Finally volunteer access to Scoutnet

[click23]

Well at least a start! Lets hope the role out is better than the commissioner Unit Visit Tracking System, crashed within a few hours of launch. And hope it works better than the discussion group that was on myscouting.org, it was so bad they complete abandoned it.

 

From the Fall 2012 Training Times http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/TrainingTimesFall.pdf

 

Unit and District Tools

 

Adding Unit and District Tools to MyScouting.org is the next step in moving toward a more user-friendly, self-service oriented BSA member web site - and to provide tools that will help trainers (and others) manage the process by having access to the data they need. These new tools will be the first piece in a new BSA membership database that is currently being built.

 

Unit Tools will eventually give unit leaders, volunteers, parents, and Scouts the opportunity to take and track training, perform rechartering, maintain advancement, plan activities, and more.

 

The new Unit and District Tools application will also give the unit Key 3 the ability to access their rosters and update contact information for unit members.

 

Unit Tools will be released in multiple phases. Phase I (set for release this fall) will include the basic items, while Phase II is set for release later this year and will include additional tools.

 

The new features that will be introduced in Phase 1 for units are the following:

 

Security Administration: The unit Key 3 (unit leader, committee chairman, chartered organization representative) will have full administration on all unit-modifiable fields

Person Profile: Allows updating of contact fields in membership record (excluding name and birth date)

Unit Access: Unit registered adults will have read-only access to rosters, calendars, announcements, etc.

Unit and District Calendar: Ability to publish calendar events for respective viewing by organization-specific adult leaders/volunteers

Unit and District Announcements: Ability to publish important information for respective viewing by organization-specific adult leaders/volunteers

Unit Roster: Unit roster will be made available and exportable

 

The new features that will be introduced in Phase 1 for districts are the following:

Person Profile: Allows updating of contact fields in membership record (excluding name and birth date)

Security AdministrationDistrict: The Key 3 (district chairman, district commissioner, district executive and professional management staff) will have full administration on all district modifiable fields.

Unit and District Calendars: Ability to publish calendar events for respective viewing by organization-specific adult leaders/volunteers

Unit and District Announcements: Ability to publish important information for respective viewing by organization-specific adult leaders/volunteers

District Roster: Unit and District rosters will be made available and exportable.

 

Phase II is scheduled to include more detailed, position oriented items including the first of many training report and entry functions.

 

Also as part of this effort a new training report feature will soon be available (depending on registered role) in MyScouting.

 

Unit Training Detail

 

The Unit Training Detail report will be provided to unit adults holding the Unit Leader, Committee Chair, and Chartered Organization Representative positions in their units. Unit Training Detail will provide each unit with a listing of adults and display all BSA training courses shown as completed in the persons record. Key unit adults who are affiliated with several units will be able to select each unit individually for viewing. For example, a chartered organization representative for a pack, troop, team, and crew will be able to view all units.

 

The adult training information may be printed in a report or exported for the use of the unit to provide an inventory of training courses completed by all to the units adult leaders.

 

Unit Training Tracking Report

 

The Unit Training Tracking report will be provided to council and district-level volunteers. Unit Training Tracking will allow volunteers to view each unit in their service area and will list adults with BSA training courses completed by unit.

 

The adult training information report may be printed by unit, or exported to provide an inventory of training courses completed.

 

These new reports are scheduled to be released before the end of 2012. The release of the other phases will follow as they are ready.

 

[Second Class]

Great. I look forward to this.

 

Any chance the data will be exportable to TroopMaster?

 

Now, that would really be useful. Export training data, rank dates, etc.

[Twocubdad]

Except our key 3 doesn't do any of this stuff -- all handled by a number of advancement and/or membership folks. Our COR doesn't even have email.

[5yearscouter]

Yeah it really needs to allow units to choose a person or two to have this access, rather than just the key 3 people who don't actually DO anything with the paperwork, advancement, membership or training records.

[Eagle92]

HMM, while I like the concept, I know that A) our COR is more figure head than anything, although he does visit on occasion, and actually camped with the troop once, but otherwise is hands off and B) our CC has been incorrectly listed as an MC for the past 3 years now and nothing changes despite repeated attempts.

 

Then again at least she is on the charter. We have 2 DLs, 2ADLs, and 3 MCs not on the charter still. And it took the district training chair and one DL confronting the DE at roundtable to get him on the hcarter after 5 months of repeated attempts and emails.

[click23]

The system is up and running, my.scouting.org, log in with your myscouting.org credentials. so far I am having zero luck getting it to do anything, but it is not formatted correctly for my 10" laptop.

[click23]

Ok I finally got it to work. Very limited in what you can do now.

 

As a Troop Committee member I have access to a dashboard that includes a calender, announcements, and my profile.

Calender- I can only look at it, no edit capabilities.

Announcements- I can only look at it, no edit capabilities.

Profile- I can edit my address, email address, and phone number.

 

As District Commissioner I have the same as above plus a roster manager, a calender edit tool and an announcement edit tool.

Under the Roster Manager I can see all of the people registered on the district level, and a list of all of the units in the district and their membership. I cannot see their registered positions, or distinguish between youth and adults. It does appear that I can edit mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of not only members of the district committee and the commissioner staff, but also members of individual units. I can also export rosters in three formats:

Calling List- Name and phone number

Mailing List- Name and mailing address

Member List- Name and member ID

 

It appears that the Key 3 can have all of this for their organization, unit leader, committee chair, and chartered organization rep/district commissioner, district chairman, and district executive.

 

 

The biggest issues with this initial release is not being able see registered positions, or distinguish between youth and adults.

 

Upcoming additions and changes to the system

 

Release 1.1

-Youth Protection training status available for all registered adults

-Key 3 administrators will be able to update Completion Date for Youth Protection training records in their organizations

-Member has ability to associate multiple member numbers with an account

Release 1.2

-Ability for members and Key 3 administrators to print membership cards

-Council Name search option for members

-Key 3 administrators have ability to grant three additional registered leaders the authority to update information

-Email alerts will be sent when calendar updates and announcements are made

-Councils will have the ability to advertise, post current events, provide important information and updates to their volunteers in the Council News section

Release 1.3

-Key 3 administrators have ability to update adult leader training records

-Rosters can be organized into subunits (e.g., dens, patrols)

-New Event Attendance feature

-Unit tools will now be available for Explorer posts

[skeptic]

Am not certain what has changed, at least for me. I have had access to these things for a while now. Did not realize as SM I might have more on-line advantages. Maybe that is why some leaders have looked at me as crazy when I commented about doing advancement or checking rosters. Slowly it evolves.

[Eagle92]

At least you can access it. After repeated attempts AND changing the password 5 times, still no access.

 

Besides it still doesn't list my original concerns: COR is a figurehead, leaders incorrectly listed in the wrong position if on the charter at all, etc.

[fred8033]

Pretty primitive still. I wanted to update the unit calendar without sending a notice. Couldn't find out how to do that.

 

Could not add my cell phone. Only shows the "home" phone. Hmmm....

 

Found it interesting that of the three roster export formats, none of them export the email address. I wanted to compare the list against my roster list. Going into each account one by one is too much work. I won't do it that way. Instead, will wait for rechartering.

 

The site is a nice beginning, but too basic to be of any use.

[Austinole]

Yeah, not allowing others to be able to update it is a problem. As it stands now it won't be useful to our pack.