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The first question to ask when contemplating publishing a unit web page
is what are the needs of your unit, and how will your web site serve these
needs. Once you've asked this question, you can start to determine what
the exact purpose of your site is. Some possibilities...
| Provide information
| Do you want to give information about your unit? Perhaps
give details about your meetings and contact information? While
this may be the primary aim of your site, you should offer more
than this if you want people to come back.
Unit web pages can be a great tool for communicating to the Scouts
in your unit and around the world.
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| Recruit New Scouts
| Kids are interested in activities and having fun.
A fun website can attract new Scouts as well as inform their parents
on the guiding principles of your unit. Providing contact information
and answers to common questions will encourage new families to join
your unit.
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| Communicate Dates and Times
| Providing calendars, worksheets, forms and reminders
online is an easy way for families to get information, as long as
it is kept up to date. Using your website this way can reduce the
hassles of paper and making extra copies for all of the kids who
will inevitably misplace their papers.
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| Provide recognition
| You can provide recognition for the acheivements the
scouts make by posting pictures, descriptions of activities and
awards earned on the site (Please read the safety section about
youth protection on the internet). The Scouts can see themselves
on the web, and family members around the country can share the
fun.
There are also opportunities for Scouts to earn additional awards
on the internet, including the Internet
Scout Patch. Providing links and encouragement on your site
is another way to keep Scouts involved.
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| Provide some unique service
| Some sites offer great services or information on
specific areas of interest. For example, CubPack175
has areas for Leave No Trace and Cub Camping (topics dear to our
Cubmaster's heart) and this Unit Web Page resource. ScoutPack246
has information on providing bulletproof vests to law enforcement
dogs.
Whatever your passion is, camping, knots, campfire cooking, etc.,
there are people on the web who'd love to have more information.
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| A mix of the above
| The best sites combine more than one of these features.
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The web is the ultimate leveling field. Here, small units can compete
with the big organizations on near equal term.
In the long term, content is what makes a web site successful. Other
flashy features may dazzle your visitors but a site with comprehensive
and regularly updated content will keep users coming back. The World
Wide Web is a unique medium in that it’s interactive and easily
updated. Your web site should reflect this. You should provide opportunities
for
users to interact with your site (and with other visitors if possible)
and you should update your content on a regular basis.
Don’t forget that your content is designed to achieve the purpose
of your web site. Always keep this in mind when deciding what features
to add to your site.
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