The Future Net-oree: The Scouting Convergence to Online Collaborations and Networks

23/04/2010 jospoika 91 comments

The Future Net-oree: The Scouting Convergence to Online Collaborations and Networks

Written by Jocelyn Peucker, 2010

Scouting in Australia is dead. This is the feeling that some adults in Scouting have had over the past few years. However, until recently Scouting in Australia was dying, suffering an average national loss of approximately 4,000 memberships per year from 1995 to 2006. However, since 2007 there has been a significant increase of approximately 4200 memberships per year (see Figure 1). Similarly, Scouting in the Geelong Region also declined, losing 1300 members between 1995 and 2007, with only a slight increase over the past two years (see Figure 2). The causes of these losses remain either unknown or undocumented, although many Leaders have hypothesised that leadership, administration issues and technology are the key indicators. Today’s technological advances e.g. PlayStation, Mobile Phones, the Internet, and other electronic devices, are considered to be one of the most distinct causes.

However, whether or not these technologies had actually contributed to, or caused the decline rate, would have to be separately researched. Nevertheless, it is theorised that there is some evidence that as the Internet grew, Scouting memberships declined (Appendix 1). This paper suggests that there is a degree of truth between these two concepts. As Putnam (2000) states, “Membership in conventional face-to-face types of communities, such as bowling leagues, neighbourhood [sic]picnics, church groups, etc., has fallen rapidly over the last 25 years” (cited in Ridings & Gefen, 2004). However, “… the last few years have seen a tremendous growth in virtual community membership” (Ridings & Gefen 2004). Figure 3 shows how rapidly the Internet grew in Australia from 1995. Despite this rapid growth of the Internet, Scouting did not have a prominent Internet presence until the early to mid 2000’s. Along with this, some communications between members have become irregular or nonexistent, and important information is often not distributed or received.

Therefore, this paper proposes that Scouting, specifically the Geelong Region, may need to incorporate new Internet technologies i.e. Social Networking and Web 2.0 applications, otherwise it could be seriously disadvantaged to acquiring new members and to forming quality off-line or between-event relationships. To determine the value of converging Scouting towards Social Networking, four related issues will be explored, such as: (a) traditional Scouting in Australia, (b) geography and virtual communities, (c) mediated communications, and (d) Social Networking, Web 2.0 and promoting Scouting to the broader community.

Figure 1: Scouting Growth Chart in Australia

Created by J. Peucker, March 2010

Sources: (Scouts, 1996; Scouts, 2010; WOSM, 2010)

Figure 2: Scouting Growth Chart for Geelong

Created by J. Peucker, March 2010

Sources: (Geelong Scout Leaders and Heritage Centre, Personal Communication & Research, 2010)

Figure 3: Internet users as percentage of population (extracted from Google Search, 2010)

People with access to the Internet per 100 inhabitants.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators – Last updated March 2, 2010

The Scout Association of Australia is a geographical and community-based youth organisation that is over 100 years old. It currently has approximately 70,000 memberships (see Figure 1) and is well known as “… the largest youth movement in the nation” (Scouts, 2010b). No other organisation in Australia has the age range (6 to 26 years old) or the variety of activities that the Scouting organisation incorporates. Youth members usually participate in their own local or geographically based meeting place, known as a Scout Group. Groups are divided into age-related sections (Appendix 3). These sections can be conceptualised as communities within a community, as each has their own unique meeting times, activities, badge work and games. Scout Groups operate collectively under the umbrella of a district, which is part of a geographical area or region.

Within Australia, each state/territory is divided up into these manageable sized regions. The different sections of youth, the groups, districts, regions, and states all have their own recognised individual communities. At times, purpose-intentional communities are created, e.g. Jamboree contingents, Cuboree Leader teams, District and Region camps, and more. This means that Scouting in its entirety entails a multi-complex system of communities within communities. However, from experience, communications between these communities and their individuals are not always consistent or do not exist.

Using Scouting in the Geelong Region as an example, communication at this time exists in a few technology-based and traditional ways. McAfee states, “… we need to first understand the shortcomings of the technologies currently used … then examine how the newly available technologies address these drawbacks” (2006, p. 22). By this, MacAffe has implied that the present-day technologies used, need to be recognised before future changes can be implemented. Therefore, overviews of Scouting’s current communications, their effective functions and deficiencies have been collated (see Appendix 2). Along with these shortcomings, personal and inter-personal communications can have issues too, especially where Leaders and other adults are selective in how and whom they share information.

Because this information is not shared or received, incurs further problems for many members, both adults and youth. The next problem begins after Leaders have met through events such as day activities, training, and camps. Whilst these events are running, friendships are usually elevated. However, once the event is over, communication is either little or non-existent until the next major event. This is mainly caused due to members living long distances away from each other. Therefore, geographical locations can cause issues with inter-personal relationships or friendships that occur within Scouting. From research undertaken and from experience, online social networking or other newer Internet technological applications could improve these relationships.

Geographical challenges are one of the reasons that Social Networking (SN) has boomed. Wellman & Gulia (1997) and Katz, et al., (2004) along with others, suggest that “Enthusiasts hail the Net’s potential for making connections without regard to race, creed, gender or geography” (Wellman & Gulia, 1997, p. 1). They also argue that:

… sociologists … realized [sic] that communities do not have to be solidary [sic] groups of densely-knit neighbors [sic] but could also exist as social networks of kin, friends and workmates who do not necessarily live in the same neighborhoods [sic] … (1997, p. 2).

Furthermore “… the Net is especially suited to maintaining intermediate-strength ties between people who cannot see each other frequently” (1997, p. 16). Hiltz & Turoff reinforce this as they state, “… one study has found that some participants come to feel that their closest friends were members of their electronic group whom they seldom or never see” (cited in Wellman & Gulia, 1997, p. 11). This shows that the Internet could be used to enhance real-life friendships and acquaintances. Geelong Region Scouts could benefit from this by educating its members about alternative communication choices whilst keeping participation voluntary.

There are many possible ways that the Internet can be used to bring people together, or rather bridge them, as Donath & boyd explain:

Being the bridge between two otherwise disconnected people or groups is a strategically important role (Burt 2000), particularly if there is valuable information or opportunites [sic] to be shared between them. The bridge, being connected to these disparate groups, has access to a broad range of information. And [sic], the bridge may be seen as valuable for the connections he or she can make. In the traditional realm of personal interaction, being the bridge requires considerable output in time and energy to maintain a heterogeneous network, to transmit information and to make introductions (Donath & boyd, 2004).

By this, we can assume that it is possible to keep active connections online and offline for individuals and Groups within Scouting by using the Internet and its applications. CMO.com has developed a “Guide To The Social Media Landscape” which shows the advantages and disadvantages of common social networking sites (CMO, 2010). Therefore, it is possible to make informed decisions about online social networks or virtual communities that could be the bridges to decreasing the current gaps in inter-personal relationships.

The Internet, as Baym, et al. argue, encompasses the “potential for changing relationships” and “communication in interpersonal relationships is mediated increasingly by technology” (2007, p. 736). Wellman & Gulia (1997) further support this by arguing that:

Virtual communities may resemble “real-life” communities in the sense that support is available, often in specialized relationships. However, Net members are distinctive in providing information, support, companionship and a sense of belonging to persons they hardly know off-line or who are total strangers (Wellman & Gulia, 1997, p. 7).

Therefore, creating these virtual communities for Scouters in the Geelong Region, can give members the opportunity to promote, discuss, and merge ideas easier than the traditional or current technologies used.

Traditionalists in this Region may not easily accept this, and others may reject these concepts because it could cause issues that are not yet recognised. However, in agreement with Boase:

… a great deal of empirical research has shown that telephones and the internet [sic] have not weakened relationships by acting as insufficient substitutes for in-person contact … To the contrary, these studies suggest that individuals draw on various media to fit their social needs and lifestyles (2008, p. 491).

Therefore, the Internet technologies are evolving and many people are now using these technologies as alternative mediated forms of communication. This paper is not asking Scout members to change the way things are done, but to consider that there are alternatives to how things can be done. Understanding newer ways of mediated communications could be considered as one of the possible future solutions.

Mediated communication is not a new concept. In some way, many Scout Leaders and other adults have already used these technologies for their Scouting and personal communications. Katz, et al., describes mediated communications as:

By mediated personal communication technology, we refer especially to the mobile phone and the Internet, but also include … Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and civilian band (CB) … these are individual-to-individual or individual-to-group technologies, as opposed to mass media … (Katz, et al., 2004, p. 316).

They also argue “… mediated life is here to stay and is thus real for us …” (2004, p. 334). If contact is made to others through email or mobile phones, etc., then mediated communications are already pervasively embedded in our everyday life.

Currently, in Scouting much of the communication between Leaders is through email, i.e. District Commissioners send monthly emails to all Leaders in their District; Branch (state level), send monthly emails to all Leaders in their Region, etc. Incorporating alternative ways of communications does not affect or change these current technologies used. However, communications can be improved by using newer applications, especially where virtual communities or online networks are considered. Wellman & Gulia state, “The Net encourages the expansion of community networks” (1997, p. 14).

Virtual communities help overcome daily issues, and the Leaders in Scouting are no exception here. Attending Group, District or Region meetings can be difficult due to social pressures, e.g. securing babysitters, work commitments, study or travelling. Because of these, and other issues, it is almost impossible to get every Leader in the same place at the same time for meetings. Therefore, important information is not exchanged or distributed. Very few Leaders know whose responsibility it is for finding out what information has been missed by non-attendance. Some believe that the person that missed the meeting is responsible. Others believe that the person/s running the particular meetings are accountable. This is one example of how communication breakdowns can occur.

From experience, information usually does not find its way to the persons that have missed meetings. An example of this is the Annual meeting, where booklets are printed for those attending. However, the non-attendee will usually not receive a copy, printed or digital. If this information were published, for example, on a privatised blog site, accessible by all members of the Geelong Region Scouts, then two things would happen. First, a virtual community or social network has been created, and second, those with Internet access would be able to access the information at any time convenient to them. Wellman & Gulia argue: “… virtual communities provide possibilities for reversing the trend to less contact with community members because it is so easy to connect on-line with large numbers of people” (1997, p. 18). This is one of the ways where communication issues can be solved. This concept could be even more powerful as a solution if social networking and Web 2.0 applications were learnt and used.

What would happen if Scouting a community were given a new platform for communications? Would the individuals utilise the advantages of this platform, to share knowledge and resources? Slevin, cited in Katz, et al., asks us to:

… recognize [sic] that individuals are intelligent agents and are consciously looking to create meaning and new forms of human association online. The importance here is to cease the divide of virtual and physical cultures, allowing for a progression, rather than abandonment, of the notion of community (2004, p. 337).

There is a strong indication here, that if given the opportunity, Leaders and youth members would then use online social networks for communications within Scouting where they could voluntarily participate and provide assistance to others (Wellman & Gulia, 1997; Ridings & Grefen, 2004). This could also increase the individual’s sense of belonging to something and being part of a wider community.

Through this convergence to newer technologies, pervasively a stronger community is created, and information will be more frequently shared. boyd argues:

… when content is relevant to individuals, they consume it and then share it. This act shifts the context to be defined egocentrically which means that rather than information being shared based on a common interest, it is shared based on an affiliation with an individual (2006).

The sharing of this information happens through the affiliations where individuals are connected to each other through online social networking sites.

By using these technologies, individuals in Scouting are then empowered to promote related activities, form stronger off-line relationships, share information, collaborate with planning of events, and more. As research shows, “…publishing individual activities is the first step toward a potential coordination with others. Making personal expression public gives the opportunity to organize [sic] collective activities” (Aguiton & Cardon, 2007, p. 55). There are hundreds of different social networking sites that can “… result in connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made …” (boyd & Ellison, 2007). Therefore, these sites could aid in promoting Scouting to the broader community and enhance communication with its members, both youth and adults.

As a trial, the 1^st Portarlington Scout Group, within the Geelong Region, created a Twitter account to evaluate if the theories proposed in this essay could have a future potential. Twitter is an online social network “… used by millions of people around the world to stay connected to their friends, family members and co-workers through their computers and mobile phones” (Huberman, Romero & Wu, 2009). Within a few weeks, Portarlington Scouts followed approximately twenty national and international Scout Twitter accounts. Many of these then followed the 1^st Portarlington Scout Group in return (Appendix 4). If two users follow each other, then both parties can view the messages or updates sent. From the sample messages attached in Appendix 5, it is understandable to see how Twitter can be used to share relevant information instantly. Alternatively, most Leaders in Geelong would have to wait for the distribution of the Scout’s national monthly magazine or Branch’s monthly emails. However, there is no guarantee that the information distributed on Twitter has been published in these traditional magazines or emails. Therefore, Leaders miss out receiving valuable information.

