Grand Lodge

Grand Lodge vs. Blue Lodge: Who Serves Who?

January 27, 2010 by TimBryce

Freemasonry, hierarchy,grand lodge, american freemasonry — Characteristics of the authoritarian model in Freemasonry

Masons have been meeting upon the level and parting on the square well before the formation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 (the first “Grand Lodge”). The invention of the Grand Lodge system was inevitable as it afforded Masons a means to administer Freemasonry on a consistent basis to suit local customs and cultural requirements. Establishing Grand jurisdictions to conform with political boundaries makes sense in that it allows Masons to legally operate under the particular laws of the state they are living.

This brings up an important point, the Grand Lodge system was originally designed to serve administrative purposes only. In other words, it is a servant of the Craft, not the other way around. It has long been understood that the authority over the activities of a local particular Lodge (aka Blue or Craft Lodge) primarily resides in the officers and members of the particular Lodge itself, not the Grand Lodge. However, over the years, we have seen a transition whereby the authority of the Grand Lodge supersedes the particular Lodge, thereby they serve the Grand Lodge and not the reverse.

Let me give you an example, I recently returned from our Grand Communications which, as most of you know, is intended to elect new Grand Lodge officers and vote on legislation. This particular Grand Communications annoyed the Craft greatly. I heard it described by delegates as the worst communications in recent memory, a model of inefficiency, a farce, the “Grand Master’s Coronation” and the “Grand Waste of Time” (and these are the kinder adjectives without the expletives). Why the disgruntlement? Because delegates felt their time and expense were taken for granted by the Grand Lodge. Had the Grand Master wanted to conduct the true business of the Grand Lodge in one day, he could have easily done so if he wanted. He didn’t. Instead, the Craft suffered through endless introductions, was bored to death by committee reports as pre-printed and included in the delegate’s packet of materials, and put to sleep by several unrelated speeches intended to pad time. To add insult to injury, little was accomplished in terms of legislation and the status quo was safely guarded again for another year. In other words, no progress was made. The Craft was so incensed by the Communications, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a sharp decline in attendance next year.

Regardless of the outcome, what disturbed me the most was the total lack of consideration for the Craft, only for the Grand Lodge officers. Brothers sacrificed a national holiday and a work day to attend a meeting that squandered their time. It wasn’t the Craft that was glorified, it was the Grand Line. My response to this was, “Haven’t we got this backwards?” It seems to me that instead of having humble servants of the Craft, we have created a Royal Family that answers to nobody.

The true power of Freemasonry belongs to the particular Lodge, not the Grand Lodge which should be nothing more than an administrative function. When it oversteps its authority and usurps the authority of the particular Lodge unnecessarily, than we have an unsavory situation emerging.

For those who believe in the tyrannical power of the Grand Lodge, I have two words of advice: Remember Runnymede.

Keep the Faith.

by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
“A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry”
Originally published in 2008

NOTE: As with all of my Masonic articles herein, please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:

Article reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com

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Measure for measure – Pennsylvania and the 21st Century.

January 12, 2010 by Masonic Traveler

Weight and volume are very important. Two evenly measured weights on a opposite pans of a scale and you have a perfect balance, so long as your equipment is calibrated correctly. Add more weight to one pan and incrementally the scale will move towards which ever side the heavier burden is applied.

Extrapolate this idea into a larger arena where the medium that surrounds the moving weight is fluid, and with the Newtonian force of gravity, the material closest to, and bonded tightest to the weight will move with it, in effect causing an avalanche of sorts, or at least a heightened shift of position.

Perhaps you could say its an Alchemy of sorts, the transmutation from one thing into another, from one state to another. Neutral buoyancy to weight displacement. From Lead to Gold, or perhaps in this instance, from Gold to Lead.

I spent some time on Chris Hodapp’s Freemasons for Dummies site trying to catch up on what has been coming out of Pennsylvania recently on their aptly titled a 21st Century (Masonic) Renaissance page.

Its quite a paradigm shift in the way things have been to the way things are to be. What I mean by that is apparently, without much fanfare, the Grand Lodge isn’t just rolling out a few changes for 2010, they are rolling out a battalion of them, for what seems to be for the purpose of improving Pennsylvania Freemasonry and the lives of its members. All said, in their introduction site, the changes are (by category):

Membership Recruitment
Members May Selectively Invite Good Men to Join
Three Black Balls Are Now Required to Reject a Candidate
One Day Masonic Journey: October 30, 2010 (at 13 locations and with YR, SR, and Shrine)
All-Star Teams Will Confer District-wide Degrees
An Unlimited Number of Freemasons Can Be Made in One Day
Senior Recruitment Program
Lodges Awarded for Membership Growth and Retention

Membership
“Call ‘Em All” Will Continue as “Call to the Craft”
Dues Can Now Be Paid By Credit or Debit
Lodge Notices Are To Be Distributed Electronically

