comment on national policy

[Eagle Foot]

Our Council has restricted a link to our District web site because as they put it:

 

As a nationally accredited site we cannot link to any site that has advertisement for a non-BSA site. Unfortunately usscouts.org is a private venture and you have three links at the bottom of your site to that website.

 

I have not been able to get a comment from Nation reguarding this. Would anybody like to shed some light?

 

Should we remove this link?

 

Should we just not worry about getting a link from our Council to our District web?

 

I'm sure Scouter Nework is also on the list.

 

Edited by:

Eagle Foot

 

 

 

 

[Beavah]

Yah, EagleFoot.

 

There are two possibilities here, eh?

 

One of 'em is that someone in your council doesn't really understand the National Guidelines for council and district websites. I reckon that's the most likely, eh? BSA staff haven't been the most net-savvy lot.

 

In that case, point them to http://www.scouting.org/webmasters/standards/index.html. The "Guidelines" section explains the rules for being considered an "official BSA council website" by national (which doesn't include the prohibition you suggest). The advice to councils section gives specific guidance on district websites. In particular "it is permissible, by the guidelines, to provide links to sites that provide content that is appropriate to the Scouting movement."

 

The second possibility is that your council has established its own policy in this regard. In that case they should be honest about it, and not blame National, eh? Then at least yeh know where to nudge if you want 'em to change the policy.

 

Me personally, I think links to da US Scouting Service Project are just fine. Links to semi-commercial sites like this one, or commercial sites, should be done with more thought.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Beavah

 

[epalmer84]

Beavah is rightthe council is supposed to develop policies for district and unit websites. A policy should be written and not pulled out of a handy orifice. I doubt that National is going to help on this and it is a direct issue between district and council.

 

As a district webmaster, I asked for my council's policy. They snail-mailed me a printed copy of the National policy that I had discussed with our SE. I gave up and developed my own policy.

 

Ed

[RememberSchiff]

National offers guidelines but Council sets the policies, sometimes with an overly strict interpretation of those guidelines. Here's the updated link, look it over.

 

http://www.scouting.org/webmasters/faq/guidelines/index.html

 

1. On your district website, just mention usscouts.org but do not provide a hyperlink http://usscouts.org/

 

See if that technicality passes.

 

2. You want a link on your Council website to your District website, less Council starts getting ideas.

 

Be grateful that your Council have not taken over your District website yet. My council did this last year as is alluded in the guidelines "For marketing purposes, a council may wish to set up separate Web sites for its districts, camp facilities, OA lodge, or specific divisions/committees/etc".

 

In five years, I predict all district websites will be hosted and controlled by their respective council, for better or for worse. Information control ...

 

Also note these link restriction guideline trickles to unit websites:

 

"Councils that wish to provide links to unit Web sites have an opportunity to require units to comply with this advice by granting a link only to units that meet these conditions (and any other the council wishes to apply) ... however, even in those cases, the council cannot compel a unit to comply by any means other than withholding such a link."