In summary, there is evidence that the Internet has pervasively become a communications tool that is now used in many ways. Through alternative ways of mediated communications, geographical limitations, work and family commitment issues could be resolved through online collaborations and social networking. This paper has proposed that Scouting, specifically the Geelong Region, may need to incorporate these newer Internet technologies, otherwise it could be seriously disadvantaged to acquiring new members and to forming quality off-line or between-event relationships. With over 60% of Australians being online, it is perceived that Scouting should have a strong online presence. Currently, thousands of Scouters meet physically at camps such as the Jamboree or Cuboree. There are many reasons, as theorised in this paper, to encourage these Scouters to also have a future “Net-oree”, which in turn, will encourage the promotion of Scouting to the broader community through the Internet’s technologies. With many Scout Groups already active in Geelong, the Region has nothing to lose by putting this proposal into effect. However, it does have everything to gain.

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The Future Net-oree: The Scouting Convergence to Online Collaborations and Networks by Jocelyn Peucker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from jospoika@iitdesigns.com.au

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Bibliography

Aguiton, C., & Cardon, D. (2007). The Strength of Weak Cooperation: An Attempt to Understand theMeaning of Web 2.0. Communications & Strategies, 65(1). Retrieved March 19, 2010, from http://www.idate.fr/fic/revue_telech/696/CS65_AGUITON_CARDON.pdf

Baym, N. K., Zhang, Y. B., Kunkel, A., Ledbetter, A., & Lin, M. (2007). Relational Quality and Media Use in Interpersonal Relationships. New Media & Society, 9(5), 735-752. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from Curtin University of Technology Library E-Reserve.

Boase, J. (2008). Personal networks and the personal communication system. Information, Communication & Society, 11(4). Retrieved March 3, 2010, from Curtin University of Technology Library E-Reserve.

boyd, d. (2006). Friends, Friendsters and Top 8: Writing Community into Being on Social Network Sites. First Monday, 12(4). Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1418/1336

CMO. (2010). The CMO’s Guide To The Social Media Landscape. Omniture – An Adobe Company. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://www.cmo.com/social-media/cmos-guide-social-media-landscape

boyd, d., & Ellison, N. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1). Retrieved March 3, 2010, from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

Donath, J., & boyd, d. (2004). Public Displays of Connection. BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 71-82. DRAFT Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://smg.media.mit.edu/papers/Donath/socialnetdisplay.draft.pdf

Google Search. (2010). “Australian Internet Usage Statistics”. Google Search. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met=it_net_user_p2&idim=country:AUS&dl=en&hl=en&q=australian+internet+usage+statistics

Huberman, B. A., Romero, D. M., & Wu, F. (2009). Social Networks that Matter: Twitter Under the Microscope. First Monday, 14(1). Retrieved March 3, 2010, from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2317/2063

Katz, J. E., Rice, R. E., Acord, S., Dasgupta, K., & David, K. (2004). Personal Mediated Communication and the Concept of Community in Theory and Practice. In P. Kalbfleisch (Ed.), Communication and Community: Communication Yearbook 28 (pp. 315-371). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.comm.ucsb.edu/faculty/rrice/A80KatzRiceAcordDasguptaDavid2004.pdf

McAfee, Andrew P., (2006). Enterprise 2.0: The Dawn of Emergent Collaboration. MIT Sloan Management Review, 47(3). Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://adamkcarson.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/enterprise_20_-_the_dawn_of_emergent_collaboration_by_andrew_mcafee.pdf

Ridings, C., & Gefen, D. (2004). Virtual Community Attraction: Why People Hang Out Online. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 10(1). Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue1/ridings_gefen.html

Scouts. (1996). Group Leader & Group Committee Handbook (p. 15). (2^nd ed.). The Scout Association of Australia. Australia, Littlewood Printing Co.

Scouts. (2010a). Scouts Australia’s Report to the Nation – Annual Reports. Scouts Australia. Retrieved March 19, 2010, from http://scouts.com.au/main.asp?iMenuID=17875037

Scouts. (2010b). About Scouts Australia. Scouts Australia. Retrieved March 19, 2010, from http://www.scouts.com.au/main.asp?iMenuID=646

Thompson, C. (2008). Brave New World of Digital Intimacy. Retrieved March 19, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?_r=1.

Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999). Net Surfers Don’t Ride Alone: Virtual Communities as Communities. In P. Kollock, & M. Smith (Eds.), Communities and Cyberspace. New York: Routledge. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/netsurfers/netsurfers.pdf

World Bank, The. (2010). World Development Indicators (WDI). The World Bank. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://datafinder.worldbank.org/about-world-development-indicators

WOSM. (2010). National Scout Organisations – Some Statistics. World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). Retrieved March 19, 2010, from http://www.scout.org/en/around_the_world/countries/national_scout_organisations/some_statistics

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Appendix 1

Communications from Scouting Members

Note: Names removed for privacy reasons

“Scouting is dying” (District Commissioner, Personal Communication, 2005)

“Scouting is dead!” (Scout Leader, Personal Communication, 2007)

“When our Cub Scouts promote the future of Scouting at the 2007 Jamboree, no-one will need to show up. There is no future to Scouting.” (Cub Scout Leader, Personal Communication, 2006)

“I don’t want to camp, I wanna stay home and play on the PlayStation!” (Youth Member, Personal Communication, 2009)

[Whilst at camp] “I don’t want to be here, I miss my computer!” (Youth Member, Personal Communication, 2008)

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Appendix 2

Chart – Effective functions or deficiencies

Email	Distributed to mainly Leaders and other adults	Degree of commonality = low
Instant Messaging	Person-to-person	Degree of commonality = low
Phone Calls	Person-to-person	Degree of commonality = low
Web Site – Region	http://www.geelongscouts.org.au/ Person or Small Group-to-many Has many dead of blank pages Not easy to navigate	Production is centralized Commonality = high User Friendliness=low
Web Site – Portarlington Scouts	http://www.portscouts.com.au Person or Small Group-to-many All links work Plenty of Information Easy to Navigate Complimented by national and international Scouters	Production is centralized Commonality = high User Friendliness = high

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Appendix 3

Youth Sections within a Scout Group

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Appendix 4

Twitter.com account @portscouts

List of followers

✔ Scouts de México
Boy Scouts – BSA
Clean Up Australia
G. P. Scouts
Geelong Comp Help
Haarlem Jamborette
MG – OIAS
Scouts ACT
Scouts Australia
Scouts Canada
Scouts New Zealand
Scouts Tasmania
UK Scout Association
World Scout Jamboree
World Scouting

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Appendix 5

Important Messages Received

Clean Up Australia
Sun, Mar 07 00:11:58
#cleanupaustraliaday We encourage you to post images and videos of your Clean Up Sites on our Facebook fan page http://bit.ly/bszo5J

Scouts Australia
Mon, Mar 22 15:46:18
Fullarton Cubs & Scouts build and race rafts on Totally Wild, Wed 24 March. Planning, teamwork, FUN – it’s the Scout Method in action!

World Scouting
Wed, Mar 24 16:05:47
Global Development Village planning kicks off in Stockolm: March 20 – 21, A Global Development Village (GDV) kick-… http://bit.ly/bErec4

Scouts Tasmania
Fri, Mar 12 02:37:26
Hobart Gang Show Auditions are being held this Sunday 14th March at The Lea Scout Centre 11am to 4pm BYO lunch and… http://bit.ly/a772Th

Scouts Australia
Tue, Mar 23 16:02:37
National Youth Week – Live It Now! 10-18 April 2010. Awesome events and competitions – get involved! http://youthweek.com

World Scout Jamboree
Wed, Mar 24 11:00:17
RT @Milois anyone who is a good translator (french,russian,spanish,arabic) and wants to join the planning team for #jamboree2011?

Scouts Australia
Tue, Mar 09 16:29:05
SA Scouts will be on Totally Wild tomorrow morning on Ch 10. It’s all about Cub Scout Pinewood Derbies!

Scouts Australia
Fri, Mar 05 15:03:15
The World Scout Environment Badge is now here! http://www.scouts.com.au/environment

Scouts Australia
Thu, Mar 11 15:17:51
We’re on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/ScoutsAustralia

Get a hit counter here.

Social Networks boyd, Collaboration, communication, Geelong, Geelong Region, Geelong Scouts, Online Communities, Organisation, Scouting in Geelong, Scouts, Social Networking, Victoria

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Comments

Written by Cara about 2 years ago.

Hey Jocelyn,

Great paper… in agreeance with all previous poster’s, you have brought up some very valid and interesting comments pertaining to not only the Scouting movement, but any community run or small organisation. Our Scouting group utilises technology in a bid to attract youth members, and also grow our brand awareness by using the ability to display our fun and activities in the form of photos online for others to see. Much of our communication between leaders and/or parents is done via telephone (mobile and/or landline) as well as email, facebook updates, or website updates – particularly as we have very few leaders and find it very difficult to hang around after a meeting to talk to individual parents about things that can be sent in a message. So, not only are we discussing the growth of Scouting, but the easibility created through new technologies for packs and/or troops with very few leaders, and high time constraints. I also beleive that in the future meetings arranged via online conferencing can ease the ‘Scouting load’ for many leaders who may feel swarmed at times by having many outings per week away from their family and household, to keep scouting alive. It would certainly be easier for many, particularly single parent leaders (such as myself) if some of these regional, district, etc meetings were able to be done at home, where my children can be in bed without requiring a sitter.

More comments to come… Just need to think a bit deeper on the topic and put the words in order! lol.. But these are my initial thoughts!

Once again..
Great Job and I look forward to what future technologies bring to scouting….

Akela Raksha
1st Avoca Beach Cub Scouts
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Ted

Thank you for taking the time to read my paper. I honestly cannot imagine what it would have been like to grow up in Eastern Europe. As a youth in a country Girl Scout Group – we sort of got up to lots of mischief. What can I say? We were ratbags. From learning how to cut holes into wood with pocket knives, to hiding the leaders pyjamas up in a tree, to hiking in mud (more sliding than hiking) and more. We learned to re-invent recipes, and how not to cook food. At one camp we even investigated leeches, and timed how quickly they died when salt was put onto them.

Now, as a leader, we encourage youth to have fun through all sorts of activities – making pretend volcanos and little rockets with the help of bi-carbonated soda and vinegar; canoeing; rock climbing; abseiling; getting lost in the bush(bush walking); billy-karting; cooking their own food; camping; and much more.

Did you know that there is no age limit to being a leader? (Although all leaders have to pass police checks and attain a Working With Children card). But the bonus here, is we get to have as much fun as the youth members – but we don’t get to earn their badges

Thanks again,

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

hehehe, He’s happy to see a comment on his comment
Written by ted mitew about 2 years ago.

Hi Jos, excellent paper. I have never been a scout – I grew up in communist Eastern Europe where we had the equivalent of a compulsory Hitlerjugend and I hated with passion every minute of it However, speaking of scouting, I find it fascinating how such bottom-up pre-internet social networks adapt to the online paradigm. The resilience of our desire for community is truly humbling.

Cheers
Ted
Written by ted mitew about 2 years ago.

Great
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hello Mistress B

Thank you so much for your comment. It also backs up my paper up with details of the non-scouters perception. I’ve heard similar stories from others, where you state ” … do you think we could find any information on our local scout troup anywhere? There was nothing. Nothing online,, nothing in the local community directory, not even the correct meeting times or a contact number on the sign at the hall…”

I know that there is more information on the internet now, as an example, if you type “join scouts” into google, the first link that appears is “www.scounts.com.au”, but this has not always been the case.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Tessa

Thank you for taking the time to read my paper. It will be very intersting to see if anything changes in the near or far future.

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Mistress B about 2 years ago.

Well done Jos!

I was a girl guide in my teens then as a young adult a brownie leader, my brothers were cubs & scouts, as were many of my cousins, and my husband was a venturer, so it is no surprise that we thought scouting might be good for our son. However, do you think we could find any information on our local scout troup anywhere? There was nothing. Nothing online,, nothing in the local community directory, not even the correct meeting times or a contact number on the sign at the hall. We were only able to get correct information after seeing the group at a local festival and grabbing someone. As an ex leader of a related organisation I was astounded that it was so difficult to track down this group. If you don’t put yourself/ your group out there then people can’t join. Given the wide variety of ways that people communicate with each other these days it would seem to me that there are a lot more options open for promoting oneself which should, in theory, have made our local group easier to find.

