After conducting a study of itself, the group discovered its main competition for members wasn't the sports teams or church groups it suspected, but rather what it calls "nonactivities," says Ms. Cloninger. "Girls start hanging out at the mall, spending time online or just being with their friends, and basically become 'nonjoiners' -- that's [what] we were losing the most girls to."
Actually, those aren't nonactivities. (Do tv execs calls those things "nonactivities" when blaming them for ratings declines?) Those are girls doing activities they enjoy. They're creating their own activities and finding their own friends through the transforming power of the internet. They don't need to join the Girl Scouts or go to a second rate Girl Scout website to find something to do.
If the scouts want people to visit their website, they better make it a superior website. If they want people to buy into their program, then they better convince people it'll help their kids get into top schools or provide some other truly special service. Kids (and adults) don't have to settle for archaic organizations anymore.
