Scoutmaster Podcast 70

And now it's the old Scoutmaster. So there was this tenderfoot scout who had no class. No really. I mean he was trying to send a secret message using the outdoor code. That doesn't work. I mean, he got all his dots and dashes mixed up and he had to send it a second time.

He was very remorseful. Hey, this is podcast number 70..

Welcome back to the Scoutmaster podcast. This is Clarke Green. Uh-oh, That's the big drums. Oh, and the fanfare.

Well, well, well, That means, of course, we've happened upon an auspicious occasion, because this is podcast number 70.. Number 70.

Okay, well, I appreciate. Uh, let me give myself a little pat on the back there. We've hit number 70.

So I started the Scoutmaster blog in 2005 and then last February, started the podcast, And this is the 70th weekly program of the podcast And I am as surprised as you are that I'm able to do it every week. It started off as an experiment and sounded like it might be kind of fun, And I like to talk and I like the sound of my own voice, because if you don't, it's pretty hard to put a podcast together.

How is this experiment been going? So we'll just talk for a moment about the past, present and future. When you're doing something like a podcast or a blog or something like that, inevitably you need to deal with statistics, because there are only two things that indicate whether or not you are being successful.

You hear from other people and you also need to kind of look at your statistics and see, well you know, is this, is this mattering enough for me to put the effort into it? Statistics naturally have a bad reputation, and a well deserved one- And they're a really poor way to calculate success online because there's just so many ways to spend them. They give you one perspective, and only one thin perspective, of how effective your work is. The actual contact from people who listen and read, by email and comments, are a much better indicator that we've gained some measure of success with this. The blog itself is just a little over six years old- a long time ago past the one million page views and half million visits, which sounds wow. That sounds incredible, But I got to tell you honestly.

Most people find the blog through a Google search and they look at a page or two and that's it. About 900 people become readers and followers of the blog in the podcast. At present, we've become a part of this burgeoning, growing experimental online scouting community. About 700 people subscribe to the blog through email. About 900 people like the Scoutmaster blog page on Facebook. I'm trying to figure out how many people listen to the podcast and I've kind of given up because it's very, very tricky.

You can do all the research you want out there and I got to tell you nobody knows how this works. I mean, podcasting has been around now for about five or six years and there's a lot of competing theories on how to tell how many people are listening and there's competing services that claim to be able to tell you that. But in the end there's really no easy answer.

So I keep my eye on one basic number. It's the feed that I use to put the podcast on iTunes and it tells me that the 70 published podcasts- well, 69 at this reading- but those 69 podcasts have been downloaded about 16,000 times Right now, on average of about 300 to 350 people listen to the podcast according to that particular metric, And I feel that that's reasonably successful.

Say again, when I hear back from people- and I do get to hear from them now on a regular basis- it was a little quiet there for the first few months, but I do get to hear from people on a regular basis, and that proves that this is reasonably successful and that it is important and that it does the service that I was hoping when we started out. So what's the future look like for all this? Again, really, really hard to tell If you followed all of the podcast revolution. In its first iteration, everybody thought it was going to be a huge game changer, but things were just going to never be the same, and that promise pretty much faded. It's turned into something a lot different. About 85% of people in the United States are online, I am told, and about 45% of them know and understand the term podcast, and only 23% have actually listened to a podcast.

Now, when you're talking about the United States, 23% is 70 million people. If you, like me, sit down every once in a while and look at technology and look at what we're able to do and the way we're able to communicate with one another now, and you just imagine what it was like 20, 25 years ago. You're just astounded. You might be listening to me off of your computer as you sit at your desk at home. You might be listening to this podcast from a portable device like an iPod or an iPhone. It may be plugged into your car as you're driving to and from work.

I know a lot of people do that. You may be listening to it as you're walking around the neighborhood. It's just remarkable.

If we're going to continue to build this interesting experimental community of scout leaders online, I'm going to look for you for more and more ideas and more and more of what works, so that you can participate actively in that. Now you may be sitting on an idea or a technique or something like that that you think is kind of insignificant, but it works for you. You may have come across something that you found inspiring or uplifting.

What we're coming to now is the kind of incumbency on all of us to participate and to share that type of stuff, And you can do it fairly easily because you can email me, You can call and leave a voicemail message, And I'll tell you how to do all that at the end of the podcast. But wow, what a world, What an amazing resource we have in the Internet and in being able to use this type of social media stuff. I'm constantly amazed by it all, And I sure appreciate those of you who listen, who follow the podcast and the blog And with that in mind, let's take a look and see what came through the mailbag in the past week. James Chaplin is a Scoutmaster in troop 1833 in Haymarket, Virginia, And he says this: thank you for your discussion on unit commissioners. That was in podcast number 69. It came at the right time.