It would seem logical to me that given the rise of the internet as a communication and information tool, that it would make good sense to have a presence there on a variety of platforms, especially with the variety of options for linking the various platforms and having them update each other. For instance, a troop could have a blog that a leader or even the youth members could update, a new blog post would be available via RSS for people subscribed through a feed reader and announced through the twitter feed, which in turn would update the troop’s facebook status. Mailing lists can be used to send newsletters, photographs from events can be shared via online web albums (which can be made for member only views to protect privacy if wanted). Scouting Australia could incorporate these updates into their pages with links to the various blogs of australian troops.

There are a lot of possibilities and they need exploring. And not just for Scouts, for any community organisation. They are all struggling to find volunteers and members these days. It’s time that they caught up with how the rest of the world is communicating and advertising themselves.
Written by TessaG about 2 years ago.

Hi Jocelyn,

Congratulations on a well-written and researched idea.

I truly hope that the Scouting community heeds your advice and incorporates new technology to widen and strengthen their existing networks.

It seems the logical thing to do considering that the generation that would benefit from being a member of a scouting group, were born into the age of internet communications.

Cheers,

Tessa
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hello Jason, are you really my son? Is this what having a week off school does to you? *big grins*. This is a fantastic contribution from an almost 15 year old!

LOL = “Lots of Love” (Jason Peucker, Personal Communication, 2010)

Thanks

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka mum)
Written by Jason Peucker about 2 years ago.

LOL
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Phil

Thank you for taking the time to read this paper, and commenting on it. You have shared some more interesting notions which very well support the argument above, and give it a further reason for this proposal to be taken seriously (even though it was written for an academic uni at Curtin University).

I agree with Micheal Carr Greg’s argument that “parents need to stop being their childrens best friend, mate, buddy and playpal and start being parents”, as I have known some parents who are too busy watching TV or playing on the Internet, that they have ‘forgotton’ to take their children to Scout meetings. I have also met some parents who expect their children to make all the desicions for themselves before they are 12 years old. One example of this, is where the new Scout (11 year old), had to get himself to and from Scouts; was responisble for paying own fees; had to ‘bribe’ the parent/s to get signatures to attend events, and more.

In summary, your words have shedded light onto further issues within the stream of Scouting, that Scouting as an entity, has no control over.

Thanks again

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by phillip carroll about 2 years ago.

hi jos
great work girl a lot of thought and study has gone into this

ok down to comments il probably be all over the place but here goes

first up adults are stating a self forfilling prophesy
by quoting that scouting is dead ,adults are the very people who can make scouts work by
strong leadership forming social networks they are able to bring new adults that will continue
scouting
a great cub pack or scout group has fantastic leaders with great vision and drive that inspire the youth members ,but the minute those leaders leave ,the magic is gone unless they go beyond there little world and interact with parents of similar ilk and get them into leadership role

special events camps are great bonding for all involved but the very nature of the events
is why they work ,maintaining that bond of fellowship is something that would be great to encapsulate in some form

that beautiful graph up there is beyond argument the facts speak for themselves
the world wide web is capturing everybody not only the kids ,adults are guilty also
maybe the reason why kids arent involved in youth movements is parents are to busy
on the net themselves and use the kids as a lame excuse
as micheal carr gregg said as a recent conference me and may leaders were at
{parents need to stop being their childrens best friend,mate ,buddy and playpal
and start being parents}

using the net as a communication tool is definitely something which need to the driven
but it has to be a complete pardigm shift and the way we look at the web
site like twitter,facebook etc are great but
for something to grab the attention of youth and work as part of traditional scouting
it has to be completely new and innovative
if we use moores law as a view of the way computing will be even in 5 years who know
what will be achieved that wasnt even thought about now

last but not least net-orree is something which can be driven now ,with so many social sites
out there it is totally plausible in the here and now

best of luck with the project lots of love phil district cubscout leader
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Just had a really weird thought. In all the local papers and local reports I’ve seen, I can’t recall any of the RSL or like groups promoting for new members. I’m not saying it hasn’t happened, but I can’t recall ever seeing them.

I know that Scouting struggle to get ‘articles’ printed in local newspapers, but maybe, there is a need to get a permanent advertisement in all these papers – for all types of groups, this should further maximise potential of reaching people and having a recognised identity.

Just more thoughts sirling through the head

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Well said Stevie

But how do you make people see what they need to see?

It reminds me of the lyrics in the pocahontas song:

“You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You’ll learn things you never knew you never knew”

(Quote from ‘Colors [sic] of the Wind”, Stephen Schwartz, 1995)

I wonder what people would really do if they are prepared to walk the footsteps of other people? Or is it generic to fear the concept of change?

Cheers, Jocelyn

References

Schwartz, Stephen. (1995). Colors of the Wind. [Recorded by J. Kuhn]. Disney’s Pocahontas Sound Track. [CD]. Private Collection.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Richie,

Thank you and thank you

Your support is very encouraging. It will be interesting to see what eventuates in the future.

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Jhi

Thankyou so much for reading my paper. This comment “identified an issue and gave a solution, by using social networking to help scouting instead of killing it” is well said I may just have to use that one day.

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Stevie Marshall about 2 years ago.

Scouting has plenty of social capital. It’s organisations like scouts that have always been the bastion of social capital.

They just need to realise that if they want to help a new generation build social capital, they’ve got to apply that generation’s tools.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Jo

Thanks heaps for taking the time to read my paper, and for the compliments! I look forward to reading your paper when you do this unit. I agree, Social Networking (not based on just talking about academic ‘stuff’) certainly has made studying online more fulfilling and worth while. In so many ways, a student no longer needs to feel alone when studying.

Maybe my proposal can have a similar effect on Leaders and other organisations, where people do feel alone,but nobody knows.

Thanks again

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Hans about 2 years ago.

Jos, Unfortunate but true.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hey Chil!

Thank you for taking the time to read my paper, and for liking it You’ve raised a few points that we all need to consider. One good thing about promoting online, in Scouting’s favour, is how ‘little’ the cost could end up being.

There will never be an easy quick-fix or solve, but least different concepts can be researched, with the end result containing different mediated communications, that will suit almost everyone. Therefore, those that don’t want change, or don’t like change, won’t need to change to suit a new system – therefore, further issues could be dissolved before they even start.

Thanks again

Cheers, Jocelyn

——————————————————————————————————————

For those that don’t know, “Chil” is one of the names that a Leader can use in the Cub Scout Section. A full list of Leader names can be found at http://www.portscouts.com.au/The-Jungle-Book/Leader-s-Names.html.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Stevie,

Thank you for taking the time to read my paper, and for sharing your Scouting experiences. I hope you enjoyed the gang show

The new uniform in Scouts was introduced in 2004/2005, and was to be worn by all members by the end of 2008. There are still that where the old khaki colours, but not many.

I think you have very much nailed it on the head, so-to-speak, where you said “… a formal, protected SNS for scouting members to keep in touch …Each user could be a member of their Group, Area, State etc, and would be able to get in touch with other users around the country and potentially the globe. All in a protected environment …” This is so true and it is such a great vision. What would Scouting by like if we actually could create something like this to the worldly degree. Scouting exists in over 100 countries – MMORPG’s step aside

In your paper, you state “No longer do we have to travel long distances or make expensive phone calls to stay in touch, thereby negating much of the effect of the increased pressures of time and money. In fact as the physical distance between us becomes less of a problem, urban sprawl becomes less of a hindrance to increasing social capital.” And how true is this? A number of Scout activities/meetings that are organised at Branch level are held in Melbourne. I’m not always very good with driving long distances, and I’m always worried about parking my car in Melbourne, not just the where but how much it costs.

I also wonder, what it would be like to actually have a Cub Scout Leader conference online for Victorian Leaders. The last conference I attended, from memory, was in 2004. Many Leaders attended this conference, however, some were disappointed because they learned nothing new. I am hoping that those in Scouting that read this paper, will consider bringing this proposal into a real-world situation. Then maybe Scouting can begin to grow its own “Social Capital”.

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Sorry, forgot the reference bit!

Frankish, B. (Exec. Producer), Robinson, P. A. (Director). (1989). Field of Dreams [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Pictures.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Josh,

You make your argument well for the concept of online gaming. However, I still disagree that this has or will have the same effect upon Scouters and the Scouting communities. You state “ …online behavior [sic] does indeed cause anti-social behavior [sic] …”, and yes, I do agree. For some people most definitely, but certainly not everyone.

Does that mean, because we – as students are studying online, we are addicted to the Internet? Especially considering how much time I’ve spent online with doing this Net204 unit, reading and commenting on conference papers, and socialising through online chatting … I’m sure that the amount of hours would certainly be classified at some point as having an addiction, but is it?

With the Scouting system the way it is, my paper is not proposing that we all go on-line full time and ignore the realities of Scouting. I’ve merely proposed an argument to the point of needing alternative solutions to current communication issues that exist in the real-offline world.This communication could be in the form of having information on one large resource platform, where protected private information could exist along side public information – to further enhance the knowledge of Leaders, youth members, families and promote Scouting to the wider community. This is where there is very little expectation of losing members due to an online resource, or becoming anti-social within its community.

Members, both existing and new will still have to meet with their respective sections. Games, activities, hands-on skills, will still be learned in the real-world life. And the socialisation with others will still be a prominent aspect of Scouting.

One of the discourses involved between being a non-Scouter and a Scout is friendships. Most of us are taught never to talk to strangers, but whilst wearing a uniform, no Scouter is really a stranger to another Scouter, and as I have said in conversation to parents some years ago – where they were worried their children were meeting ‘strangers’, “.. if you never meet a stranger, then how do you make a new friend?”

A youth member can earn and receive a badge for a special set of tasks or activities. When that member attends a function with ‘strangers’, that badge then becomes an ice-breaker for verbal communication. If information was shared equally to all Leaders (for example, a social networking platform), then it is safe to assume that people will still socialise whilst having an ice-breaker to beginning conversations with others.

Ridings & Gefen state “People are first and foremost social creatures. Friendships and socials support are a central part of human life and interaction with others” (2004). I have to agree with Ridings & Gefen especially where Scouting is concerned. Scouting is made up of 100’s of fantastic Leaders, all doing their own bit, in their own way and making it work. To see a sight such as the 100 years of Scouting parade in Melbourne, in 2007 (and I believe other States did something similar) which consisted of thousands of Scouters from Victoria – Leaders, youth, parents and others, was inspiring. We as people are generically social, our Scout system is social, we just need to fill in the ‘missing gaps’

Cheers, Jocelyn

References

Ridings, C., & Gefen, D. (2004). Virtual Community Attraction: Why People Hang Out Online. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 10(1). Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue1/ridings_gefen.html
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Hans

I’ve had a brief look at the links that you have sent above, and yes, very interesting. I’ve bookmarked them for further studying when I have more time. It is very interesting to note that where you have stated above that “90% are lurkers, 9% are intermittent users and 1% are active participants.” From conversations with other organisation members, this not only appears to be percentages for online community, but also for real-life face-to-face communities.

One example of this is in one of the cat shows that operate, where the same few are doing everything, but they are getting older (most above 65 years old), but the younger ones are not helping or willing to learn how to run the cat shows. Another example, is a local R.S.L. group have also stated that they are not getting younger members. If this does not change, many organisations and clubs will find themselves obsolete in time, which will be very disappointing.

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Thanks Michael, and yes, there is a need to study the ‘how’ to reach all participants of such an organisation like Scouting. However, I also know that sometimes, something needs to be begun first before too much planning, as too much planning can take away the enjoyment of a project. To quote a familiar saying, but one that can be true, “If you build it, they will come” (Field of Dreams,1989). Therefore, if something is created, then others might join, but the joining of the platform, in respects to Scouting, should be volunteer.

Thanks again for your help

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Richie_M about 2 years ago.

Hi Jos, congratulations on a well argued, informative paper.
I enjoyed reading it and agree with your positive views of how technology and virtual communities in particular can be better used to overcome daily issues.
I found it most interesting that within the Scouts there are various subdivisions (communities within communities), and that there is a lack of communication between these groups, as this always seems to be the case when there are several branches and divisions to a group.
Most definately the use of social networking and newer Internet technological applications would improve the relationships within these groups by facilitating greater communication.
I like the idea that creating virtual communities to promote, discuss and merge ideas may make it easier than what is currently being experienced.
The point that most resonated with me was, the importance to cease the divide of virtual and physical cultures allowing for a progression rather than abandonment of the notion of community.
I think the 1st Portarlington Scout Group Twitter experiment is a fine example of progression of a pre-existing community and their success goes to show the importance of a strong online presence in order to grow and evolve within the changing landscape which is human interaction.
Excellent paper Jos, well done.
Written by Joshua Atlee about 2 years ago.

Even today the argument still stands that repetitive online behavior does indeed cause anti-social behavior even though it has become an everyday tool just like the use of the telephone or TV was. Heaps of people talk about how Web 2.0 as a platform brings people together faster, easier for a more socially connected community but this still doesn’t remove the effects of abusing this everyday tool. Abuse of this so called social tool can lead to Anti-Social behavior.

