The Master, the new brother and the Internet

As a newly raised brother in Feb. 2008, I was full of enthusiasm as well as trepidation. I really was not sure what my position was in the lodge, other than "the new guy". I attended every meeting and met and got to know most of the brethren in my lodge and a few from some other lodges. As is turns out the brother I knew best and who sponsored me, was at the time the Senior Warden and would be installed as the Master the next year. When he asked me to be his Marshal for that term I happily agreed. I enrolled in the GL library reading program and dove in head first. I wanted to know all that could be know about the Craft and it's history. What would I be doing? What was my place in the lodge. Being the "new brother", I was cautious about what I said and to whom, mainly I just listened.

One question I could not seem to avoid was; how come our lodge does not have a web site? The best answer I could get was; I don't know. Well this seemed to me and easy fix as I have done a few in my time. So I felt that here I could at least shine a bit in my lodge and offer my expertise. For the next week or two I crafted a site that I thought looked rather nice. What I didn't know was another brother was working on a site at the same time or before me. When I was told this at the next meeting, I was a little disappointed. I really wanted to do this and make it a light that could be for all to follow.

After a few more weeks I approached the brother who was creating the web site and offered my assistance seeing that the web site had really no usable current info on it. After a friendly discussion we agree to both work on it. After a few more months I still had not been given the admin password to connect to the web server and add content. With much care I approached the brother with who I had had a previous conversation and through the new Master he relayed that he would not have time with his changes in job functions to really pay the web site any attention. I suggested to the Master that we form a web site committee and include the current group to steer the web site. I dusted off the old design I had come up with months earlier and re-activated the IP it was attached to and presented it to those who were mention previously.

Well in the end I was pretty much left to do what ever I wanted. I am not a web site designer per se, but I think I did an OK job. If you would like to see the current site it can be found at www.potunklodge.org. I included the info I wanted to convey but as I am "still un-instructed" atleast fully, I was hoping to get some suggestions or criticisms from from my brothers. I am realizing that this is why we did not have a web site to begin with. For their purposes it really is not that important in the scheme of things. I had though that if Freemasonry were to continue into the twenty first century we as and organization would have to embrace new methods of communications and technology to interest more of the new generations. I remind you that my career is in IT so this seems like a no brainer to me. I was hoping for a greater response and a real way I could use my talents to benefit our gentle Craft. I am really hoping that this would be a task worthy of doing, in time I hope this becomes true.


Bro. Bill