Scoutbook Acquired By Bsa

[fred johnson]

I was. In my unit the SM and CC did the following:

• Scout logged everything (camping, service, rank and MBs) in his handbook.
• Ranks were signed off during SMC, then BOR (usually same night) and rank was awarded same night.
• Scout kept and held blue cards. Completed cards were turned in. MBs were awarded at COH.
• Adults still processed paperwork and went to "scout shop" for awards.
• Discrepancies? Go back to scout's handbook or troop spreadsheet, then reconcile.

This same process is what my unit uses today but with the data base as back up as opposed to a troop spread sheet.

 

My question is what did BSA keep back then?  Did each council have a paper file on each scout?  How was rank and merit badge advancement tracked at the council level ?

 

For the last 15 years, I've been able to go to the council registrar and get a printed record of each scout's advancement if I need it.  Just wondering if something like that was available back then too.

Edited June 11, 2015 by fred johnson

[Gone]

My question is what did BSA keep back then?  Did each council have a paper file on each scout?  How was rank and merit badge advancement tracked at the council level ?

 

For the last 15 years, I've been able to go to the council registrar and get a printed record of each scout's advancement if I need it.  Just wondering if something like that was available back then too.

 

@@fred johnson, to my knowledge council files were not as detailed as they are now. The council I grew up in kept aggregate files on units. In other words, they sold patches and kept paper copies of how many First Class patches were sold to Troop 111, but not that Tommy Jones made FC on 4/4/74. In fact, when I went to get my OA tap out date from my old council they had no record of me ever being an Arrowman. All I had was my sash and a 30 year-old flap to prove it.

 

I cannot speak for other councils.

[skeptic]

Our council had paper files going back about 10 years available for troops and such; then they were archived, but kept.  We still have rosters and charter paperwork dating to the start of the council in 1921, which I spent weeks organizing a number of years back while searching for other things.  Found lone scout registrations, Rover unit charters with cards attached, and lists of members for all the charters going all the way back.  I was able to verify my unit membership through them and have copies of them all in my own archives.  Every once in a while I check to make sure they are still there; think I may need to go into them and straighten them out some again, as they have been dug through a few times since I did it.

 

Scouts were not registered as anything but First Class with merit badges until the war years.  So, it is hard to determine that data.  After about 1943 they are showing ranks all the way to Eagle on recharter rosters.  It can be both tedious and fascinating to go through these things.  But I guess we are more fortunate than other councils in actually had someone with the foresight to save them.

[DadScouts]

I don't know ScoutBooks.  I do know Internet Advancement and Internet Rechartering.  

If the owners of both softwares are the same I will never ever even entertain looking at ScoutBooks given BSA IT department history.  

 

Troopmaster, despite flaws others say, old technology, etc. is absolutely wonderful.  Half a dozen leaders all have somewhat limited data entries rights and every single member of the Troop (parents, Eagle alumni, old Scouter alumni) have real only full access to all records via their website app.  Only medical records are restricted.  

 

The new Troopmaster Mobile application is outstanding, although we only use that in Read Only mode.  NO reason whatsoever for any member of the Troop to ever say "I don't know ____________".  If that still happens the "check the Troop database or look it up on your iPhone" are great answers to just about any question imaginable.

 

If BSA locks out Troopmaster I will only file paper advancement from now on and cease instructing others within the Council on how to use Internet Advancement like I do now.  

[perdidochas]

I was. In my unit the SM and CC did the following:

• Scout logged everything (camping, service, rank and MBs) in his handbook.
• Ranks were signed off during SMC, then BOR (usually same night) and rank was awarded same night.
• Scout kept and held blue cards. Completed cards were turned in. MBs were awarded at COH.
• Adults still processed paperwork and went to "scout shop" for awards.
• Discrepancies? Go back to scout's handbook or troop spreadsheet, then reconcile.

This same process is what my unit uses today but with the data base as back up as opposed to a troop spread sheet.

 

I assume by spreadsheet, you mean a physical piece of paper. 

[perdidochas]

My question is what did BSA keep back then?  Did each council have a paper file on each scout?  How was rank and merit badge advancement tracked at the council level ?

 

For the last 15 years, I've been able to go to the council registrar and get a printed record of each scout's advancement if I need it.  Just wondering if something like that was available back then too.

Not sure at the council level, but at the unit level there were paper forms that were supposed to be kept for each scout. See the individual scout records on page 123-124

 

www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/Forms.pdf

[Gone]

I assume by spreadsheet, you mean a physical piece of paper. 

 

One of our Instructors built a spreadsheet with each scout's name and two tabs. One had the old requirements, the other the new requirements. Using lookup he was able to track each group. When he left the troop for college he made it a template which Instructors since have passed down. Hasn't been needed since 2011 but I have another techie volunteer scout who is updating it now for 2016.

 

Got to love technical kids!

[perdidochas]

Has anyone beside Bad Wolf and myself looked at ScoutBook.com ???

 

I haven't.  As I said, we just finally got our records straight in Troop Webhost after migrating from Troopmaster (mainly due to the fact that only a small group of scouts have Troopmaster information, since we switched two years ago. 

 

TWH handles advancement almost as good as  Troopmaster, is good for scout accounts, is good for email, and we are trying to get the boys to use it to sign up for campouts.

[perdidochas]

I don't know ScoutBooks.  I do know Internet Advancement and Internet Rechartering.  

If the owners of both softwares are the same I will never ever even entertain looking at ScoutBooks given BSA IT department history.  

 

Troopmaster, despite flaws others say, old technology, etc. is absolutely wonderful.  Half a dozen leaders all have somewhat limited data entries rights and every single member of the Troop (parents, Eagle alumni, old Scouter alumni) have real only full access to all records via their website app.  Only medical records are restricted.  

 

The new Troopmaster Mobile application is outstanding, although we only use that in Read Only mode.  NO reason whatsoever for any member of the Troop to ever say "I don't know ____________".  If that still happens the "check the Troop database or look it up on your iPhone" are great answers to just about any question imaginable.

 

If BSA locks out Troopmaster I will only file paper advancement from now on and cease instructing others within the Council on how to use Internet Advancement like I do now.  

Well Scoutbooks was developed by a different group of people than the current Internet Advancement and Rechartering.    BSA bought the application (and I hope the developers).  We don't have an option to not use Internet Advancement anymore, and haven't for about a year. 

[mattman578]

I am an IT guy buy trade I got and temporary account on scout book to look around and see what it was about.  I found it very cumbersome and not very intuitive basically hard to navigate and see what was going on and what to do.  If I can not figure it out my AC that can barely work her phone would be lost !

[Gone]

Well Scoutbooks was developed by a different group of people than the current Internet Advancement and Rechartering.    BSA bought the application (and I hope the developers).  We don't have an option to not use Internet Advancement anymore, and haven't for about a year. 

 

I don't think the development team was very big from what I hear.

[fred johnson]

I am an IT guy buy trade I got and temporary account on scout book to look around and see what it was about.  I found it very cumbersome and not very intuitive basically hard to navigate and see what was going on and what to do.  If I can not figure it out my AC that can barely work her phone would be lost !

 

I agree.  I think ScoutBook targets the mom and dad who want to see all the awards their kid has.  It adds flare and style presenting the scouting record.  The rest of the system is tedious to navigate through.