Also I referred this back to my paper because you were referring to the social side of communication tools and anti socialism as this happens all the time inside games like World of Warcraft, Some people even die inside these games and it’s all linked with their character. If the problem existed 2005 then it definitely still exists 2010, There are a lot of documents around the net from qualified doctors that tie Gaming, Addiction, Anti-Social behavior together. Even though it doesn’t happen to everyone there is a huge percentage of people these days that are affected.

Even though you can’t experience the real physical image of going camping, setting up a tent, sitting next to a bonfire, People still can do whatever they really want inside World of Warcraft the whole point of gaming is imagination, People don’t need to feel something to actually fulfill their desires.

References:
Beaumont, C. (2009). Addiction therapists signing up to World of Warcraft. http://www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/5899659/Addiction-therapists-signing-up-to-World-of-Warcraft.html

Ivanov, C. (2005).Two Fanatic World of Warcraft Gamers Have Died Because Of WoW. news.softpedia.com. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from http://news.softpedia.com/news/Two-Fanatic-World-of-Warctaft-Gamers-Have-Died-Becouse-Of-WoW-11821.shtml
Written by jhiroberts about 2 years ago.

Hi Joselyn,

A great read.

A very informative paper, well researched and presented.

I really like how you set out your argument.

I also liked how you identified an issue and gave a solution, by using social networking to help scouting instead of killing it.

Well done

Cheers

Jhi
Written by jowhite73 about 2 years ago.

Hi Jos, what a fantastic conference paper, even though it is my first, it is certainly impressive. I agree with what you are saying and I believe many organisations and/or groups can (and will) benefit from social networking. Look how much it has aided us so far in our studies,hehe. Great job mate,excellent work..
Written by Chil about 2 years ago.

Jocelyn
A very well written paper. I agree about the communication sometimes being irregular or non existent, but quite often when communication does happen it is at very late notice. Sometimes this being a disadvantage to the members.
I have no easy answer for how communication can be better but social networking may be one answer to assist with communication along with other methods currently used, as one form of communication may suit some people but not others.
Communication is everyones responsibility, and it is better for all to recieve details two or three times than not at all.
Any type of promotion would be beneficial to scouting whether it would be online, media or community awareness as many a time I have heard comments such as “I didn’t realise scouting still existed.” Promotion can only increase membership but understand this takes time and money.
Your paper certainly gives food for thought.
Written by Stevie Marshall about 2 years ago.

Fantastic paper Jocelyn.

I was a scout myself many moons ago. In the Whittlesea and the Mildura regions. I did Gang Show in Sunraysia, and some of my fondest childhood memories are from Cubs and Scouts.

I remember the distinct disassociation between groups. I was the only one in a group I’d just joined to participate in Gang Show. I remember the more I got into Gang Show the more I felt removed from my group. I also remember making alot of friends at Gang Show that I immediately lost when I moved back to Melbourne. I wish SNS were around in those days to keep me connected. I was only ten and it seems a shame that a ten year-old today could theoretically suffer a similar fate because the scouting community failed to take advantage of technologies.

Technology may have gotten in the way of the social aspects of Scouting in the past. My parents sent me to scouts to get me out of the front of the TV and the computer. However, in my paper I examine how new participatory media actually increases social capital. Horrigan (2001) shows how online communities are fantastic at augmenting real world communities and bringing them closer. Technology has stopped driving us apart and is beginning to bring us together.

I went to Moomba recently. Naturally my six year-old boy wanted to go on the Socuts’ climbing wall. I was struck that the scouts weren’t in the familiar khaki. By the looks of your membership data it would seem an updating of the image is beginning to work for Scouting. Becoming tech friendly would seem to me to be the next logical step.

It seems a shame that their isn’t a formal, protected SNS for scouting members to keep in touch. Suffice to say that while it would take significant investment, it would help Scouting grow in popularity in the future. Much of the investment could be mitigated by using Scouting’s trusted brand and network to establish an existing product. The site would need to be 100% protected and secure, and utilise scouting’s existing network, that includes adults that have had all the required history checks who could moderate the site. Each user could be a member of their Group, Area, State etc, and would be able to get in touch with other users around the country and potentially the globe. All in a protected environment where one could ensure the kids are kids.

Horrigan, J (2001, October) Online Communities. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved March 2010 from: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2001/Online-Communities.aspx?r=1

my paper: http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/commodifying-community/
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your response to my paper.

I remember some fun crazy days very well. The mad scientist nights have always been one of my favourites, along with dressing up in the 60′s ‘people power’ costumes. Thank you for your support!

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Hans about 2 years ago.

Jos,
In my paper Size is Important: Is there an optimal size for online communities? (http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/size-is-important-is-there-an-optimal-size-for-online-communities/) I referenced an article by Christopher Allen. Christopher commented on my paper and referred me to an article in his “Community by the numbers series” at his blog Life With Alacrity (http://www.lifewithalacrity.com/).

I recently went back to read the third article in the series: Community by The Numbers, PartIII : Power Laws. (http://www.lifewithalacrity.com/2009/03/power-laws.html).
As we discussed above it always seems to be the same people that do things in organisations. Chris Allen explains the measurement of the individuals intensity of involvement in a group. I think that most of us are aware of the Pareto Principle, however he distills this down further to suggest that in online communities that 90% are lurkers, 9% are intermittent users and 1% are active participants.

It is an interesting series of articles, that may assist in what you are trying to develop for the Scouting movement.
Written by Peter about 2 years ago.

Hi Jossy

You were a leader of my son many moons ago. And he still remembers the crazy days you had. Especially the chocolate cooking. and collection badge nights. and crazy science night – blowing up volcanos etc. Your paper shows that you are still addicted to scouts. I haven’t met many people that put so much effort into it as you do. Great article. Hope everything works out for you.

Regards
Peter
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Hans

You are supposed to disagree with me (or try to), after all, isn’t this a debate? I think I am supposed to argue my paper, and the advantages of my paper in return , or try to… hehehe

On that note, recently a leader explained that she had now idea how to run an activity, because she hadn’t ‘run’ it before. I merely explained to her, the details of how I’d seen that activity run by someone else (better than me), and she gained the confidence, went with it, ran it, and had success

How many other leaders are feeling like this?

Thank you very much for your response, again. It has been a great discussion/debate so far!

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Oops, sorry, forgot the references…

References

Anderson, B. & Tracey, K. (2001) ‘Digital living: the impact (or otherwise) of the internet on everyday life’, American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 456–475.

Boase, J. (2008). Personal networks and the personal communication system. Information, Communication & Society, 11(4). Retrieved March 3, 2010, from Curtin University of Technology Library E-Reserve.

Cummings, J. N., Lee, J. B. & Kraut, R. (2006) ‘Communication technology and friendships during the transition from high school to college’, in Computers, Phones, and the Internet: Domesticating Information Technology, eds R. Kraut, M. Brynin & S. Kiesler, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 265–278.

Dennis, A. R. & Kinney, S. T. (1998) ‘Testing media richness theory in new media: the effects of cues, feedback, and task equivocally’, Information Systems Research, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 256–274.

Di Gennaro, C. and Dutton, W. H. (2007) ‘Reconfiguring friendships: social relationships and the interne’, Information, Communication & Society, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 591–561.

Fischer, C. (1992) America Calling: A Social History of the Telephone to 1940, University of California Press, Berkeley.

Gershuny, J. (2003) ‘Webuse and net nerds: a neofunctionalist analysis of the impact of information technology in the home’, Social Forces, vol. 82, no. 1, pp. 141–168.

Gutierrez, T. (2010). Look at me not my chair: unmasking ability and identity online. Online Conference on Networks and Communities. Department of Internet Studies, Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved May 07, 2010, from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/look-at-me-not-my-chair-unmasking-ability-and-identity-online/

Hampton, K. (2007) ‘Neighborhoods in the network society: The e-Neighbors Study’, Information, Communication & Society, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 714–748.

Hampton, K. & Wellman, B. (2003) ‘Neighboring in netville: how the internet supports community and social capital in a wired suburb’, City & Community, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 277–311.

Robinson, J. P., Kestnbaum, M., Neustadtl, A. & Alvarez, A. (2002) ‘Information technology and functional time displacement’, IT & Society, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 21–36.

Shklovski, I., Kiesler, S. & Kraut, R. (2006) ‘The internet and social interaction: a meta-analysis and critique of studies, 1995–2003’, in Computers, Phones, and the Internet: Domesticating Information Technology, eds R. Kraut, M. Brynin & S. Kiesler, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 251–264.

Sutton, E. (2010). Multifaceted identities: Personal growth in playing with more than one character. Online Conference on Networks and Communities. Department of Internet Studies, Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved May 07, 2010, from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/multifaceted-identities/

Walther, J. B. (2002) ‘Time effects in computer-mediated groups: past, present, and future’, in Distributed Work, eds P. Hinds & S. Kiesler, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 235–257.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Josh,

Thanks for your response to my paper.

It is interesting that you’ve seen Scouts as a “privately owned business”; this reinforces other commenter’s that have pointed towards the “identity of Scouting” being a reason to its declining rate. Scouts are out there, but not everyone knows where or what it is.

Even though I would really like to take the credit for arguing that “a great deal of empirical research …” I cannot. This argument was made by Boase (2008, p. 491) in his article ‘Personal Networks and the Personal Communication System’. The concept “that telephones and the internet [sic] have not weakened relationships …” was researched by Boase, from many sources including Fischer (1992), Dennis & Kinney (1992), Anderson & Tracy (2001), Robinson et al. (2002), Walther (2002), Gershuny (2003), Hampton & Wellman (2003), Cummings et al. (2006), Shklovski et al (2006), Hampton (2007), and di Gennaro & Dutton (2007). Boase (p. 491) argues, that these studies “suggest that individuals draw on various media to fit their social needs and lifestyles”.

The “link for Anti-social [sic] behaviour [sic]” that you supplied is very true and correct. However, how would that article stand today, ten years later, with millions of people now on the Internet, and the internet has pervasively become part of our everyday lives? There are also many examples of papers on this conference which shows the advantageous of using the Internet for social reasons, one written by Tessa Gutierrez (2010), and another by Emelia Sutton (2010).

In regards to Scouting, there are some technologies already in place. For example, in Victoria, youth registrations, transfers, advancements (going up to next section), and more factual data is already managed by a web 2.0 “equivalent system”, and has been for a number of years. Therefore Group Leaders can complete the administration of youth members online. I state “equivalent system” as I am not sure exactly what software is used; we call it “extranet”.

Many activities are, and in my belief, need to be organised in a face-to-face real world way. The Internet cannot replace the comedy and companionship that is created at these meetings. However, when it comes to foods and gear organising, then yes, Internet applications could be very useful here, especially when working out what group is supplying what gear, etc.

I’m really impressed that you have tried to link your paper with this one, but I see two totally different worlds. A full or part time MMORPG is a world away from Scouting. Can you imagine what it would be like to put up a tent using computer software? Sure, it may show you the ‘how’, but the internet will never replace the real life experience – where the ground, the gear itself, the weather – rain, wind etc, can all give us challenges that no software will ever be able to ‘virtually’ replicate. We can use the Internet to learn how to use a compass, but the Internet will not help us if we are actually lost.

Therefore, this is why may paper has been aimed for “alternative mediated communications”. Losing the real world of Scouting as it is now would be detrimental. Empowering all leaders by sharing equally almost all information can only give us all an added advantage, improve our real world communications; offer a wider scope of activities to the youth, and more. In my discussions below with Hans and others, and in my paper, I have indicated that we can use these alternative tools to help other leaders have a broader knowledge base about different games, activities, what’s on, etc.

We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Cheers, Jocelyn

Note: Reference list will appear after the spam-gods have released them
Written by Hans about 2 years ago.

Jos,
What was I thinking to disagree with you.! Your reference to Wellman if course is correct. Every community has it share of doers and lurkers. It can happen that the roles occasionally reverse.
I only added a word of caution, because it would be easy for the platform to just turn into a broadcast medium, rather than an interactive discussion board. However, as you point out, with training, it is possible that the network will turn into a vibrant source of knowledge for current and future leaders.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Wendy

Thanks so much for reading my paper, and for your comment.

Last week, in the real offline world, a good example of people missing out on events almost happened. Our District Cub Leaders hard drive died. And his email addresses with it. Fortunately I keep copies of his emails and was able to send him an email of all the email addresses when his system was operational. This was urgent, as we have out yearly District Bike Ride/Jamboree of the Trail event this Saturday (tomorrow).

