THE COMMISSIONERS’ 
INTERNET RESOURCES WORKSHOP
   
Version 2.0 - February 1996

Prepared by:  Michael F. Bowman
Deputy District Commissioner for Training
George Washington District
National Capital Area Council
Boy Scouts of America

Welcome to the Commissioners' Internet Resources Workshop!   I hope you enjoy it. This course was designed for Commissioners with some experience under their belts and an interest in using the vast resources available on the Internet via a personal computer to help Districts, Troops, Posts, Packs, and Ships to improve their programs.   However, this information is not limited to just Commissioners, it is for anyone interested in helping to Deliver the Promise of Scouting to youth members.  This workshop is the result of over two years of effort in collecting and preparing information in order to give you the best possible foundation in using all of the resources available to you to serve as a volunteer Scouter.

Just in case you may not be an experienced Commissioner or Scouter, I have included a lot of introductory information on the Commissioner Service and how to make it work for you.  This should help you have a good foundation on the basics before we switch into high gear and move on to the Information Superhighway.

After the basics of Commissioner Service operation, you will find information on how to get access to the Internet and a primer on e-mail.

Once you are comfortable with e-mail, we’ll explore how to use the rest of the Internet’s resources to get to valuable resources ranging from sample ceremonies, information on Scouting events, Scouting policies, copies of various Scouting books and manuals, graphics files and much more. 

Finally, you will also have the opportunity to put all of the basics and resources to use as test your skills as a Commissioner by working through some practical discussion questions.

A few lines down you will find a detailed Table of Contents for this set of Web Pages that will help you navigate through all of the information you can find here.  And if you are just interested in skipping down to the Internet Resources, please be patient and keep scrolling down - you will hit pay dirt!  
Now before I get to far, let me start off by saying that I am by no means a computer or internet expert.  Many of you will know things about either computers, software, the Internet or all of the above which have simply escaped my attention or have exceeded my limited knowledge.  If you have ideas, suggestions for improvement or comments, please do not hestitate to let me know so that I can continue to make this workshop more useful to more Scouters like you.

A SPECIAL WORD OF THANKS

This Web Page would not have been possible without the tremendous and dedicated support of L. Gary Hendra.  The fact that I live in Virginia and that Gary lives in California is alone testiment to power and potential of using information technologies as a resource in Scouting.  Perhaps Gary and I will meet somewhere other than in cyberspace at some future time, but in the meantime I am grateful that Gary has extended the hand of Scouting fellowship to make this information available to you.  At some points in this presentation you will notice that some of the pages for Internet Resources are shared both by this page and Gary’s Internet Scouting Resources Page.  This is because, we have joined forces instead of wandering separate paths to try to maximize our efforts provide all Scouters with the best possible information on Internet Resources Available to Scouters. My hat is off to Gary with heartfelt thanks.  Now on with the show!

DISCLAIMERS - A SAD NECESSITY

Official Policy and Opinion

This Web page and related Web pages are the original work of the author, except where the work of another is specifically identified.   Any opinions expressed here are strictly those of the author.  These Web pages should not be regarded as expressing any official policy on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America, rather they are interpretations suggested by the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the World Organization of Scout Movements (WOSM) or the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).  For official rules, regulations, policy, and guidance you should contact a member of your local Council’s professional staff or refer to the Official Literature of the Boy Scouts of America.

Use of this Web Page

This Commissioners' Internet Resources Workshop was designed by Michael F. Bowman 
mfbowman@CAPACCESS.ORG for use in the George Washington District, National Capital Area Council.  It is provided here as a reference source and a starting point for designing similar workshops in other councils.  Please feel free to substitute your own local information for local information contained in this document.  Registered members of any Scouting or Guiding Organization are free to use this material to help promote the aims of Scouting.  However, Part 2, Section 2 cannot be used unless it is used in its entirety and reflects that the material is copyrighted to Dr. Bob Rankin, who has generously given permission for dissemination of the information.
Seminar Participation - Sorry But You’ll Have to Do It Yourself
This Web page includes a sample advanced seminar for Commissioners.  This seminar is provided as a sample only.   The idea is for you to conduct a similar seminar in your own Council and to moderate e-mail discussion.  Mike is not set up to run multiple seminars and has restricted participation to his local council. However, he welcomes comments, suggestions, ideas and informal discussion.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 	PART 1 - LET’S STRENGTHEN OUR ABILITY TO SERVE UNITS AS
				COMMISSIONERS -- DELIVERING THE PROMISE
		1. 	Statement of Purpose
		
		2.	Identifying the Basic Building Blocks

			What Is the Commissioner Service?  How Is It Organized?
	
