The Master stood at the door of the lodge’s storage room frozen. The potential candidate beside him realized that he’s said something to the Old Webmaster that probably wasn’t appropriate. In the dimly lit room where the Old Webmaster sat, it was impossible to gauge his reaction. There was a moment of silence as the Old Webmaster stared at his computer screen. Was that a smile on his face, the candidate wondered. It was hard to tell. The man’s grey beard covered his mouth and seemed to hide whatever he might be thinking. On the other hand, here was this old fellow staring into a modern laptop with a wide-screen, obviously running wireless. The young candidate plunged ahead.
“I’ve seen the lodge’s website, Webmaster. It’s pretty good.” The Old Webmaster looked him squarely in the eye but didn’t say anything. It seemed clearer that there was the hint of a smile on his face now. “I’ll bet that I could help you add some bling to it.” “Bling?” the Master queried, still wondering how the Old Webmaster was reacting to the remark the potential candidate had just made about the Old Webmaster’s age. The candidate surged ahead. “Sure. A great Flash introduction page. Some really current music from Linkin Park and Kelly Clarkson. Some pictures from a Masonic ceremony. It would really bring them in.”
The old Webmaster’s smile never changed. “So you think that Flash on a website will attract more members?” “Absolutely!” the new candidate replied. “You get a rad site goin’ and it’ll have them clamoring to get in!”
The chair creaked again as the old Webmaster leaned back just a bit. “What did you see when you saw our site?” he asked.
“Well, it looked professional and well thought-out. It reflected an air of…. like, forever.”
“I’m glad you noticed that my Brother, for that’s the appearance we sought. When I surveyed the many Masonic sites out there, I felt that ours should reflect the solemnity of both our lodge’s age AND its purpose. I talked it over with the Master and Wardens and they agreed. While we won’t attract those who are lured by bright lights, loud music and instant gratification it will, we hope, appeal to those who realize the confusion in the world around them and see in Freemasonry an island of stability. Disney recently removed their Flash opening page after realizing that the most clicked link on their website was ‘Skip Introduction’. I didn’t feel the need to demonstrate the latest technology when what was really being sought was simple information.”
“However, I’m looking forward to chatting with you about those ideas – and many more things besides.”, he continued. And with that, the Old Webmaster noticed that screensaver had flickered on. He turned to make sure a download had succeeded.
The young candidate stood staring into the dimly lit room. The Old Webmaster had called him “Brother”.
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