Even though he did get the information out on time, and even though there are others that would’ve helped him, it is still easy to play the ‘what if…’ game. What if he didn’t get the information? Sometimes I wonder if the idea of a privatised online social network is a very good idea, if for nothing else, it’s used as a place to store permanent information that anyone can access at anytime.

I still think it is a good idea

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Hans

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my paper. Congratulations on earning the Queen Scout Award … very impressive achievement.

Where you have said, “The younger generation have such a wide range of choices of where they spend there [sic] time. As Chris rightly points out there are great sports facilities, music and dance lessons as well as indoor activities of just using the Internet.” I can’t agree more. I still believe that the wider community do not know about Scouting and trying to reach the people who could be interested or finding that ‘niche’ market will take considerable time, effort and much more research that I have put into this paper, limited by word count .

However, I have to disagree with your statement of “However, you need to be careful that it is not just an audience.” An audience is what helps to have a show. Without an audience there is no show. As much as we’d all like to say ‘everyone contributes and helps out’, we know that is not true – not just with Scouting, but with every organisation, and even some work places. Wellman argues that “The tendency of the Net s to foster participation in multiple, partial communities … they can vary in their involvements in different communities, participating actively in some, occasionally in others, and being silent “lurkers” in still others” (Wellman & Gulia, 1997, p. 14). By this, it can mean that participation on the Internet can be equal to participation in real-life.

Currently, there are some Leaders who are not active outside of their own groups. I would like to assume (even though assumptions can be dangerous), that there is a chance that these Leaders appear inactive, because they do not have the knowledge or skills to be otherwise. What if there was such a place, where knowledge can be shared equally, maybe, just maybe then, these leaders that appear inactive might be empowered to become active. It is a possibility.

And I totally agree with you about their promotional identity. With the 2007/2008 “100 Years of Scouting” in the World, Australia saw a large growth in memberships. The next year, 2008/2009 Australian memberships continued to grow. It will be very interesting to see what the growth rates of 2009/2010 will be with, I believe, less advertising and promotions.

Many thanks for commenting on my paper

Cheers, Jocelyn

References

Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999). Net Surfers Don’t Ride Alone: Virtual Communities as Communities. In P. Kollock, & M. Smith (Eds.), Communities and Cyberspace. New York: Routledge. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/netsurfers/netsurfers.pdf
Written by Michael N about 2 years ago.

I am glad you followed it up I just feel it is one way of doing research to address the use and non-use and adoption levels of any group. It is just one way and not perfect but offers a good framework that might be of use should you decided to take on research for the organisation to find out what can be done to address this issue.
Written by Joshua Atlee about 2 years ago.

Hi Joce,

I agree that Scouts do lack the online world and tools to be able to communicate efficiently between different state groups or local groups, To me I’ve always seen Scouts to be a privately owned business that has group gatherings at the Scout hall locally within the town and that’s as far as the commu8nication goes, inside the hall and outside with activities.

You said “a great deal of empirical research has shown that telephones and the internet [sic] have not weakened relationships” There is also a great deal of research with people online and causing anti social interactions, What i mean is people who are using the internet regularly for communication between others are losing the real socialising skills experience in the physical world.

Another link for Anti-social behavior caused by the internet replacing physical social interactions.
http://people.hamilton.edu/bhouse/DoWeEncourage/DoWeEncourage5.html

But over all I thought your paper was really well thought of and prepared, I agree that Scouts hasn’t reach the web 2.0 platform yet but it also may take time to, but when it does fully integrate itself I can see how Scouts would grow and maybe you could do Scouts registrations online? Camp trips, organising of group meeting.

To tie this back to my paper I could say that groups that play MMORPG’s are from all the way around the country and world that join together on a web 2.0 platform but a lot of people that play this game for long periods of time which normally happens with these games causes anti-social behavior (Ng, B et al 2010).

References:
Ng, B et al. (2005). Addiction to the Internet and Online Gaming. CyberPsychology & Behavior. Retrieved May 7, 2010, from http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cpb.2005.8.110
Written by WendyL about 2 years ago.

Hi Jos
I really enjoyed reading your paper. Personally I have not been involved in Scouts so I feel that I can not comment too much about the organisation but have friends that have had wonderful experiences from their association with scouts.
My paper is on the positive effect social networks have on relationships on and off line. I can only imagine that when people have more access to information via the channels of social networks it will stop or limit the “youth missing out” on events.
Written by Hans about 2 years ago.

Hi Jos,

I am not sure that I will add anything new to the discussion, but I wanted to make a couple of observations.

I must admit firstly that my involvement in scouting ended around 1960 after I obtained the Queen Scout award. By that time I was 18 years old, got the licence and found an interest in girls. As well the khaki shorts and hat did look decidedly uncool.

There are a multitude of reasons younger people join or leave organizations. Your straw poll would be statistically invalid, however anecdotal evidence can at least be a reasonable indicator. The younger generation have such a wide range of choices of where they spend there time. As Chris rightly points out there are great sports facilities, music and dance lessons as well as indoor activities of just using the Internet. I could also suggest that parents do not see any relevance of having their child learn knots and map reading. This necessarily requires a lot more research.

Your ideas of using social networking as a community communication tool certainly has a lot of merit. However, you need to be careful that it is not just an audience. Clay Shirky said that “you cannot transform an audience into a community, with technology, because they assume very different relationships between the sender and receiver of messages” (Shirky, 2002).

Scouting does not leap out at you as a choice when deciding on an activity. I think one of your commentators said it well that tradition is fine a long as it does not stand in the way of progress. To my knowledge scouting has never advertised itself in any great manner. I only learned of scouts because a friend of mine was a member. I know for a fact that the things I learnt have stood me in great stead. Scouting can teach the younger generation a lot of valuable lessons, it just needs to make them aware of its existence and relevance.

A great paper, and a great discussion.

Shirky, C. (2002). Networks, Economics and Culture [Web log]. Retrieved from http://www.shirky.com/writings/community_scale.html
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi David

It is with much appreciation that I now write this response. I agree with how you have stated “Maybe a ‘unifying theory’ is that the Internet *is* reducing participation in Scouting …”. I am also very aware that there is never just one issue alone that can cause such a decrease in numbers.

I would be very keen to present some further ideas, including how this student conference was organised, and the success that it has been, to the CFF, in time. (That’s if it doesn’t conflict with the university)

It would be very interesting if a conference similar to this, could be opened up to all Scouting Leaders, adults and families in Victoria. As there could be many others with some great ideas, but they may not have had the chance to express them. The planning of this conference took less than three weeks, in this time these few things have happened:

The title “Online Conference on Networks and Communities” has over 1,500 links on Google, not necessarily all pertaining to this actual conference. (Google, 2010a)

The Twitter tag #netconf2010 (created by students)
returns a count of 2020 (approximately) in Google Search (Google, 2010b)

A viral marketing website, created by me, to hold all the public links for marketing this conference, had 212 hits within two weeks of being online. (NetConf, 2010)

One of the YouTube promotions created by a student has received 74 hits already. (bedlam29, 2010)

As of this morning, over 800 comments have been made on the papers presented in this conference – participated by both students and external public.
I now wonder, how much impact and viral marketing could be achieved if we had had a month or more to organise and promote this event. Actually, 80% of the organisation of this conference was achieved within eight days. In this time, we had three online ‘chat’ meetings, which all were attended by approximately 20 students each time and decisions were made. Along with this, other students also participated by adding in their ideas in their own time, where they missed meetings due to other commitments.

If this was to be taken to such an organisation as Scouting, I wonder how much could be achieved in a few months. I believe this could open or begin to open the doors to “alternative mediated communications” as stated in my paper above.

Thank you again, for your participation in this conference; your insights have been very valuable. I have started to read the document that you sent, and there is some very interesting data within it. I’m hoping to make comment on it soon.

YiS

Jocelyn

References

bedlam29. (2010). Debating Communities and Networks 2010. Retrieve May 04, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhYplIjQVdE&feature=player_embedded

Google. (2010a). Search “Online Conference on Networks and Communities”. Retrieve May 04, 2010, from http://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&q=+%22Online+Conference+on+Networks+and+Communities%22&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=ada2bf490b58749c

Google. (2010b). Search “#netconf2010″. Google Search. Retrieve May 04, 2010, from http://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&q=+%23netconf2010&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=ada2bf490b58749c

NetConf. (2010). (Designed by Jocelyn Peucker). The NetStudies Students’ Blog. 204/504 Net Students Blog for Viral Marketing. Retrieve May 04, 2010, from http://www.netconf2010.com/
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Xan,

Thanks for your response. Its great to get a comment from a parent’s (and wife’s) perspective. I’m glad to read that you think this concept could also benefit the Guiding community. As mentioned by others, this concept may help many communities that have not yet incorporated techonologies into their structures. With the persistence of Internet Software developers, there are now a wide range of tools that can be used to ease up most of the communication problems that exist (such as web 2.0 and social networks similar to ning – where they can be ‘private’).

With the support from David Hunt (below), and the Scouting Committee for the Far Future committee, there is a possiblity that change may come about, all for the right reasons. I’m hoping this happens sooner, rather than later.

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Zohara, thank you for your support on my paper. Even as I write this, I just heard of yet another situation where a Leader doesn’t want to give youth members the information to an event, because that Leader won’t be attending the event … the kids (or as we say in Scouting… the youth) miss out.

There has to be a way to diffuse these communication issues without breaching the privacy information or causing online harm. I’m hoping that those with the ability to ‘create change’ will continue to look at this paper, in a positive way.

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by David Hunt about 2 years ago.

Correction: I meant to type “…Scouting has *been* slow to respond…”
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Michael,

Thank you for commenting on my paper. You offer a very good informative link which quotes: “the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system”.

I have finally been able to make the time to peruse it, and it just may be very interesting to further study the approach (when I have more time) presented. However, as with everything, its all about baby steps, and almost always, its about three steps forward, two steps back. The two steps back are needed to re-check the structures, further investigate issues before advancing further forward.

Thanks to David Hunts’ last response below, I am sure now that in some way, this conference that has been created by us, the Net204 and Net504 students, will play an important part in possibly the Scouting and other oganisations.

Thanks again Michael

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Xan Mutimer about 2 years ago.

I am involved more in the Girl Guide movement but as a wife and parent of people in scouting I find it really annoying when leaders don’t communicate all the information to the other leaders with in the section, youths or parents. On some occasions the information is handed out the night before events thus leaving no time to really organize or even attending these events half the time. I agree to most of your comments and that of others on your work. I am glad my child has been involved in the scouting movement for so long and is still currently enjoying it but agree things need to be changed. Maybe your research can not only help the scouting movement but also us in the Guiding community as well.
Written by David Hunt about 2 years ago.

Maybe a ‘unifying theory’ is that the Internet *is* reducing participation in Scouting, to the extent that online activities compete for available leisure time; that this is only the latest in a series of ‘competing forces’ that have been cutting into available Scouting hours since the late 1960s; and that a consistent factor has been that Scouting has slow to respond to or embrace social changes and new technology, thus leading to ongoing slow declines in youth and adult participation rates.

I know that this somewhat contradicts my original statement above that “It’s hard to agree with the premise blah blah blah…” but that’s the nature of discussion– people change their opinions.

I agree completely about the importance of having this kind of forum for debate/discussion. We have discussed within the Committee whether there would be any way to create an online forum for discussing our research and debating ‘what it means and what to do about it’. With this forum, you’re provided a living example of exactly what we should be doing.

As you know, we have done a lot of research [I sent Jocelyn a copy of our 110-page discussion document, which is excerpted from about 300 pages of material. If anyone in Scouting wants a copy, please email me: david_hunt (at) canada.com], but the debate about the research has been limited to internal discussions within the Committee, one-to-one discussions with people in Scouting, and when we’ve been able to get some time on the agenda of meetings.

YIS

David
Written by Zohara Ibrahim about 2 years ago.

hi Joce, i agree the communication through social networkings is faster, helpful and useful and popular for people the methods way to communications. according to your point by using these technologies, the people who live their help them to comujnicate and it is really usefull, such as individuals in Scouting are then empowered to promote related activities, form stronger off-line relationships, share information, collaborate with planning of events, and more. anyway, i agree your points.
Written by Michael N about 2 years ago.

I might suggest that Rogers work on Diffusion of Innovations and the popular theoretical framework might be a good source to understand the process of why people and organisations adopt or not. Something for after the conference to consider.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations

I tend to agree with Patrick’s comments on this issue. I won’t comment on the exchanges on this board as I don’t know scouting or the situation, but in terms of a paper and arguement it is convincing.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi David
This, as we are doing here … is communication, and it is fantastic.

