Thin Mints Go Online

It's hard to find someone who doesn't love Girl Scout cookies, and people are pretty particular about which ones are their favorites. Personally, I'm partial to Thin Mints and Tagalongs. If you haven't had your cookie fix in a while, this year, you have another source to find them — your computer.

As reported by NPR, the girl scouts are taking their $700 million a year business to the Internet. They'll still be going door-to-door, selling in front of stores and having their parents sign interested buyers up at work, among other sales pitches. This is just another avenue for the organization which has been selling cookies for more than 80 years.

Last year an 8-year-old Girl Scout in North Carolina marketed with a video on YouTube and it became a big issue, with the Girl Scouts saying the video violated the organization's rules. The main problem was safety, since the girl gave her last name. But the Girl Scouts also realize that online sales are a natural fit for this online generation. As Laurel Richie, chief marketing officer for the Girl Scouts of the USA, said about responding to the YouTube issue, "… we just took a moment to breathe and make sure we could find a way to meet their desire to market online with our desire to make sure they do it in a way that is safe."

That's where Microsoft entered the picture, as the Girl Scouts worked with the tech giant to develop a safety program. Natalie Gutierrez, a 10-year-old Girl Scout, talked about some of the safety techniques. "Um, don't show your picture, don't tell your last name — you don't want anyone to come find you, which is really bad," she said, adding, "Don't tell them your phone number. If they say, like, 'It's safe, I'm OK, I'm a doctor' or something, they might be lying." Smart kid, right? And parents are supervising the kids as well.

Not only are the Girl Scouts learning more about online safety, but they're also getting an early primer in marketing online. So, don't be surprised if a lot of the CEOs in 20 years were once peddling Daisy Go Rounds or Trefoils.

For help placing an order, go here.

Photo by juverna via Flickr.