			What Are It’s Purposes and Goals?

			What Do They Do? -- Job Descriptions for District Commissioner, Assistant District
			Commissioner, and Unit Commissioner

			What Methods Are Used?  -- Keys to Success include Communications, Resources 
			and Training

			What Is A Unit Service Plan?

		3.	Laying the Foundation

			What Is the Role of a Unit Commissioner?

			What Is the Role of an Assistant District Commissioner?

			What Is an Annual Service Plan?

		4.	Building an Effective Commissioner Service - Challenges

			How Do You Recruit People?

			How Can You Get New Commissioners Ready to Succeed?

			How Do You Guide or Manage Them?

			What Are Some Early Warning Signs of Trouble?

			How Do You Respond to Challenges?

			How Do You Recognize Burnout?		

		5.	What Resources Are Available to Help You -- Using 
			Information Technology to Deliver the Promise
			
			Official BSA Literature
	
			Communications

			Resources you can use to help units

			Training to improve commissioner service to units

			Records & Data

			Future Possibilities
 	PART 2 - Beginning Basics -- Everything You Wanted to Know About 					E-Mail:  Using Information Technologies to Improve 
				Communications
		1. 	How to Get Your Folks Started - Getting Access to E-Mail & 
			the Internet
	
			E-mail - A Short Introduction

		 	Nettiquette

		 	Abbreviations You’ll See
			Using Community Freenets		

			Internet Access in the Washington, D.C. Area and in Your Local Area

			National Commercial On-Line Services

		2. 	Dr. Bob Rankin’s Guide to Offline Internet Access (This 
			contains a wealth of useful information for all Scouters)

			How to Access Internet Services by E-mail
			Finding the Latest Version
			Acknowledgements
			A Short Aside... "What is the Internet?"
			The Rules of The Game
			FTP BY E-MAIL
			ARCHIE BY E-MAIL
			GOPHER BY E-MAIL
			VERONICA BY E-MAIL
			USENET BY E-MAIL
			An Alternative Usenet->E-mail Method
			Yet Another Usenet->E-mail Method!
			WAIS SEARCHES BY E-MAIL
			World-Wide Web By E-Mail
			Finding a Mailing List
			New in These Parts?
			FINGER BY E-MAIL
			"DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE" BY E-MAIL
			A FEW NET-GOODIES
			SUGGESTED READING
			CONTACTING THE AUTHOR
			MORE PUBLICATIONS FROM DOCTOR BOB!

		3. 	Resource Books on the Internet
			(This bibliography is dated, but is still useful)

			Books on Hooking Up to the Internet
	
			Books for New Internet Users

			Online Resources for Experienced Internet Users

 	PART 3 - You Won’t Believe the Resources Available to You:  Using 
				Information Technology to Capture Scouting Resources 
				on the INternet
		1. 	SCOUTING RELATED BULLETIN BOARD SERVICES
			(BBSs)
			Gajuka Lodge BBS
		 	NCAC - Southern Maryland District BBS
		 	Phoneix BBS - Phoneix, Arizona
		 	BBSs Which Carry Scouting-Related Conferences

			SCOUTNET
		2. 	SCOUTING RELATED DISCUSSION GROUPS
			(Mailing Lists, Newsgroups, Usenet, and Others)

			Alpha Phi Omega APO-L
	 
			Arrow-L:  Membership is limited to members of the Order of the 
			Arrow
			CAN.SCOUT-GUIDE Newsgroup - Focus on Scouts Canada
			Open to all Scouts

