Portal FAQs

To get to the most often asked question (how to log in the first time) go here.

Frequently Asked Questions

General • Logging In • User IDs and Accounts • Summer Camp Signups

General

  1. Why do you have a Portal?

    We typically have about 400 individuals associated with the Troop. By the time summer camp comes, we have over 150 Scouts in the program and half or more are going to camp (each with a unique schedule). Finding the right adult for an event sign up or pinning a sheet on a bulletin board is just not practical.

     

  2. What the the Portal offer?

    Scouts can...

    • ...find contact information for their patrol and the whole Troop.
    • ...find contact information for the adults associated with the Troop.
    • ...look at their advancement history and their progress to the next rank.
    • ...sign up for campouts, trips, and events.

    Adults can...

    • ...find contact information for Scouts and adults associated with the Troop.
    • ...sign themselves up for sign up for campouts, trips, and events.
    • ...assume the identity of Scouts in their family and do all the Scout actions for them.
    • ...create an event signup (which is approved by Troop leaders before display).
    • ...coordinate their event through extra views of the participant data grouped together.
    • ...manage and/or administrate depending on special permissions granted.

     

  3. Who can access the Portal?

    Due to the personal information contained in the Portal (names, contact information, ages of Scouts, etc.), the Portal is on a secured server with access restricted to those currently registered with the Troop and a limited number of approved support people.

     

  4. I heard there is a "group password"...

    That was years ago. Every access is now individual.

     

  5. Why is it so "locked" and difficult to access?

    Keeping the youth safe is a key concern of the Troop. Leadership believes that the minor inconveniences are worth it to protect our youth.

     

  6. I use the Portal and it just does not seem that fancy. Could you make it do more?

    If you have some specific suggestions on what is missing, they are welcome.

    The Portal is intentionally kept simple. It works on every browser we have tried (including mobile phones). The Portal Manager spends literally hundreds of hours every year modifying the Portal to make it more functional without making it complex to use. Over time it does get better.

     

  7. It seems there is quite a bit of information on the Portal. How is it protected?

    Without giving away all the secrets....

    • The server is a current operating system and is kept patched with daily checks for updates. Critical security patching is automatic.
    • All communications are encrypted using modern SSL with a minimum 128-bit key from Thawte, one of the major SSL providers. You can check the SSL reference ("Secured by Thawte") on the Login page of the Portal.
    • The server is scanned daily for security patches and is regularly updated.
    • As people leave the Troop, their access is removed.
    • Systems outside the US which try to access the Portal are blocked automatically.
    • Systems which repeatedly fail to log into the Portal are blocked automatically.
    • The system restricts who can see information like birth date by providing calculated age instead. Birthdates and other key information is tightly restricted to the Family Adults and a very small number of Troop leaders. In most cases, that information is not available via the Portal.

     

Logging In

  1. How do I obtain an account on the Portal?

    Register with the Troop or be the parent/guardian on the Troop records for a registered youth.

     

  2. I turned in paperwork a few days ago. How long does it take to gain access?

    Our volunteers generally have the paperwork processed into TroopMaster (our registration, activity, and advancement system) within a week or two. The information then is uploaded into the Portal system for update. Thus, please allow at least two weeks; you will be notified when the access is available.

    After two weeks, ask. The leaders will be happy to check on the status.

     

  3. I received the notice that I can access the Portal. Now what do I do?
    1. Go to the Troop web site www.troop137.com
    2. On the menu on the left side, locate the link "(Portal)" and click it.
    3. IMPORTANT: The first time you go to the Portal, you will need to set a password. Do it this way:
      1. Click on the link "Forgot your chosen password? Click here to reset it." on the bottom of the Portal Login page.
      2. On the "Password Recovery" page, enter your email address (the one the Troop has on record).
      3. Click on "Submit"
      4. The system will email you a special URL link. Follow the email instructions. They will lead you to a special page to enter a password you choose. You must enter it twice for the system to confirm it, then you will be let into the Portal.

    If you have difficulty with accessing the Portal, please email webmaster@troop137.com. You will generally receive a response within 24 hours. If needed, a call will be arranged to "walk you through" getting in the first time. There have been some challenges in a few cases, but every case has been resolved.

     

  4. How do I change my password?

    Follow the steps listed for "I received the notice that I can access the Portal. Now what do I do?"

     

  5. I forgot my password. How can I have the system send it to me? Can someone look it up?

    The system encrypts each password as a "hash value" so that it cannot be read (even by the Portal manager/webmaster). Follow the steps listed for "I received the notice that I can access the Portal. Now what do I do?"

