Website Redevelopment Project 2023

Use this Feedback Form if you have any suggestions, ideas or comments on how to improve the Scouts Act website.

Branch Youth Council ideas pre-August 2023:

1. Bring as much content as possible from out behind the login so youth can be empowered and informed to plan their own activities
2. Create new pages for the Program Team and Program Support Team to share resources, information and opportunities
3. Want to use Instagram to connect with people

Ideas from Branch Scout Council - August 2023:

• Show cool activities and adventures (not just hikes and trips but also normally night so people who want to join aren't surprised)
• Videos of thing we do
• make a video of on camp interviews with Scouts and ask what they love, what they are doing on the camp
• Images and information about Scouting events
• Images of Units

Types of content Scouts would like:

• Appealing images/videos
• Australian Scout Award?
• EVENTS!
• Branch Scout Council
• Awards
• Pure Scout material

How to appeal to young people:

• Good Looking “Aesthetics” (watermark captions editing)
• Easy to understand - Short and Direct
• Clear Content
• Day in a life, get ready with us
• Colourful and eye catching content (Scout colours)
• Music on Stories or video posts

Include more information about Groups on the Scout Groups page.  Include: their website, external and internal pictures of halls...

Create a page to upload and share Youth Programs so that Leaders can re-use what others have done. 

Could be a table of the following: program name, summary of program, youth group aimed at (Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, Vennies, Rovers) document file that has all details in it, who posted it (not who made it), maybe a rating system for how good it was?. Uploaded documents would need approval before being published to avoid unpleasant postings.

For example, I could share my Scouts Chariot Night program or my Orienteering at Weston Park program.

These were the ideas from brainstorming at the Branch Scout Council(BSC) meeting on 13 Sep

1. Photo slides on main page (not really old ones and are updated regularly)
2. Something to help recruit new Scouts to the Groups that need them so that Group gets more Scouts.
3. list of Groups and if they are full or want new members
4. Move contacts for activities providers (AA) to public site so we can see them
5. A new BSC page (done :-)) and menu option to get there!  This is to include the next meeting: where and when, plus notes (minutes) from the last meeting.
6. A shared list of program activities that are run so Unti Councils can get inspiration and people can add to.
7. set (or choose) your own colour theme for the website
8. recipes that Scouts have tried
9. be able to access their group's emails so we can contact them
10. videos of interviews with Scouts about how a recent activity went
11. fund raising ideas page (including events that need funds and how much?)
1. GG's Camp
2. Summer Camp?
3. Scout Groups (some don't have much money due to the small No of Scout members)
12. a Donations page!
1. allow people to make tax-deductible donations to Scouts ACT and
2. if they want to, identify a particular Group to help - might (not necessarily to get all the money donated, but a good slice)
3. identify Groups or activities that are looking for funding and what the money is for
13. Event Page with coming and maybe past events on it, must include a contact for coming events
14. Make the website mobile compatible - BSC said it was hard to use on their mobile phones.

Tell people how to subscribe (and unsubscribe yourself) to emails or alerts that certain pages have changed.  I suspect that the existing ScoutsIT list <scoutsit@scoutsact.com.au> does this, but do people know they can subscribe to this? (I didn't)

• I'm wondering if only Branch Office can subscribe people due to content of these emails having privacy issues (ie. only to go to Scouts ACT members?)

Have a SiteAdmin person (previously 'webmaster') whose job it would be to keep an eye on emails and other info sent out to Scouts ACT and make sure it gets onto the ScoutsACT website.  Maybe have an idea submission form linked to a new SiteAdmins@ScoutsACT.com.au email address advertised on the website.  This would expand to a group of volunteers over time.

Scouts Australia useful links page?

I didn't know that Scouts Australia published their research and results of surveys!  You get to it at the bottom of the Resources pageand here is the link that takes you directly to the information.

I particularly liked the adult_experience_survey_-_noc_presentation_-_june2023.pdf .

Create an IT Support Page to host Guides, Fact sheets, FAQs. 

• how to use Gmail accounts:
• Scouts
• personal
• Unit level role account (eg. Joeys.Garren@ScoutsACT.com.au)
• how to switch between accounts
• get notifications of new emails in all the above
• how to get a password reset for: Google ID, Scouts Oz ID.
• Operoo [AN Note: already on website, make easier to find]
• OLEMS (Scouts Australia system)
• using stuff from your mobile device as well as PC
• instructions to not use your private account for any "Scout member work" stuff

Promote the AA Teams better. (move to public bit of website)

Plus be able to access the AA Teams by name (as now), as well as OAS type.

Check that each of the AA Team contact information on the website is up-to-date:

• Alpine:
• Downhill
• Cross Country
• Tours
• Snow Play
• Snowboarding
• Archery
• Air Activities:
• Balloon
• Power
• Bushwalking
• Canoeing
• Pioneering
• Rock
• Scuba / Snorkeling
• 4WD
• Boating? (no web page yet)
• Mountain Biking? (no web page yet)

Add filters to the Branch Calender for: (each section: Joeys, Cubs etc), Courses, room bookings, and other themes.

AN NOTE: I found out that you can already do this!

Create a Unit Program page that has a list of activity programs like what was made at the Branch Planning Day.  This is so that we don;t have to keep reinventing the wheel.  The old Branch books are good but they are 60 years old now.

Start with a list of Term Programs to get the names of the activities, then have the details of each activity so Leaders can just use them as needed in their own program.  Have contact details for person who made it (optional).

ACT Scouts email subscription category list page that people can subscribe or unsubscribe from them themselves. Maybe in the Member's area of the webpage.

This would allow people to tailor the emails they get so they don't get spam about stuff they are not interested in, but also allows people to get info on a broad range of things if they choose to. The Branch all-ACT emails would be one category and possibly mandatory for all.

Suggested categories are: Sections (Joey, Cub, Scout, Venturer, Rover), Events, Fund raising, Branch News.

Does the website Search function work on the Private Members pages?  Something like Google Bard might be able to do this.

[AN Comment: or even better, move most of it to the public part of the website]

Version-ing of pages. 

Currently any page change anywhere on the website that is saved gets published whenever anyone clicks "Publish".  This means changes that are in-progress but not finished get published.

1. A new version of a page can be made and saved without it being published. 
2. Pages have who saved it (audit trail)
3. Pages can be approved by a different person acting as the approver and then get published.

Helps prevent defacement.  Good security.

prevents access via a stolen or copied password

prevents password sharing

Allow representatives of the Branch Scout Council, Branch Venturer Council and Branch Rover Council to edit their own webpages (similar to #1)
[This can only be done by SiteSuite support and does not work well]

Pictures on the website & Privacy.  

• SiteAdmins need to understand using pictures on the ScoutsACT website

• Scouts Australia has the Privacy Policythat includes sections on:
• Photographs and images
• Website and online services
• Scouts ACT has a section titled "Website on-line services policy" contained in  2.11_Privacy_Policy_Guidelines.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) also has advice on their website here:
https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/handling-personal-information/posting-photos-and-videos