			DPVC-L:  Des Plaines Valley Council List

			E-SCOUTS:  Open to all Youth Serving Orgainizations - 
			Primarily BSA with focus on Information Technology	 
		
			Explorer-Net:  Open to all Explorers	 

			Guiding List:  Devoted to Girl Guiding Issues	 

			JAMBO97:  Devoted to discussions in preparation for the 1997
			BSA National Jamboree	 
	
			J-SCOUT:  For Jewish Scouts, Open to all Scouts
	 
			NCAC-L:  National Capital Area Council List	 
			PATCH-L:  For Scout and Guide Patch Traders	 
			Philmont’s PSA-List:  For Philmont Staff and Alumni	 
		 	Rec.Scouting - USENET
		 	Scouting Canada - ScoutsCan-L:  Open to all Canadian Scouts
		 	Scouting ES - Scouts Espanol: Lista de Distribucion Sobre 
			Escultismo & Guidismo en Espanol

			Scouting-Europe:  Open to all Scouts - Focus on European
			Scouting Issues

			Scouting-NL:  Open to all Scouts - Netherlands - Dutch and 
			English Languages
			Scouts-Girls-L:  For GSUSA members
			Scouts-L:  Open to all Youth Serving Organizations - Primarily 
			BSA
			Scouts-LDS:  Open to all interested in The Church of Jesus Christ
			of Latter-day Saints Scouting Related Matters

			Worth Noting -- E-mail Odds ‘n Ends 
	 	3. 	SCOUTING RELATED FTP SITES

			FTP Sites
		 	Goodies
	 	4. 	SCOUTING RELATED IRCs

			IRCs

			Goodies

	 	5. 	Scouting Related Resources on the Online Services
		 	America Online

		 	Compuserve
		 	Delphi

		 	Genie

		 	I RIME or Intelec

			Microsoft

			National Videotex Network

		 	Others

		 	Prodigy

  	 	6. 	Scouting Related Resources on the WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW)
		 	Best Bets to Start - Comprehensive Web Sites

		 	Alpha Phi Omega

		 	Adventure & High Adventure

		 	Baden-Powell

		 	Boy Scout Program

		 	Boy Scout Troops

		 	Camps and Scout Reservations

		 	Councils and Districts

			Cub Scout Packs

		 	Cub Scouting

		 	Explorer Posts

			Exploring

		 	Girl Scouts USA

		 	International Guiding and Scouting

			Jamborees

			Non-Scouting Web Sites of Interest

		 	Order of the Arrow

		 	Other BSA Related Sites

		 	Sea Exploring

		 	Training and Leadership

		 	Wood Badge

 	PART 4 - USING THE BASICS AND INFORMATION RESOURCES TO TRAIN
				COMMISSIONERS BY E-MAIL - PUTTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO 
				THE TEST

	 	1. 	Setting Up An E-mail Course - Sample Introduction and Instructions
	 	2. 	Setting Up An E-mail Course - Sample Discussion Questions
		 	Scenario # 1 - COMMISSIONER'S NIGHTMARE              

		 	Scenario # 2 - WHO’S MINDING THE STORE?
		 	Scenario # 3 - EAGER BEAVERS

		 	Scenario # 4 - THE TROOP FROM HELL

		 	Scenario # 5 - THE ANCIENT ONE

			Scenario # 6 - CONFLICT OF INTEREST?

	 	3. 	Setting Up An E-mail Course - Online Help & Hints for the Discussion
			Questions
		 	Scenario # 1 - COMMISSIONER'S NIGHTMARE              

		 	Scenario # 2 - WHO’S MINDING THE STORE
		 	Scenario # 3 - EAGER BEAVERS

		 	Scenario # 4 - THE TROOP FROM HELL

		 	Scenario # 5 - THE ANCIENT ONE

			Scenario # 6 - CONFLICT OF INTEREST?

	 	4. 	Course Evaluation

The Commissioners' Information Resources Workshop by Michael F. Bowman, is presented by R. Gary Hendra -- The MacScouter -- WDL, Pack 92, Milpitas, California