     

  6. When I login, it asks me to "Choose Identity". What is that?

    You have logged in using a UserID associated with an Adult member. All Adults in a Family can see all individual Identities (Members) in the family. The Portal is organized like this:

    • Family: There are unique family units. Everyone belongs to one. It has a "home" phone number and a "home" email address in common.
    • Member (Identity): Each person is a Member and associated with only one Family. A Member has a name, a Type (see below), and a bit of other data used by the system. A Member may optionally have one or more of these: personal email address; cell (mobile) phone number; work phone number
    • UserID: A UserID is used to access the Portal and has an associated password. It is associated with a single Member and takes on certain properties for the entire login session. A UserID generally is the email address, but can be a name created upon special request to webmaster@troop137.com.
    • Type: Each Member is of a single Type. Currently the Types are:
      • Adult - is a registered adult in TroopMaster: can create events, can sign up as an adult on events, and can see all Identities (Members) of their Family when using an associated UserID, can change Identity during their session on the Portal (for example, "become" their Scout to sign him up for an event)
      • Parent - is not a registered adult in TroopMaster, but is a parent of a registered Scout: can create events, can sign up as an adult on events, and can see all Identities (Members) of their Family when using an associated UserID, can change Identity during their session on the Portal (for example, "become" their Scout to sign him up for an event)
      • Scout - is a registered youth in TroopMaster: can sign up as a Scout on events, only can see their own information then using an associated UserID
      • Family - is family member who is not registered in TroopMaster, but is part of a Scout's family: can sign up for some events as family, only can see their own information then using an associated UserID

     

User IDs and Accounts

  1. Can the family just share a UserID?

    Most families share a single email as their UserID and handle everything by choosing the Identity at login. This is simpler. If this works for your family, that is fine.

    Other families choose at some point to have their Scout have a personal UserID and handle their own signups for events as a responsibility. While that is certainly encouraged, it is not required.

     

  2. My Scout does not have a personal email address; we use a family address. How can he have a separate UserID?

    The UserID, while generally being the Family email address or a Member's personal email address, can be set up as just a simple name like on any web site. Contact webmaster@troop137.com to request a separate UserID creation for your Scout(s).

     

  3. If my Scout has a UserID which is not an email, where will his email (like password resets) go?

    The UserID will send all email to the Family email if the Member has no personal email.

     

  4. When we signed up, we listed my (my spouse's) name and email address. How do we add the other adults in the Family?

    Additional adults can be created for a Family. The relationships must be defined to the Troop and the adult of record (whose name was on the registration form for the Scout) must email webmaster@troop137.com to request additional Member creation for the family. These must be added to TroopMaster also and may require a few weeks to process.

     

  5. The Scout's parents are divorced but share coordination of activities like Scouting. Which parent gets access?

    We understand there are various family situations. We presume that the custody arrangements guided who signed the Scout up in the program, so that parent is in the TroopMaster records and would have Portal access. It would be up to that parent to ask for the other parent to be added, just as is indicated in the previous question.

     

  6. I was a Scout/parent/adult leader in the Troop years ago and would like to get back involved. How do I get access?

    Register with the Troop; every non-family adult working with the Scouts must be registered with BSA. We hope everyone understands the support for Scout safety in following that process.

     

Summer Camp

  1. How do I sign up my Scout for summer camp?

    While Summer Camp registration processes are active, there is a "Summer Camp" button displayed with all the Events in the Portal. Start there.

     

  2. My Scout just joined the Troop. I do not have a Portal account yet. How do I sign up for Summer Camp?

    Summer Camp signups are only done through the Portal. See the question "How do I obtain an account on the Portal?"

     

  3. Who is going to camp?

    As Scouts sign up for Summer Camp, their name is listed on the Summer Camp section of the Portal. Use the button at the bottom of the Bulletin page to view the list.

     

  4. The status page shows I am missing forms. I turned those in last night. Who do I ask about this?

    The Summer Camp Coordinator is a volunteer and usually has updated the Portal with received items within a week. Ask at next week's Troop meeting if it still does not show up.

     

  5. The amount due for camp changed. What happened?

    Use the finance details link to see a report of the exact details; it will list the camp cost, any discounts, and any special class fees. Note that if you change classes, the class fees may differ and that is updated in the system as you change classes. Also note that if the Coordinator had to use an alternate choice class due to a class being full, that other class could have different fees.

     

12 Apr 2012 MSS