I agree with your comment in regards to, “caution against drawing conclusions from research that’s based on personal experiences and quoting personal conversations with people who are currently involved in Scouting”. However, without personal communication with others in the movement, where do you start finding out what possible issues and problems exist? One cannot form an opinion of an organisations merits or it faults without having experienced them. Don’t you agree an informed opinion is a more worthy one?

I also fully agree and believe, that while the opinions of a few do not prove any argument, at what point do the innovative, thoughtful and creative amongst us have the chance to discuss a ‘proposal’ such as this within such an environment without the issue becoming “us against them”? Thus, It is my hope that the association can understand that there is a need, for people to be able to have a say, about the future of Scouting without fear of their ideas being discarded as a minority view, without proper discussion and appreciation for the time, effort and thought put into their proposals.

In paraphrasing “the reason kids don’t join Scouts is because they’d rather be on the Internet”, I feel you are taking my research out of context, as I have shown in several examples, that some youths would prefer their technology (Appendix 1). However, I have never said that that is the absolute reason Kids are kids regardless of whether they are in Scouting or not, so why not ask them where they’d want to be? But there lies another communication problem – how do you get information from all kids collectively, from all areas (not just one or two major Scouting districts)? Maybe, the Internet could aid with this, through viral marketing?

I also agree where you state, that “The problem is that Scouting is now so far outside the mainstream that kids aren’t aware …”. And as much as we promote Scouting to the wider community, and as much as the 100 years of Scouting promotions have helped, I think there is more that can be done. Apart from my suggestions to use the Internet as a tool for promotion and communication, I’m not aware of what more we can do, I believe it will take time and much discussion to determine our future direction and the solutions to our problems.

On the mobile phones, we didn’t ban them, as such. They were allowed to bring them every week. At the end of that particular night, Leaders, youth, parents and I had a discussion about the using of them during the Scout night, as it was very hard for the youth to hold their mobile phones, and, for example, practice first aid or tie knots. A conclusion was reached, at that time, happily by youth and adults that their mobile phones would ‘remain’ in pockets (although the next week we got them to practice emergency phone calls to each other). Which they enjoyed!

On a much lighter note, I do recall seeing the mention of the “Committee for the Far Future”, but I haven’t seen enough information about it, to really know what it was. It is however heartening to know that there are others volunteering their time and effort to discuss ways to improve our community for future generations of Scouts.

YiS (Yours in Scouting)
Jocelyn
Written by Chris Johnson about 2 years ago.

David
I have to agree with in regards to valid research on what the is the real problem with Scouting to attract memberships. I have always considered it to be competition for time. Youth of today have so many options open to them on what they can do for personnel interest. Not just the Internet. First class sporting facilities. music, dancing, education and many others. An organisation who struggle to attract members usually has an identity problem.

What I mean is that its not what the other kids are doing so its not what they want to do.

Scouts are a great organisation but how many youth really know about who Scouts are.

I would agree Scouting does need to research beyond their own to find answer and Jocelyn research is limited to time and available material.

Like Jocelyn I am a student in Internet communications and her paer offers some fantastic arguments to how Scouts can better communicate with the use of web 2.0 tools. This is not just Scouts but any organisation who want to move to the generation of social media.

Computers are an important part of our lives and social media is having huge impacts on our lives.

I don’t think Jocelyn has all the answers in her paper where word limits and resources limit what can be presented.

This however has provoked some conversation on her argument that may give opportunity for Scouting Victoria to take her research further.

I think your critical comments can only help the debate and give even more weight behind further research.

I do offer a warning of caution to taking on Social Media. There are many issues to be addressed when inviting members to contribute to social media. Consider some of the issues with Facebook and MySpace. “Privacy, Cyber bulling”

Thank you for your participation in the Conference.

Chris Johnson
Written by David Hunt about 2 years ago.

Jocelyn,

Again, this is great. But I caution against drawing conclusions from research that’s based on personal experiences and quoting personal conversations with people who are currently involved in Scouting. That’s by definition a limited, selective subsample drawn from a self-selected sample that’s (dare I say it) not at all representative of the potential membership of Scouting.

Before we conclude that (to paraphrase) ‘the reason kids don’t join Scouts is because they’d rather be on the Internet’ we need to ask the 98% of Victorian kids who aren’t involved in Scouting about the subject.

I agree completely with your comment (replying to craigj) that the participation rate is so low (roughly 1/3 of 1% of the total population or 2% of the age 6-18 population) that the problem isn’t that ‘most kids aren’t interested’. You have to be aware of something before you can decide if you’re interested in it. The problem is that Scouting is now so far outside the mainstream that kids aren’t aware enough of it to know whether they’re interested or not. Did that make any sense at all?

As a Scout Leader, I’m not sure I see the problem of Scouts bringing mobile phones. I just tell them to keep the phones in their pockets. If they start making or taking calls during the night, that’s a very useful indicator that the program’s kind of boring and we need to do something else. Is it possible that the kids you mention quit Scouts because they think the ban on mobile phones is just more evidence that Scouting is an out-of-touch organization that hates technology and prizes our ‘traditions’ more than we value the judgement and opinions of kids and their parents?

To be clear about the role of the Commitee for the Far Future: we’re not an external body. We’re all volunteers doing this stuff ‘on the side’ of our regular Scouting roles. There are even a few Group Leaders on the Committee.

David
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi David,

Thank you for your feedback on my paper, and the insight to other reasons as to why Scouting memberships could have declined.

Although I only had a few weeks to research data for this paper, I had tried several avenues to gain further information about Scouting in Victoria and Geelong. During this time, I was informed by a person at HQ that the information was “… all on the Internet …” (HQ, Personal Communication, 2010). However, I could not find any particular information that was needed. In saying that, I was able to get some information from our Region Commissioner, and others Scouters in the local area. I found the Scout Heritage centre for Geelong, to have the most statistical data – however, the annual reports available did not go far back (not a lot of info pre 1990).

Above you stated “it’s hard to agree with the premise that the drop in participation in Scouting has been caused (or even accelerated) by the rise of the Internet”, I have to argue this and I could rattle on about how many examples even youth members have had, where they’d prefer to be at home with the ‘toys’ rather than meeting at with other Scouts. Apart from the examples I have given in Appendix 1, one night, I had to ban 7 mobile phones from Scout section youth members. Five of these had a problem with that, and I just quietly explained, that they could collect their ‘toys’ at the end of the night. The night proceeded very well – with no further technological interruption. Parents had encouraged their children to take the phones to Scouts, just in-case something went wrong (at least, this is the excuse the youth’s said). Unfortunately, a few of these Scouts left Scouting because they were not allowed to have their phones on them during a meeting night.

Another hypothesis for the Internet being a current cause which some Leaders have also agreed with, is on the concept of ‘socialisation’. This is where kids who ‘normally’ would have tried Scouting, due to not being out-going, or ‘sportsy’, or part of any other ‘group’ activity, usually did at least try Scouting. Even if it was for nothing else, but gaining some ‘social’ skills. These youths though, no longer ‘need’ Scouting. They have the Internet. Unfortunately, there is little academic proof to support these concepts.

However, in support to your response, I agree totally, that the costs of Scouting has become a huge deterrent to memberships. Where you have stated, ” … driving up Branch registration fees by 50% (from $40 to $60)” in relation to 1999-2001, now fees are double that again, being currently more than $120 (2010) per annum for membership in Victoria. However, there is some increase in memberships over the past two years.

I understand that we all need to look at the distant past, to determine issues for the present and for the future . I wonder what would happen, if perchance, we ignored this distant past, and just concentrated on the last five years, and the forth coming five years. What would the research prove for today, taking into consideration, the Internet, membership fees, Cub Scout handbook (too much text – not enough pictures), mass media presentation, Leader training (too much ‘school’ work, not enough FUN), internal support for leaders supporting leaders, and more… It is possible, that us, as Leaders and adults ,could find this information out without any 3rd party research organisation.

Food for thought

Thank you again for your comments

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Kero …

Thank you (but I want to know how much you were paid to say that ) Just Kidding!

Your support is very appreciated! Thanks again

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by David Hunt about 2 years ago.

Jocelyn:

This is a fascinating paper. Thanks for sharing it with the world.

As part of the work of Scouts Victoria’s “Committee for the Far Future”, my colleague Lachlan Shield and I have been looking at long-term participation trends in Scouting. If you take a long-term view, it’s hard to agree with the premise that the drop in participation in Scouting has been caused (or even accelerated) by the rise of the Internet. There has been a steady decline in both number and percentage participation in Scouting since the late 1960s, interrupted by three short periods of growth: 1976-82, 1999-2001, and 2007 to the present (See graphs below).

http://tweetphoto.com/20456163

http://tweetphoto.com/20456061

The growth from 1999-2001 was interrupted when insurance costs tripled, driving up Branch registration fees by 50% (from $40 to $60). It’s an open question as to whether, without that external shock, the growth period would have continued through today.

Our hypothesis is that the long-term drop in participation is driven by long-term social trends exacerbated by a failure of Scouting (as an organisation) to keep up with the communications needs/preferences of volunteers and parents. On that note, I think your work points in some valuable directions in terms of ways we can re-engage with the expectations of youth, parents and adult volunteers (these latter two groups are similar but not identical).

One things that is clear from the membership numbers: Scouting needs to reverse these membership trends or we really will become an extinct organization.

David Hunt

Scout Leader, 5th Northcote Scout Group
(and)
Member, Scouts Victoria Committee for the Far Future
Written by Kero about 2 years ago.

Hi J!

This paper should be obligatory reading for all those who are responsible for running voluntary organisations in Australia. That includes Scouts, service clubs, church groups and lots of others. The issues that you canvas include some that are specific to your own group, but the underlying themes of communication, participation and opportunities online would make enlightening reading for others.

Keep up the great work.

Kero
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Ooops, forgot something

Reference

ABS. (2010). September Key Figures. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3101.0
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi again Craig, you stated above “It seems its fall is in the lack of interest”, and I’m sorry, I really cannot believe this. Over the past few years I have met many people that have asked “how do I become a scout?” “where can I get information?” and, most importantly, “what are Scouts?”

Australian Bureau of Statistics states, “The preliminary estimated resident population (ERP) of Australia at 30 September 2009 was 22,066,000 persons” (ABS, 2010). Comparing this to Scout memberships in Australia of 73,955. Therefore, currently less than 1/3 of 1% (0.33513…%) are currently members.

With such a small part of the population in Scouting, is it really fair to assume that the lack membership is due to ‘lack of interest’? This is something however, that could be further researched. Do you have any knowledge of people not being interested in Scouting?

In my honest opinion, and in respect to all the Leaders out there that put so much time and effort into their Scouting roles, and to the youth that have fun, I think we owe it to ourselves to find the niche that brings Scouting back to a modern participated-in organsiation that it can be.

Cheers, Jocelyn
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Thank you Meryl,

For such an enthusiastic and supportive comment.

Cheers
Jocelyn
Written by Meryl about 2 years ago.

Hi Jocelyn,

an online community for scouts is a fabulous initiative! A social network would not only be highly beneficial for the Geelong Regional Scouts but I think it would help the whole of Scouting Australia… The connectedness and group-unity would go a long way in promoting scouting for today’s networked generation. Not only for communications, online meetings, leaders recruitment, event notices and such, but also jamborees & photo galleries of activities could be featured to encourage membership in local units. As you mentioned in one of your comments; something like a Ning Scouting site could easily be set-up and maintained… and problems like dead links and outdated information that the first commenter encountered would easily be resolved with something like a Ning network. I really enjoyed reading this paper and the flow of your argument, very nicely put !

cheers,
Meryl
Written by craigj about 2 years ago.

It looks like the numbers in ages increase, but numbers in scouting still fall.

It seems its fall is in the lack of interest.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Laura

Thanks for your comments – you offer some more ideas that can be discussed within organisations for the future.

If you are interested in comparing information, the Scouts Australia has a great website
http://www.scouts.com.au
And our Scout Group – 1st Portarlington has a website which has been complimented by many Leaders in Australia, and a few from overseas (it’s not perfect – but it works) LOL
http://www.portscouts.com.au

I would be very interested in hearing about the differences of presentations between Australia and Canada

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Sheila

Thanks for your comments! And yes… I have hundreds of pictures from the Australian Scout Jamboree. Both my husband and third son were there. They both had a great time. Only around 10,000+ Scouters from all over Australia, and other countries attend the almost two-week camp!

For anyone reading this, Sheila has written a great paper, titled: Web 2.0 Platforms and Health Care: How Online Support Groups, Blogs and Social Networking Sites are Facilitating Online ‘Communities of Care’ Link: http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/web-2-0-platforms-and-health-care-how-online-support-groups-blogs-and-social-networking-sites-are-facilitating-online-%E2%80%98communities-of-care%E2%80%99/

Thanks again, Sheila for commenting – lets hope that this will the open eyes for those in organisations that tend to keep them closed.

