SO, how many hits do you get to your units website?

[Pack378]

How many people actually use your units website? It seems that everybody has computer these days and nobody wants to use it. Our pack has a very informative website but we still receive the phone calls and people still ask for times, dates, directions and everything else?

We have done everything to make it easy to use. We have mailing list, we automatically add people when they register. We update the site regularly. But the Field of Dreams saying just don't work. (If you build it, they will come).

 

We might have 12 active users and that's it. Does anybodys else's website have 100% participation?

[BrotherhoodWWW]

Since I'm new to my present unit and my last unit never put up a webpage I really can't answer your questions. I do however have some observations and opinions. People involved in Scouting do not seem as addicted to the web as other groups. How many forums do you know of that are dedicated to Scouting? How much activity does these (?) forums generate?

 

This forum in particular. Look at how many sub-forums have topics on the first page that are two years old. In most of the other narrow focus forums that I particpate in if I do not check in for as little as one day to one week the number of new topics is overwhelming. For example I've been a member of BT3Central since about the first month of it being started. A site started for a user group of Ryobi BT3K table saws. This forum has grown to the point that many topics drop off the first page for each sub-forum within two weeks and the more active sub-forums two days max even during slow times. I've a hunch that there are more registered Scouters than there are owners of this table saw. Yet there are also other wood working related forums alive and well on the internet. Many of which generate far more traffic than BT3Central.

 

Then look to webpages of various councils, regions, and national. How often do you find incorrect information? How often do you find conflicting information? How often do you find out of date information? If I were to answer these questions I would say often to all of the above. My council often has the wrong dates. Pages within the councils website are incomplete. Look for information about 2010 National Jamboree; I can'tseem to find any. If you can please post a link. I have seen some council websites, and sub-sites that do not appear to be nearly as bad. If your council has a good,accurate web presence then you are indeed lucky.

 

In both my current unit and may previous unit email was used extensively for communication and yet there are many that seem surprised when they show up at a meeting ill-prepared because no one told them. Perhaps some folks either do not check their email regularly or they only scan messages with out grasping the content. Either way there is a breakdown.

 

If I were to hazard a guess why this apparent lack of use of the computer based resouces occurs it would go along the lines of Scouting folks find other things to do, most likely outdoor things. Scouts, Scouters and their families lead a more active lifestyle and do not spend the time in front of a computer screen like others do. It could very well be that these folks are attracted to Scouting because of the outdoor activity based program. I could be way off but I would hope not.

 

So Pack378 what is your URL? Is the site easy to navigate to? Is it easy to read? Do the pages load fast even with dial-up? Is the navigatin within the site easy and simple to follow?

[Pack378]

our site is cspack378.org, yes it is updated, yes it is updated with correct info... it's so easy a caveman could use it................

[BrotherhoodWWW]

Nice site. I'm surprised that you don't get the traffic that you think you should.

[CubScoutJo]

More and more parents and scouts are starting to visit our website when we started putting the forms and things for trips on the website rather than having someone print them all out themselves. This helps "spread the costs" of printing and ink to each scout, also helps conserve resources because only the folks that decide to go on a particular trip print out the forms (rather than the scoutmaster having a stack of them at a meeting). Another plus is if they lose their form, they can easily reprint.

 

Once they start going there for the forms, they stick around for the other info.

 

Jo(This message has been edited by CubScoutJo)

[EagleInKY]

I don't measure hits, but I do try to re-enforce the use of the web site. The primary method I use is to not placate their need for information by printing out things for them. If you want the calendar, it's on the website. If you need a medical form, the link's on the website. If you want to see your son's advancement status.... you get the picture. it's become a joke in our troop, when someone asks where it is, everyone says in unison "it's on the website".

 

Even with that, some don't get it and don't use it. Even though everyone has access.