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The Old Webmaster and Good Publicity

Published by
Ed
at June 13, 2007 in The Old Webmaster and Freemasonry. 0 Comments

As the young man stood staring into the dreary little room, illuminated by very low wattage bulb in the back corner and the ambient light from the Old Webmaster’s laptop computer monitor, he realized that this fellow might understand more about web design than he had originally assumed. The lodge’s Master, with whom the young man shared the space in the doorway, had a slight smile on his face.

The young man spoke into the shadows that shielded the Old Webmaster. “I did find the Lodge website interesting. It had lots of pictures about what the lodge was doing. It showed when it was last updated too. Looks like you add something to it every few days.”

The Master coughed. Looking at him, the young man realized that it wasn’t really a cough…. “Our Webmaster has convinced a couple of our members to get him pictures of EVERYTHING we do. And I mean EVERYTHING! For heaven’s sake, we’ve even got pictures of guys doing the dishes after the supper we held a couple of weeks ago up there on the website.”

“Yeah, but I thought that was good.” said the young man. ” I saw the pictures of you shaking hands with other guys in the lodge and that was ok, but looking at the members collecting bottles to donate to the recycling campaign and washing cars to raise money for some charity made me know that I could be part of this even though I don’t really know much about Masonry.”

The chair squeaked. This was, surely, a signal the Old Webmaster was about to speak….

“Despite the amazing availability of digital cameras with their ability to take unlimited pictures at no cost, it’s still a struggle. A lot of the fellows just never took pictures, even of their families. If they did, it was a big production. Everybody wants to buy a digital camera but they’re bewildered by the many choices.” came the voice from the darkened room.

“Me too!” the young man replied. “I’ve got my eye on a 10 megapixel….”

The Master shook his head from side to side and then tipped it in the direction of the room and the Old Webmaster who continued….

“Don’t worry about that at all. Anything you buy will have enough for our website or newsletter. What you want is a camera with anti-shake technology so that even if Larry is splashing water at Bill – as they sometimes do when we leave them alone with a pile of dishes after a great supper - you’ll get a great picture regardless. It’ll also be good for a growing family with kids who move about quickly. Make sure too that you get something that they’ll describe as a ‘museum’ setting which is made for large, indoor spaces that might not be well lit. That’s much better for lodge room shots. The ‘point and shoot’ cameras have pretty tiny flashes so you’ll need a camera that will allow the shutter to stay open a bit longer. After you use that for a couple of years, you’ll move up and get one with a professional-level flash but for now, $300-$400 will get you a camera that will be just right. Besides that, you’ll become another contributor to our efforts to let folks know what we Masons do. And most of all, everyone in the lodge will get to meet you right away. Being one of our photographers doesn’t pay much at all but it’s a great way to be a part of the lodge.”

“You’re definitely going to have to help me pick out the right one.” the young man said. The old fellow seemed to know more about the practicality of things than did most of his friends. Then he realized what the Webmaster had said. “… be a part of the lodge.”

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The Old Webmaster and the Lodge Website

Published by
Ed
at June 9, 2007 in The Old Webmaster and Freemasonry. 0 Comments

The Old Webmaster was distracted for only a few seconds. No one believed him when he said that he lived on such a scarcely populated mountain that the cable company had just laughed at his requests for a connection or that he lived so deeply in the woods that the satellite folks couldn’t find the horizon. It was true, but everyone in the lodge just figured he liked ‘communing’ with the old relics stored in the dark and musty storage closet at the lodge where he was so often found.

He turned back to the door where the Master and this eager young man were standing.

“Tell me some more about the website you’d like the lodge to have.” the Old Webmaster said, leaning back once again in the old wooden chair that clearly was having difficulty supporting the strain of usage after all these years.

“You’ve got a white background. I’d use black so that there would be mystery and darkness – like a video game! I’d have some great animated graphics: I saw an old crappy one the other day of a guy with a big rod and a hood over his head trudging along with a lantern. I’d get something better – plus some Knights Templar images too. It’d really show off Freemasonry….”

As the Old Webmaster looked into the doorway, he could see the Master shrugging his shoulders slightly as if to deny any responsibility for his charge’s comments. He leaned back just a bit more and the chair, as if on cue, provided a deep groan seemingly emphasizing the importance of what was to come next.

“I know a LOT of websites which have done those things. I see them all the time. Bloggers design their sites that way as well it seems. But here’s something to think about: is Freemasonry a ‘dark’ mystery?” He paused just long enough to let the words sink in and then continued. “Freemasonry’s websites are, in almost all cases, done by non-professionals. Those that are done by the pros are often not Masons so they don’t have a clue as to what we’re all about. Most of the time those who put the website together for the lodge don’t have a background in design or very much experience with things like information architecture and Masonic history. They also don’t spend enough time trying to understand their audience before they dive headlong into their task. Heck, there are Grand Lodge websites that list their lodges by their Districts only. If a non-Mason or a visitor from another jurisdiction doesn’t know what a District is, they can’t find what they want. But I’m getting off track. Freemasonry is an initiatory experience that only those who’ve gone through it can completely understand. Hopefully the lasting impressions one receives will be bright and uplifting rather than dark and foreboding.”