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hey Jay

How is all the abseiling going? Thanks heaps for your response.

I agree… There needs to be further research into what platform will work, what is secure, and possibly, well definitely … a separate platform for the promotion of Scouting. One thing that has always intrigued me, is the Scout Monthly magazine that we, as Leaders, receive. It is full of some great articles that Groups and others in Scouting have done, but rarely do the general public know of these articles. I honestly don’t even know if these articles go online at all for public promotion!

It will be very interesting to see if my proposal within the paper, will be taken to the next step… reality

Thanks again for your response, say “Hi” to the kids and the “Boss” for me:)

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Craig,

Thank you for your comments, they are very appreciated.

Yes, Scouting is very much a real-life, hands-on activity, to which the Internet will never be able to substitute as typing into a computer is a very different skill to tying knots, and being geographically challenged in the bush.

Interesting question regarding demographics Thank you. Here is a ‘small’ overview of the deographics from the last three census statistics from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS, 2007), along with the 2008/2009 approximate statistics for City of Greater Geelong (COGG, 2009):

Census (ABS, 2007) for 1996, population of children for ages 6 to 26 : 69,832

Census (ABS, 2007) for 2001, population of children for ages 6 to 26: 68,885 (Decrease of 947)

Census (ABS, 2007) for 2006, population of children for ages 6 to 26: 70,849 (Increase of 1964)

City of Greater Geelong (COGG, 2009) for 2009, population of children for ages 6 to 26**: 73,565 (**Increase of 2716)

**Note this is not a confirmed census amount, as it is a figure generated from the statistics of population within the document. The age ranges were not in the same exact ages as the three census details.

Therefore, by reading the statistics above, it is quite obvious that there was a slight fall of Scout “aged” youth in the Barwon Statistical Division from 1996 to 2001, since then there has been a signifance increase within the age range.

Without graphing this information (as these comments are all text), the increases and decreases of the youth aged population do not match the increase/decrease of Scouting memberships in the same area. I honestly do not believe that the demographics are useful as a conclusive cause, at this point in time.

What do you think?

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)

References

ABS. (2007). 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Barwon (Statistical Division) – Vic. Cat. No. 2068.0 – 2006 Census Tables. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?action=404&documentproductno=210&documenttype=Details&order=1&tabname=Details&areacode=210&issue=2006&producttype=Census%20Tables&javascript=true&textversion=false&navmapdisplayed=true&breadcrumb=LPTD&&collection=Census&period=2006&productlabel=Age%20by%20Sex%20-%20Time%20Series%20Statistics%20%281996,%202001,%202006%20Census%20Years%29&producttype=Census%20Tables&method=Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence&topic=Age%20&%20Population%20Distribution&

COGG. (2009). Economic Indicators. Bulletin 2008/2009. Geelong Business. City of Greater Geelong. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/business/documents/item/8cc94d48f341813.aspx
Written by laurap about 2 years ago.

Jocelyn, I came by to read your paper because a friend of mine was interested in volunteering as a leader for Girl Guides or Scouts here locally in Canada. Well, all she came across was a bunch of poorly built and outdated webpages with old phone numbers and email addresses. It was difficult to find information online about what was available in her area, let alone the qualifications or “FAQ” about someone interested in volunteering.

I’ve poked around myself recently for a few reasons (including wanting to help my friend get his son into a Scouts troop) and boy, I have to say that their internet presence is a mess. There’s some information on Facebook for Guides Canada, but mainly concerned leaders and parents that are struggling with a merge to a national identity and fee hikes. Doesn’t paint a positive picture. The inconsistency makes it impossible to locate simple information like a map with all the available chapters and contact info, fees, etc. I really want my kids to participate in programs with Scouts or Guides so I really hope they get things cleaned up.

I imagine that starting with the leaders would be a good place to assess privacy and adoption concerns, before letting the kids loose! Lets face it, the kids are going to be on the internet anyway, I’d rather my kids were chatting with their friends from scouts in a safe environment than searching Google for who-knows what!
Written by SheilaM about 2 years ago.

Hi Jocelyn,
I enjoyed reading your paper; it’s very well researched and you obviously know your topic well. I personally don’t have any experience of scouting organisations, however have had a fair bit of experience in community organisations, and can identify with dwindling numbers and problems with communication. As you say, scouting has nothing to lose by embracing social media technologies, and everything to gain. I think the same could be said for community groups in general – eventually they will have to embrace new technologies or be left behind.

By the way, you wouldn’t believe scouting was dead if you were in Sydney a few months ago -they seemed to be everywhere!

Sheila
Written by Jay Baynes about 2 years ago.

How are you Jos.
Well done on your paper it’s very well presented. You may have swung my views on the whole social networking side of things. I can now see that this could have great advantages in the availablitity of communication to both the Leaders and Youth members in the Scouting Community. If the lines of communication is not past on from leaders to other leaders, or even to the youth, then how are they surpose to find out about what is going on, such as activities within the sections, groups, district, region or even branch. This will open another side to communicate, to pass information on, or even just have a chat.

This day and age the kids are able to pick things up quite quickly. With other networks such as MSN, Scipe, Facebook, Twitter, they soon pick up how ther work and are able to communicate. The only thing that I have concerns with, is that it needs to be a secured line so not just anyone can have access. For this you could have a passport that could be their Reg number. I know that this is a promotional thing to promote scouting to the outter community, but you still could have a general page for the community to find out about scouting.
I agree with Scott L., in that not knowing what is going on, such as events or activities, can make you a little angry when you are left out of the loop. so we need to find other ways to get the info out.
Once again, well done. Hope that this works, and that it opens up the Lines so we dont get disconnected…….
Jay.
Written by craigj about 2 years ago.

Hey Jos,

You have done a great job on your paper. I think you have picked a unique topic and you have done your research.

In some way, I think the hypothesis of video games and the internet reducing the numbers is a fair call. Scouts, I would image, is a very hands on activity for building rapport and hands on education? I feel the internet would only be useful for marketing and keeping club members in touch. As you mentioned “virtual communities for Scouters in the Geelong Region, can give members the opportunity to promote, discuss, and merge ideas easier than the traditional or current technologies used.”

In the Geelong area, might it be that those people seen in 1995 (2131 members) have slowly moved away or the children have simply gown up or the demographics have changed?

Well done.
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi CheaTeingYea

I’ve replied quite in depth to Nat’s comment above, about the fact the Leaders do meet face-to-face as much as possible, and why there are reasons to improve communication. (If you can’t see it yet – its because the spam gods put it into the spam box, and we have to wait for the tutor gods to ‘approve’ it – LOL).

One day, when I’ve found another spare three seconds, I would like to investigate how different countries operate Scouting. But alas, I have no spare time in the very near future.

Regarding Leaders not showing up, I have to believe that all Leaders are in Scouting for the benefit of the youth, and rather than search for negatives (i.e. Leaders intentionally not showing), I’d rather look at the positives – how to get information to Leaders that cannot not make meetings due to other commitments. Thanks for your reply. I am enjoying the experience of a real-life conference, and now that I’ve caught up with my comments – I’m going to go read others’ papers.

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Nat

Thank you for your comments

Yes, I agree with you, there could be a huge link between the growth of Scouting and the celebration of it being 100 years old around the world. In 2008, Scouting celebrated 100 years of Scouting in Australia, and in 2009, we celebrated 100 years of Scouting in Geelong.

For 100 Years in Geelong, it would’ve been great to see more public promotion, even a badge made for such an occasion. Oh well, I may have to stick around till 150 years of Scouting -and I will be very old then.

Although I can understand where you are heading when you have stated that “Since Scouts is aimed at 6-26 the media for communication used should be most appropriate for them rather than what is simplier [sic] for the headship” (Nat, 2010). This is where I disagree. I believe that communication is persistent in the form of a ‘domino’ relationship. If you start communication somewhere, then later, other avenues can be explored. Leaders do still meet, face-to-face. Camps, and other events, and such are still very much organised on a face-to-face basis. But there are times, as I’ve shown in my paper, when Leaders cannot make information meetings, thus they miss out on the content.

If Leaders were to start enjoying Scouting again (especially for some), by having all available options and communications open to them, then this in turn, would encourage youth members to communicate for fun and for promotional reasons. As has been proven by better people than myself, fun *is* contagious, and can spread quicker than a virus. But this communication problem as stated by Ted Pitfield and Scott Laidlaw in their responses to this paper is not new, nor does it make for a happy Leader.

As Scott Laidlaw stated in his response ““I have at times felt angry when I’ve been kept out of the loop and I have also been unintentionaly [sic] guilty of excluded others from the loop” (Laidlaw, 2010). This feeling of anger, from experience, grows rapidly. If there is a way to diffuse these disappointments and frustrations, then I do believe that Leaders will be much happier in their respective positions, and there is a higher chance they would then be recognised for their efforts, no matter how small. As students, we have congratulated each other, at some point, for high marks, for passing, for even just submitting a paper.

Leaders spend hours planning meeting nights, planning day events, special activities and more. But hardly ever do we actually say “congrats”, “job well done” or other to each other – this is something that I am also guilty of sometimes. In group/district/region meetings that I have attended over the past 8+ years, it is very uncommon to hear section leaders complimented for the ‘small’ but important things that are done. Leaders do receive “outstanding certificates” over the years (usually after 4 to 5 years of service), and all leaders are collectively thanked as a ‘whole’, but this is not an individual acclamation. This is just one of the communication breakdowns that do occur, that *can* be fixed.

Leaders within Scouting, no matter their position, are (in-a-way), also managers. The Cub Scout Leader ‘manages’ the pack, the coordination of activities, etc. The Group Leader manages the Leaders of the Group, and some activities, and so on. One the concepts for creating better communications for these managers (aka all Leaders) is further supported by Koontz and Weihrich, in their second point of managerial skills, the Human skill “…is the ability to work with people; it is cooperative effort; it is teamwork; it is the creation of an environment in which people feel secure to express their opinions” (1990, p. 5). In summary, Leaders usually arrange activities for the kids, especially the younger age groups. If communication is not consistent and Leaders don’t get the information, the children (which is the entire purpose of the existence of Scouting, in my belief), will miss out.

Definitely there is much more scope for research into this area needed

Cheers
Jocelyn (aka jospoika)

References

Koontz, H. and Weihrich, H. (1990) Essentials of Management – An International Perspective. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Educational Private Limited (pp. 3-7).

Laidlaw, S. (2010). [Commentor] The Future Net-oree: The Scouting Convergence to Online Collaborations and Networks. Online Conference on Networks and Communities, Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved April 27, 2010, from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/the-future-net-oree-the-scouting-convergence-to-online-collaborations-and-networks/

Nat. (2010). [Commentor] The Future Net-oree: The Scouting Convergence to Online Collaborations and Networks. Online Conference on Networks and Communities, Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved April 27, 2010, from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/the-future-net-oree-the-scouting-convergence-to-online-collaborations-and-networks/

Pitfield, T. (2010). [Commentor] The Future Net-oree: The Scouting Convergence to Online Collaborations and Networks. Online Conference on Networks and Communities, Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved April 27, 2010, from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/the-future-net-oree-the-scouting-convergence-to-online-collaborations-and-networks/
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Thank you Ted, I feel very honoured that you have taken the time to read this paper.

You said, “You are on the right track here so please keep it up”, many thank s for your encouragement. I would be very intrigued to learn the ‘how to’, to take the concepts of this paper into the reality of Scouting in Geelong, and begin a combined plan of possible future communications, not just with one or two committees, but with the collaboration of all Leaders and adults within Geelong Scouting.

A program, such as Ning where it is a “… social platform for the world’s interests and passions online. With Ning, you can make your brand social, amplify a cause you’re passionate about, or simply forge strong relationships with like-minded people” (Ning, 2010), could be one to consider.

Chris Johnson (2010), a fellow student, invited us (as students) to collaborate in a private Ning group particularly to plan and communicate with other students for this conference. I believe we had a lot of success. Some of the advantages to using a Ning type application/platform are: everyone within the group can read all discussion, ideas, decisions, and make comments on this; things can be organised by all members, without all members having to be at the same place at the same time; authentication can be organised in accepting members for that group. This is something that can be explored further.

References

Johnson, Chris. (2010). Apple’s internet: My iPhone is killing the internet. Online Conference on Networks and Communities. Curtin University. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/apple%E2%80%99s-internet-my-iphone-is-killing-the-internet/

Ning. (2010). What is Ning – About. Ning Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from http://about.ning.com/
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Thanks Emelia!

