Blogs in, badges out as Girl Scouts modernize

MSNBC.com featured an article by Washington Post reporter Megan Greenwell that discusses how Girl Scouts is trying to rebrand and modernize. As the article relates:

Long associated with images of dorky vests and singalongs around the campfire, the 97-year-old Girl Scouts of the USA is trying to become cool. Or at least cooler. With enrollment dropping sharply, the organization is experimenting with a total makeover of the Girl Scout experience.

What's in: books and blogs written in girls' voices on topics such as environmental awareness and engineering; troops led by college students; videoconferencing with scouts in other countries. Read more here.

Social media and web 2.0 tools are clearly playing an important role in these efforts.