so they can be "entertained"...lots of color pictures."

 

 

I think it might be more correct to say that people -- both kids AND adults, GW notwithstanding -- are more likely to LOOK at a book in color, than one in black and white. They are probably more likely to buy a book in color, too.

 

But are they more likely to actually READ it? I don't think so. Or, if they are, the difference is not very great.

 

My wife and I homeschooled my oldest, and are now doing the same with my Scout age son, and we haven't seen any indication that color improves the rate of actual READING. We have close relationships with several elementary school teachers . . . and they haven't seen any particular correlation between color and reading rates.

 

You know why they -- the teachers -- think there's so much color and so many graphics in school textbooks? They think it's to get TEACHERS to look at them, so the publisher can SELL them!

 

BobW wrote that, "the reason for the change is they are more attractive and more pleasurable to read.". My guess is that the real reason is that not that this is a true statement, but that people THINK that it's true!

 

GaHillBilly

 

 

[nldscout]

Part of the reason for color is national is replacing its last old printing machines.

 

You all realize, national prints its own materials. The have a printing facility and do thier own, thats why the cost is so cheap.

 

 

Knot Head

Why would each scout need his own copy of the MB book at camp. We have one or two and the scouts share them. Seems buying a pile of them is not being very frugel.

[HawkUH60]

when will national get into the 21st century and put the books online to download for a small fee? Back in the day I use to have a bunch or army regulations and books to carry around, now I just carry what i need on a memory stick. It wouls save national having to print books and allow updates to be made alot faster. just my 2 cents

[John-in-KC]

More and more stuff IS online, including requirements themselves.

 

I've not looked at the usscouts resource links since BSA put Requirements #33215 online, but it used to have some good research tools for youth to use.

[Gold Winger]

"when will national get into the 21st century and put the books online to download for a small fee?"

 

The problem with that is that it shifts the printing costs to the Scout or the unit and also increases waste.

 

Instead of going to the troop library to get a fairly durable book, the Scout prints out his own copy. "Pass it on. . ." you say but by the time the Scout is done with 20 pages stapled together with no cover, it will be tattered and the next Scout will print his own copy.

 

I like books with covers.

[evmori]

The problem with that is that it shifts the printing costs to the Scout or the unit and also increases waste

 

So? The unit or Scout would only have to print what is necessary.

 

Instead of going to the troop library to get a fairly durable book, the Scout prints out his own copy. "Pass it on. . ." you say but by the time the Scout is done with 20 pages stapled together with no cover, it will be tattered and the next Scout will print his own copy.

 

I like books with covers.

 

These MB pamphlets are far from durable. And it doesn't need to be printed. It can be viewed on-line!

 

I like vinyl records but the digital versions are much better!

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10