As a Scoutmaster, I rarely see my unit commissioner. His commitment to me has been that I already know more than he does on scouting, so there's no need, But I can always use a second set of experienced eyes with fresh ideas. I've been considering stepping down after five years as a Scoutmaster and trying to make a difference as a commissioner that actually makes unit visits. Thank you, James. Thanks for being in touch. I'm glad that the commissioner info was timely.

I almost didn't do that piece because I didn't know whether it would be of interest to people or if it would be particularly effective for the audience, But I've gotten a lot of feedback on it And you know. So I appreciate you being in touch, James. David said this: as a new scout leader, I have really appreciated the information. Your blog has become one of my favorite reads.

Well thanks, David. I appreciate your kind words. Mark in San Diego said quite a rendition of your son's and your scout career, And he's talking about the scout dad story in podcast 69. It sure turned on the waterworks for me and reminded me to keep enjoying my time as a new to be 16-year-old Eagle Scout son.

These times are indeed precious Well, thanks, Mark. I'm glad that the story we touched home with you, as it did with many others. I've gotten several different comments and feedback about it.

I may not have made it clear that that story was more a bit of poetic license based on some of my experiences, the experience of my scouting colleagues, and was intended not to be so much a recitation of my history as a dramatic reading, because I find these common threads in a lot of our experiences. And in a moment we're going to talk about a question I have from a scout dad about how to work with his son and be a Scoutmaster at the same time. But thanks, Mark, Thanks for being in touch. Frank Maynard said this. I enjoyed your reply to the anonymous Lister who sought advice on being a district commissioner. It's a great rundown from a unit perspective.

I want what we'd like to see in the way of commissioner service. I'm not sure I agree with the concept of fixed term limits for commissioners, but a change in terminology may be in order. Commissioner has an onerous ring to it And, as Frank said in his email, there's not a whole lot of chance that that change will ever be made. The statement I made about limiting the term of service for commissioners has been one of the more commented upon parts of the last podcast.

I think that the idea of turning over the commissioner service on a three-year rotation is probably still a good idea If people want to talk to me about it. I'm not going to try and discuss it right now, But you want to talk to me about it, be in touch. Jamie Humphries got in touch with us. He is from Flugerville, Texas, where he's a cubmaster and a chaplain crew and a unit commissioner. That's a lot of hats, Jamie. He says: hey, Clark, always a fantastic job.

On the podcast, I was listening to podcast number 69. And as a unit commissioner, I really thought the tips on commissioner service was right on. I felt it was more like a counselor position than a policing activity.

Well, good for you, Jamie. As a cubmaster I didn't have a unit commissioner that visited. It would have helped a lot to have a mentor and a friend. The oath you suggested for commissioners was right on the money And I really loved your story about the scout dad. Thanks for your insight. Keep it up.

It really helps. I spread the word about the blog and the podcast in the Austin Texas area. Every new lead that reads it and listens thanks me for turning them on to it. Thank you, Jamie. I'm glad you're enjoying the cast. It's always good to hear from you And I especially appreciate the comment about commissioners being a counseling position rather than a policing position.

That's a pretty big disconnect sometimes. I've been droning on and on here a little bit. You forgive me. It's a big special podcast for me, number 70..

We're going to go ahead and complete the whole show here with an answer to an email question- Well, not actually an email question, An answer to a Facebook question about working with your son when you're a leader in a scout troop, And we'll do that here in just a moment. Well, we've already gotten started, But let's keep moving on, shall we? Hi, I'm Kevin Callan and I'm listening to Scoutmaster iPod. No, I can't.

What is it called again?

Hi, I'm Kevin Callan, the happy camper, and you're listening to the Scoutmaster podcast. Beautiful, beautiful. Write me a letter, send it by name Email. That is, folks.

And here's an answer to one of your emails. Now, if you're on Facebook, you can follow the Scoutmaster blog in the podcast.

Get on Facebook, look for Scoutmaster blog and like Scoutmaster blog And then you'll see all the announcements that come across about new posts on the blog and new editions of the podcast. And every once in a while somebody will ask a question on Facebook And then the whole group of 900-plus people who are friends of the Scoutmaster blog on Facebook join in. Andre asked this question. He said: OK, here's one for all of you out there.

I'm a new assistant scoutmaster, So you can see the question is, from that point of view, Understanding. It is now up to the boys, my son included, to do it for themselves.

What approach do you use to nudge them along when they seem to stall out on a merit badge or any other project? My son has four badges started but does not seem motivated to finish them.