Your comments give further insight “… not only would scouts benefit …” (Sutton, 2010), regarding my paper. I concur, especially after recent conversations with members in Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs and others, where there appears to be large generation gaps. In order for these clubs to keep going, younger people, and a wider variety of people need to become involved. How do we get more people involved?

Currently, in our Scouting district, we have the youth attending the weekly meetings, but we do not have the Leader count to support the amount of youth. It is becoming harder and harder to get more adults involved as Leaders. However, to really determine the reasons of this, would take many hours of research, and probably a 200,000 word book (something I haven’t got time to do – yet.. hehehe).

For anyone reading this, Emelia has written a great paper titled “Multifaceted identities: Personal growth in playing with more than one character”, link: http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/multifaceted-identities/

Thanks again Emelia

Cheers
Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Scott

Thank you for such an in-depth insight into your experience with Scouting as a Leader, and for your support to this paper. Twitter and Facebook are not the only platforms available for computer mediated communications. There are many more, which I am happy to explore them, with the aid of others, if this proposal was to be accepted in real-life.

I agree, and have noted, that no one should really be left behind and communications should not be limited to either the Internet or Email/SMS’s. A variety of information services may have to be incorporated to ensure future distribution of information to all, and at the same time to promote Scouting to the public. No Leader or Adult in Scouting should be forced to join any network on the Internet, neither should these Leaders be forgotten nor ignored. Finding all the possibilities available would take time and research, but the result would have many advantages. As I stated in my paper, “This paper is not asking Scout members to change the way things are done, but to consider that there are alternatives to how things can be done. Understanding newer ways of mediated communications could be considered as one of the possible future solutions” (Peucker, 2010)

In your response above, you said “Scouting needs to educate all members of scouting about the different forms of communication that are available…” (Laidlaw, 2010). I really would have to debate this, as the Scouting organisation itself have already got the hands full with what they already do. I believe its out job to educate ourselves and each other, and share the knowledge around. By this, we would help each other, not just in Scouting, but in our own daily lives of communication skills.

In this unit of studies at Curtin University, I have seen students who know absolutely nothing about each other, with the exception of a name, come together online and collaborate for this event. I wonder, how much constructive communication and collaboration would occur, if a similar thing happened, but with people you know .

p.s. On a lighter note, thanks for the second message, where you corrected your own sentence, but, *grins*, you spelt my name wrong

References

Peucker, J. (2010). The Future Net-oree: The Scouting Convergence to Online Collaborations and Networks. Online Conference on Networks and Communities, Curtin University of Technology. Retrieved April 27, 2010, from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/the-future-net-oree-the-scouting-convergence-to-online-collaborations-and-networks/
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi Patrick

Thankyou for your comments! The above paper was written intentionally as a one-sided argument, and due to its length limitations, it was impossible to write about everything.

There are a number of students who have written papers about privacy issues and potential or known dangers of the Internet, under the conference stream, ‘Identity in Communities and Networks’. Although I’m intending to peruse them, I haven’t as yet, however, When I have, I will add some links here, in a second response . There are many topics written on “potential dangers” which I do believe should be recognised and learned, not just for the youth, for the Leaders and other adults too.

I very much enjoyed reading where you wrote ” … Scouting needs good news stories …” and “This offers more rapid socialisation at the event, (breaks the ice) …’ (Coutin, 2010). Very true!

It’s great to read views from other leaders, and I hope that all this information can be collated as a constructive input to form real-life future changes. Thanks again.

Cheers
Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Nat about 2 years ago.

Hi Jocylyn
When reading your paper, I wondered if the sudden increase was due to the massive advertisment of 100yrs of Scouts a few/couple of years ago? That aside I believe Scouts is the type of organisation that would go in and out of ‘vogue’. I am a member of the State Emergency Service and we also have times of plenty and times of few when it comes to membership. Creese, Cribb & Spicer (2008, p.13) stated..“the best use for social networking software is to give an alternative avenue for communication under an existing relationship, not to cultivated a new one”. .. Since Scouts is aimed at 6-26 the media for communication used should be most appropiate for them rather than what is simplier for the headship (although a spot inbetween is good also). CheaTeingYea did bring up an interesting point about excuses for non-attendance and limit of skills taught however along with anything new(ish) all factors need to be considered. The paper was definately thought-provoking with even a trial to refer to no mean feat. I can see this becoming more of an research item in the future.

Ref:
Creese, J. Cribb, J and Spicer, J. (2008, February 1-2). Social Networking: never mind the student, what about us? Use of Social Networking Softwares for professional networking and development for library staff. Paper presented at the 2008 Beyond The Hype: Web 2.0 Symposium, Brisbane, Australia. Retrieved April 2, 2010, from http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:124191
Written by CheaTeingYea about 2 years ago.

I meant Leaders not showing up for meetings (i.e., committee meetings discussing operations, camp organising, etc.)

I’m not sure exactly what the Leader here means, but I get your point. =) Yes, the Internet would be a good thing for them.

I’m affiliated with a Scout Group in Malaysia. I can’t say that I understand the Scouting system back home (I can’t even give you an example, hahaha), but it is quite different than the system here. Based on what I remember.
Written by Ted Pitfield about 2 years ago.

Congratulations on your essay.
Was easy to read and very thought provoking.
Having been involved in the Scout Movement for over 50 years I have seen many opportunities missed to communicate well to our Adult leaders and Youth members.
You are on the right track here so please keep it up.
Robert Baden-Powell the founder was a man for the future in his day and so must we be if the Scout Movement is to survive.
Tradition is a good thing but not when it stands in the way of progress.
After all yourve got to be in it to win it.
Written by Emelia Sutton about 2 years ago.

Dear Jocelyn,
You’re paper is very informative and speaking as someone who has never been involved in Scouts I found it easy to understand and relate to similar communities within my own life. As older generations move on I believe that technology will become more prevalent within all real life social communities, even spawning splinter groups of social networking communities within that construct. With the appropriate management and moderation of these communities I feel not only would Scouts benefit from Social Networking Sites, Blogs and Web 2.0 sites in general, other interested (national or international) communities will benefit from being able to contact and communicate with similar groups. As with all community groups, attracting new members is difficult. By using social networking sites not only would you be able to break the stereotypes that surround Scouts, but also by having articles/comments/testimonials available you will encourage a digital history of your group to be proud of in years to come. By using technology as a tool Scouts would be able to use technology to increase its membership rather than use it as an excuse for its decline.
Many thanks,
Emelia
Written by Patrick Coutin about 2 years ago.

Well done Joceyn ! An interesting well written essay. While I think you have covered the advantages of using the internet really well, I think the real advantage / opportunity is to combine the scouting traditions with modern technology. I suggest you discuss the disadvantages of just uising the internet and the potential dangers for young people ! Consider the importance of teaching young people to socialise through scouting and face to face meetings coupled with the staying in touch through twitter, facebook or email. Motivating youth and their parents to become involved in scouting needs good news stories about the fun and benefits to be reinforced through repeated messages via the media. The examples that you give of communicating exciting activities in scouting has several benefits including : personal recommendations, new ideas, rapid feedback on very recent events, competition between members to achieve badges, try scuba diving etc. However, there are other opportunities / benefits of getting to know others from other communities before a Jamboree for example. This offers more rapid socialisation at the event, (breaks the ice) and can create appropriate expectations of the event.
More later

cheers
Patrick
Written by Scott Laidlaw (aka Akela) about 2 years ago.

Hi Joselyn,

further to my input, I can’t spell (poor communication skills). There is a sentence in my first comment that should read “I have at times felt angry when I’ve been kept out of the loop and I have also been unintentionaly guilty of excluded others from the loop.”

cheers Scott
Written by Scott Laidlaw (aka Akela) about 2 years ago.

Hi Jocelyn,

having been involved in scouting for 6 years or so I have have certainly observed when communication within the Scouting movement has worked and when it hasn’t. I remember from my leader training, both basic and advanced, the trainers were always banging on about communication. Couldn’t understand why at the time especially when I was too full of enthusiasm to be the best leader I could be and to run my cubs section ‘the right way’.

I noticed that when communication between leaders sometimes broke down this could lead to ill feelings, misunderstandings and sometimes anger. Amazing sometimes how rapidly (mis)information would travel around scouting through ‘the grapevine’ not just through leader-leader contacts but also leader-parent as well. I know this form of communication occured at both official scout meetings and during more casual opportunities using face-face and phone conversations.

Reading your article certainly provoked me to think about what I have experienced in scouting with respect to communication. While I don’t consider myself to be one of the traditionalists I’m starting to feel left behind as I stubbonly refuse to have anything to do with Facebook, Twitter etc. Thinking back myself and the leaders I have worked with have mainly used face to face meeting, emails, paper notices, SMS and phone calls to communicate. Which of these forms were used depended on the number of recipients, the urgency and sometimes the cost. For example an SMS is cheaper than a phone call which is cheaper that driving to a meeting.
Each form of communication has some shortcomings (listed below) and I expect these vary from individual to individual. I’m sure you and others will have different views and can add to my comments.

Meetings (face to face) – not always convenient timing and sometimes long distance travel involved but they are good for a meeting of more than two people.

Mail – more likely to read if I recieve it but not always, slow, expensive to send to multiple people, postbox or post office not always close or convenient.

Emails – faster than paper mail but not necessarily effective if the recipient doesn’t check emails regularly (I’m guilty of this).

Phone – not always convenient timing, voice messages not relied to, lack of body language

SMS – good for rapid communication but I have experienced cases when this led to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Poor spelling/abbreviations and a lack of body language / voice inflections can be misinterpreted as being rude, inconsiderate or even dictatorial. This is not good if you are trying to foster team work. Sometimes messages are too short to include important details.

I can’t help but wonder as we move into this new era of ‘Social Networking’ how you incorporate these new forms of communications effectively without alienating us older ‘Luddites’.

The danger I see in this is that if information is distributed in some forms (Twitter/Facebook) only then some members of the Scouting community will feel excluded and left out. I have experienced this with SMS’s and emails from both sides. I have at times felt angry when be kept in the loop and I have also been unintentionly guilty of excluded others from the loop.

There are several challenges that I think scouting needs to tackle. Scouting needs to educate all members of scouting about the different forms of communication that are available, in use and their limitations. Members of the scouting community also need to understand the importance of reaching 100% of the intended recipients. This would likely require messages to be sent broadly in multiple formats.

We need to remember communication is important for any ‘community’ to function well and we should not assume that one form will suffice. We need to know who we want to communicate with and how they will best recieve our mesaage.

all the best with your conference
Scott
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hi CheaTeingYea

Thank you for your comment. In reponse to your question, I think absolutely yes, some will take it for granted, and this would not be limited to just the Scouting organisation. In some ways, it happens on a daily basis. There are those that put there heart into it and attend every meeting, with little or no recognition, then there are also those who do little, but make a lot of noise to get recognition, finally there are those that just “do”.

Because Scouting is a hands-on structured environment, it is very unlikely that the Internet will ever be able to be a subsatitution for skills such as cooking, camping, using a compass, canoeing etc. The information that I have obtained so far through Twitter (see Appendix 5), so far is in no way a replacement for real-life Scouting, but there certainly is a need for alternative mediated communications to enhance the distribution of information equally, to all Leaders.

On the other side, what if a Leader believe meetings were boring and repititive, therefore he/she did not attend them, and then one day, received online information about a new badge or event that piqued their interest? This Leader may be excited about this new information, and attend the next meeting with other Leaders, to share the information. In this scenario, the Internet has caused real-life social interaction in a situation where otherwise none would have existed. This could only be a good thing, yes?

From your last comment, it sounds like you know Scouting in a different country. May I ask where?

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by Jocelyn Peucker about 2 years ago.

Hey Chris,

Thanks for your reply. I think all organisations that are real-life, are struggling for memberships in one way or another, but using the old saying: “If you can’t beat them – join them” comes to mind, when thinking of how many people now use the Internet and the applications incorporated. Thanks again.

Cheers, Jocelyn (aka jospoika)
Written by CheaTeingYea about 2 years ago.

I see that utilising social media can supplement communication within the scouting movement.

But what if Leaders and members relied on these social applications for updates (because it’s readily available and always there) that they rarely show up for meetings, citing work or personal reasons that they can’t get away from? In other words, they may take the social applications for granted.

Seems trivial, but in your opinion, do you think that could happen?

* I’m not sure how the system here works in Australia in regards to attendance, by the way.

CheaTeingYea
Written by Chris Johnson about 2 years ago.

Jocelyn
I really enjoyed reading your paper. There a great opportunities for groups such as Scouts to utilise Social Media to grow their organisations. You paper argues this well.

Communications through social networks is fast becoming the preferred method of communications.

As a member of the Brass Band Community we struggle to get the attention of new members. You paper has given food for thought as to what can do in our community.

The Chriso