Web sites and more silly rules

[Fat Old Guy]

I was looking at BSA's guidelines for unit websites and found this:

 

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

 

Okay, names and contact information makes sense. Heck, I think that it is stupid to let a kid wear a jersey with his name on the back.

 

What's this about images? No pictures of the Scouts? That makes for a fun web site. "See that picture of a tent, Gramppa? That's me in the tent with the door zipped."

[dozer]

Well you could put paper bags on the unknown boy scouts head. LOL

 

Sad, our world is so sick, we should have to take such measures.

[Fat Old Guy]

I suppose that it is ironic that Boy's Life, Scouting and council publications have pictures of Scouts with their names. Now you might say, "Hey, those are limited distribution" but they really aren't. Boy's Life is available for subscription and can be found in many libraries.

 

 

[evmori]

Fat Old Guy,

Where does the BSA have guidelines for unit web sites? I understood by reading the stuff on National's site that is was up to each council to dictate policy regarding unit & district sites.

 

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Fat Old Guy]

http://www.scouting.org/webmasters/units.html

 

[EagleInKY]

It reminds me of what happened at church a few years ago. One of the "more mature ladies" had just gotten a home computer, and got on that internet thing. She went to the church website and saw where we had pictures of some of the kids (no names or contact information, of course). She printed it out and went to the elders, fearing for the life and safety of these kids.

 

I asked her, "so, did you think there's a pedophile out there that had no idea that we actually had kids at this church, but now that they've seen their picture, they're going to show up at the door?".

 

I realize that there are a lot of sick people in the world, but we have to use reason. Pictures, without identification should be okay for any troop. It's just an example of a good idea gone too far.

[Laurie]

Wow, that is one buried document! You know what irks me about it? If National is this concerned about web sites (there are sooo many!) and images used, they sure they make it difficult to find this info.

[NJCubScouter]

That must be a fairly new document. The last time I checked, BSA-national's web guidelines pertained only to council web sites, and guidelines for unit web sites were left to the councils. I am happy to see that national has decided to issue at least a few basic guidelines, that can still be supplemented by the councils. I am pretty sure that at one time, I saw guidelines for unit web sites on my council's web site, but now I cannot find that document -- which doesn't mean it isn't there, just that documents on the council web site seem to play hide-and-seek on a regular basis.

 

As for photos of Scouts on a unit web site, when I read the sentence in question I have to wonder why it is worded the way it is: "Names, images, and especially contact information pertaining to youth members should never be gathered or published over the Internet." It states pretty clearly that names and images should "never" be published over the Internet, but then why do they use the word "especially" in front of "contact information"? Maybe since this is "guidance" as opposed to a policy, and they use the phrase "should never" instead of "may never" or "must never," maybe what they are saying is that while use of names and images is "discouraged" (that's my word), use of contact information is really, really discouraged.

 

But I personally would take "should never" to mean "don't do it." So, why prohibit (or discourage) use of pictures of Scouts on the Internet? Better safe than sorry, I guess. As for the distinction between the Internet and official BSA magazines, I suspect that they are looking at the "degree" of risk presented by publication in each of these ways. Boys' Life and Scouting are sent only to registered BSA members and some other subscribers, whose names obviously are in the possession of the BSA's publications division, and also to libraries. The Internet is available to a very large number of people in their homes, at the push of a button, and more-or-less anonymously (though not as anonymously as some people think.) I guess the BSA figures that the amount of effort required on the part of someone who wants to use a printed magazine to gather information to use for illegal activity is somewhat of a deterrent, while the lesser amount of effort required to access a web site is not a deterrent. Of course, nothing is foolproof, but a small barrier is better than no barrier at all.

 

[NJCubScouter]

By the way, FOG, although I know you were just giving one example: If little Johnny wants Grampa to see the pictures, and Grampa has Internet access, wouldn't it be better to just e-mail the pictures to Grampa anyway, rather than directing him to a web site? That is of course assuming that the grandparents have decided to join the late 20th century (to say nothing of the 21st.) My parents have not, so my son has to bring or mail (37 c.) them the actual photos. Quaint, isn't it?

[Fat Old Guy]

New Jersey Dude asked, ": If little Johnny wants Grampa to see the pictures, and Grampa has Internet access, wouldn't it be better to just e-mail the pictures to Grampa anyway, rather than directing him to a web site? "

 

Maybe Johnny doesn't have the pictures as they were taken by the Troop Photographer. Far easier to say, "Hey Grampa, look at www.mytroop.org and see what we did" than to say, "Hey Troop Photographer, burn me a copy of all the pictures so I can cull and edit them to send them to my grandfather."

[FScouter]

Im kind of nave sometimes. Could someone give a fictitious example of what could happen if a picture of a Boy Scout appeared on a troop website?

[NJCubScouter]

Well, FOG, life is not easy sometimes.

[EagleInKY]

FScouter - Sure, like my church example... A pedophile could discover that we have boys in the Boy Scouts and could show up at our meeting place... Shocker, huh?

[evmori]

Thanks. I never would have found that one without a flashlight & shovel!

 

Fscouter,

No fact here at all!

 

Little Johnny's picture is on his Troop's website. No names on the pictures. A pervert sees this figures out where little Johnny's Troop is & abducts him on the way home from a Troop meeting.

 

Could this happen? Sure. Highly unlikely, though.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[SR540Beaver]

While I don't want to interpret the BSA guidelines for everyone else, here is my take on it.

 

You don't want a patrol page that has a portrait of each boy that says:

 

Johnny Smith

1st Class Scout

12 years old

Attends Baden Powell Jr Hi

1234 Gilwell Lane

Anytown, USA

555-1212

jsmith@xyz.com

 

Posting pictures of campouts and activities or even a patrol picture with first names is one thing. Creating a directory of single portraits with how to find, call or e-mail a child is entirely a different situation. I believe that is what the guidelines are trying to protect against. For most folks, this is common sense. But keep in mind that many troop websites are actually created by the boys who might think this is a great way to provide information without realizing there are privacy concerns.