What can I do to motivate him without being an interfering dad or an interfering Scoutmaster? Andre, first of all, thanks for asking the question, But that's a pretty big question. A lot of people join me in trying to offer you some advice. I'll begin by repeating what I had to say: You can't stop being a Scoutmaster and you can't stop being a dad, And every single dad at times will encounter the same frustrations you're experiencing. I know that I did My best. Advice is: scouting is something our sons get to do for themselves and we get to observe.

I think it's important that you understand it's possible that your input, however well intentioned, can be interpreted by your son as being interfering. Maybe you can put your dad hat on for a minute- And when I say a minute I'm kind of being literal there- Short period of time- And tell him that you want to see him finish what he started and ask him how he's going to make that happen And if he needs any help from you, and you may get a response there and you may not just let him know that you're on the job. You can also leave it alone And he may finish them or he may not, Because in the grand scheme of things this may not be a big deal. A lot of Scouts begin merit badges and don't finish them because they find out that they're not all that interested in the merit badge And I really don't have a problem with that. I'd rather they move on to something else that really interests them.

Another thing you can do is ask another assistant Scoutmaster or the Scoutmaster or another adult leader within your troop to kind of follow up with your son on that and offer to do the same for his son, And that way you have a little plausible deniability about your scheme, although the boys usually managed to figure that out pretty quickly. There's a whole thicket of issues between dads and sons in scouting and in sports and so on, But there are great opportunities to work things out together and to watch them grow. Sometimes our job is to be that dissatisfied parent and to challenge them, And sometimes our job is to step back and watch. And it's really difficult to know what to do in any given situation.

And I want to hasten to add this is the same thing. Being a mom is different, yes, but the same advice applies when it comes to the relationship you have with your son in scouting. If you think you're gonna interfere in the situation, trust your instincts and leave it be.

Mike Mansor joined in the conversation and he said I followed my two boys through Cubs and now into Boy Scouts. I was always a den leader and now I'm their Scoutmaster. I'm not sure who this is the hardest on- me or them.

My oldest is now our senior patrol leader. Try that on for difficulty. Yeah, been there, done that, Mike.

In the end I think you have to let them go at their own pace. That's good advice, Mike. Sharon Miller said: definitely nudge. I can only assume that your son is maybe 11 or 12 and mom probably still has to remind him to take a shower.

So nudging is, you know, it's very parental, It's very proper, It's what you do. Randall Cox said: keep it fun. His friends should be there. Competition with them will be a motivator for the first few years.

Well, that's true too. You know, the other scouts will probably do a better job of motivating him than you will.

And then again there are guys that just don't care what anybody else has. They kind of make up their own minds and they decide they're gonna finish something or not, And I think that is equally laudable. But thanks, Randall, for joining in the conversation. Farrell Gilmer said: there's not a lot you can do for the other boys without their parents being involved in their scouting career. Some boys are more motivated than others And you can mention over and over to some that they have quite a few requirements to finish. But besides that, if their parents aren't helping or pushing their son, there's not a whole lot you can do For your own son.

Have them set a goal for each badge. My son set a goal to get Eagle before he turned 15..

In order to motivate him, I would find him playing his video game and would say: you know, you have to work on this merit badge. He would say yes, And I would ask him when he was going to work on it.

He generally said that he would get to it and I would then reply: what was your goal? Again, As soon as I said that he would sigh, get up and work on his requirements, He got his Eagle one month before he turned 15.. Farrell- that's a good story, I like that- Didn't get his Eagle six months before he turned 15.. But again on the theme, sometimes that parental nudge is the only appropriate action to have And I like what Farrell did there.

Well, tell me what your goal was again, Remind me what you committed yourself to, And that's done pretty non-judgmentally and it's done in a spirit of fairness And I really like the balance of that particular statement. Finally, Andre Crawford said thanks to everyone for the comments.

So far I've been taking the hands-off approach and only asking my son how it's going every eight to 10 days. I don't want to interfere but I don't want to see him fail either. It's a fine line.

I'm learning to walk And you know, Andre, it's a fine line that we all go through. We all work with. It's frustrating at times.

It is difficult to know what to do, what not to do And, let's face it, we're gonna make mistakes as we go along. But be patient with yourself, be patient with your son And remember that you are having one rare experience in today's world: You are working right along with him, watching and observing and seeing him grow up in a way that a lot of parents don't get get the chance to see. I hope everything works out. If you have a question for me and the rest of the audience for the Scoutmaster podcast, you can go ahead and get in touch and we're gonna tell you how to do that in just a moment. ["Skoutmaster Podcasts"].