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To assist local councils in providing guidance to individuals
who wish to operate Web sites on behalf of their Scouting
units, the National Council is providing the information
below, which addresses a few key items pertaining to
personal Web sites. While this is not a comprehensive
guide, it covers some of the most important concerns.
Councils should review their own guidelines for unit
Web sites to ensure these key topics are addressed.
This information should not be construed as an authorization
for private individuals to operate Web sites of behalf
of the Boy Scouts of America. It does not indicate councils
are required to link to unit sites, nor does it supercede
any guidelines or policies that any local council has
developed for its own units.
While units and members act as private individuals when
communicating with the public, the National Council provides
the following advice for those who use the Internet to
promote and support their units or to communicate to
the public about Scouting:
Decorum
Scouters should exercise propriety and good taste. Remember that the Internet
(including Web sites, chat rooms, bulletin boards, and even e-mail messages)
is a public medium. Your conduct reflects not only on yourself and your unit,
but also on the entire Scouting movement whenever the audience knows you
are a Scouter.
Personal Safety
While most Internet users are honest, there is a criminal element that seeks
information as a way to gain access to victims. For that reason, be especially
careful about providing any personal information—names, e-mail addresses,
phone numbers, etc. Always get written permission before posting personal
information about adult volunteers, and never publish personal information
about youth members. If you display or post images of adult and youth members
involved in Scouting activities on your Web site, you should first obtain
written permissions from the adults and the parents or guardians of any youth
members. Here is some suggested language you can use.
Legal Issues
Myriad federal and state laws govern publishing in any medium, including the
Internet—copyright infringement, privacy of information, defamation, etc.
You should familiarize yourself with these laws so you can ensure that the
information you publish doesn't create any legal problems for you or your
chartered organization. Key among these legal issues are that (1) you should
never collect personal information about youth members over the Internet,
and (2) you should never reproduce or display on your Web sites content from
some other source without written permission.
BSA Policies and Procedures
All policies and procedures that apply to any activity are still in effect
when that activity is conducted on the Internet. For example, any online
recruiting must be done in accordance with policies and procedures that govern
offline recruiting.
In addition to these general guidelines, local councils
may develop their own more detailed guidelines for unit
Web sites. Local councils may require units to meet council
guidelines for their sites to be recognized (linked)
from the local council's own Web site.
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