“Quite unlike this storage room in which you live at times….” interjected the Master, anxious now to be sure his young charge didn’t blurt any more criticisms.

“True, Worshipful.” the Old Webmaster replied. “But while my workspace may be dark and dreary, my mind soars when I think of the openness and the freedom that the study of our Gentle Craft offers and supports. There’s nothing dark and mysterious about it at all. To a new candidate, in darkness before the light of Masonic learning and the fullness of the degrees are revealed to him it may seem so but that’s a very superficial view. Those looking at Freemasonry from the outside should realize that we’re not a group that’s hiding in the shadows, using pseudonyms to protect our anonymity, and having ’secret masters’ as the anti-Masonic faction charges. We post information on our meeting times at the signposts on all of the roads leading into town. There’s a sign on the door with your name and that of our Secretary – along with both phone numbers – should anyone want to reach you.”

Without missing a beat, the Old Webmaster continued, “Our website has that contact information too. Commercial businesses selling products to the general public don’t use black backgrounds because they’re foreboding and, for the Western audience at least, symbolic of death. That’s not what Freemasonry is, I assure you. Let me ask you this: if, when the Master brought you into our Lodge room it was pitch dark inside, would you be as eager to join as you appear to be or would you be more reluctant, perhaps wondering if those tales of devil-worship and worse that you’ve seen on the web might not be true?”

The Old Webmaster’s hard drive made a slight sound and then there was silence.

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Money and Medals

Published by
Ed
at June 3, 2007 in Freemasonry. 0 Comments

For too long now, I’ve been the chairman of a scholarship committee that gives away a total of between $15,000 and $25,000 worth of scholarships each year. Next year, I expect we’ll be up at the $30,000 mark thanks to good investments and generous benefactors. The money is available as a result of interest on funds that have been donated over the years by - in nearly all cases - Masons or their families. The Committee and I wring our hands over whether we’ve picked the right recipients and if our small investment in their future will be at all meaningful. As I send out the notification letters, I’ve often thought about the fact that we rarely hear from these young men and women as them embark on the rest of their life. I know that I never returned to thank Miss Stanton from the third grade or Mr. Jones in the seventh both of whom instilled in me the love of learning. I never thanked Miss Ivaska for her encouragement during my frequent attendance at the after-school “Poetry Lovers Club”, a punishment class for those who’d misbehaved. I never thanked Velma Strout who provided most of the funds that made my first year of college possible. And I never thanked Mr. Bennett, my 5th Grade teacher, whose ability to hit an offending student with a flying eraser was eerily accurate. (He’d be out of work in a flash today but then…. Then it was ‘tough love’!). He told my mother that I was a kid with a million dollar brain and a ten cent head. When I was in the 11th Grade, Mr. Bennett moved to the high school level and had a second chance to evaluate me. Same results! Will those getting scholarships from the Masons remember us as they begin their new life experiences this fall? Maybe not now and maybe not ever but if they grow and gain from it, we’ll have done the right thing.

Each spring I also get to present medals to ROTC and Junior ROTC cadets on behalf of the National Sojourners, an organization of Masons who have served in the military as officers or senior enlisted personnel. The Sojourners award recipient is selected by the military cadre at the school and recognizes a commitment to Americanism. Sometimes our award goes to those with a chest full of ROTC ribbons already but more often than not, it goes to someone who has never had a lot of public recognition but has, rather, gone quietly about their life upholding high values and seeking no personal gain. Blushing and overwhelmed, they stand smartly as they are recognized for their personal values and it has always made me very proud to shake their hand and wish them well. Because these awards are given to Juniors, the next year they’ll approach me with a far greater self-assurance and a determination to make their life a positive experience. Did our award start or enhance that process? I don’t know for sure – just as we don’t know how Masonic membership influences those who’ve achieved fame – but watching growth and development in others is a very, very rewarding experience.

Over the years, the opportunity to present both money and medals has given me a regular opportunity to look at those who will become the community and military leaders of the future. I can only wish for them a world without strife knowing full well that they’ll likely see far more depressing things than I could have ever imagined in my lifetime. I hope too that their brush with Freemasonry helps them on their way. It is personally pleasing to be a small part of it all. Fall will come and those students will be elsewhere: to higher education or, perhaps, to the military to serve the country. Life moves on but hopefully Masonry has done its little part in the process.

If you have the opportunity to work with your lodge, Grand Lodge, or any affiliated body on endeavors such as these, do take the time and effort to do so. Ask about it in your Masonic jurisdiction! You’ll find that it’s a very, very unique experience. Even when I’ve passed the baton on to others, I still want to attend those ceremonies just to marvel at the quality of the future generation!

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The Old Webmaster’s Age

Published by
Ed
at May 30, 2007 in The Old Webmaster and Freemasonry. 0 Comments

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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