Masonic Ritual
Members May Learn Our Ritual From Printed Manuals That Will Be Monitored Closely And Never Used in Open Lodge
Certified Brethren Will Receive a Proficiency Award Pin
Opening and Closing of Meetings May Be Shortened

Grand Lodge Governance
District Deputy Grand Masters May Now Serve 10 Years
Some Masonic Districts Will Be Eliminated and Realigned
A Masonic Congress Will Be Held in February 2010
A New Due Process for Suspensions and Expulsions
The Legal Structure of Grand Lodge Will Be Assessed
New Software Will Simplify the Lodge Audit Process
Committee on Masonic Homes Meeting Change
The Dress Code for Masonic Meetings Is Relaxed

On Image and Visibility
Open Installations of All Symbolic Lodge Officers
Electronic Guide Will Provide Tours of the Masonic Temple
Masonic Villages Adopt-A-Resident Program
Lodges Will Conduct Monthly Community Service
Members Will Commit A Weekly Random Act of Kindness
Members Will Support Our Military Through “HELP FOR OUR HEROES”
Lodges Will Raise Funds to Support Our Masonic Villages
Masonic Youth Initiatives Will Be Supported By Lodges

On the page from the PA GL, they provide a brief explanation of what each change represents, and the hole that it seeks to fill, and while I am having a hard time understanding (agreeing?) with some of them, I have to say that the approach is an inventive and bold addition of weight to a scale that has long been un-moved by any form of change.

But, this change isn’t without its detractors, and a website has already been published to argue the counter point to the Grand Masters plan, billed as Pennsylvania Masonic Restoration. While I respect the civil dissent, I have to say that the call to arms may be premature given the nature of the changes the Grand Lodge is trying to implement.

On the 21 Century Renaissance site, it is easy to see the large one day class as BIG CONCERN to an otherwise interesting program and a potential affront to what has traditionally been Masonry the way its “always” been, which is clearly not the case. Not that one day classes have ever been the norm, the process of Masonry today is an evolved process that had a beginning that came from something else. It evolved, and this one day mass raising is another step in that evolution for better or worse. And, I’ll be open here, I have my own misgivings as to the intention of the one day class process, but taken in parcel with the other items, it becomes an easier bitter pill to swallow.

Some of what I do like in the program:

Three Black Balls Are Now Required to Reject a Candidate:
This is a good way to break a singular majority in a solitary vote. Harmony in the lodge still needs to be met, but giving live or die power to one brother may be to much power in one place.

Dues Can Now Be Paid By Credit or Debit:
This is a fantastic change that really brings things into he 21st Century.

Lodge Notices Are To Be Distributed Electronically:
Another great system/operations update.

A Masonic Congress Will Be Held in February 2010:
This is a great idea and something FmI and Time Bryce have advocated to see for some time. Perhaps this will lead up to something National.

Lodges Will Conduct Monthly Community Service:
This is a Great program, and my guess is that it will be another hard pill to get down. Not that there isn’t a level of charity within the membership, but to be told to do is it quite different than doing it out of will and love. an interesting idea, however, is the opportunity it gives to lodges to explore what that charity looks like, from donating lodge rooms to Boy Scout Troops, hosting voter polling locations, or any other creative measure to give back to the communities from which the membership comes from.

Members Will Commit A Weekly Random Act of Kindness:
This one escapes me, but I like the idea of it. It has a definite Pay It Forward appeal to it.

Personally, I have some concerns for these items, but I’m sure they are being implemented with the utmost caution.

Members May Selectively Invite Good Men to Join.
One Day Masonic Journey: October 30, 2010.
An Unlimited Number of Freemasons Can Be Made in One Day.
Senior Recruitment Program.

All of these are cause for some alarm, but as I mentioned, to enter into the 21st Century Renaissance, we enter into a period of change, just as Europe did in the post Medieval Renaissance.

Members May Learn Our Ritual From Printed Manuals:
This one concerns me too, in that it would be the first state (to my knowledge) to openly WRITE what had here-to-fore only been given in written cipher. Despite the warnings and admonitions, the content will be copied and distributed no matter the level of governance and audit processes. And if not lost in the original content, photocopiers and scanners are very easy to make use of these days (though I do have some security ideas for how to safeguard the material).

All in all, I say lets see what these changes have in store for 2010. The concerns being what they are, the changes do seem to have the over arching growth and good will of the fraternity in mind.

At first blush, the 21st Century Renaissance seems to be mind blowingly radical, but really, the alchemy is in putting into play the ideas of best practice to bring its large membership in the modern age. Hopefully the ambitious shift of their weight shift will be a good one and something others will adapt too and continue the Renaissance of the 21st Mason.

The Grand Lodge of Colorado

September 28, 2009 by Masonic Traveler

The Grand Lodge of Grand Lodge of Colorado is the next stop on the tour of American Grand Lodges.

Grand Lodge of Colorado Masonic membership:
12,645 – 2007
11,421 – 2008
gain/loss – -1,224
Data from MSANA

State population: 4,939,456 as of 2008 (estimated)

Mission Statement:
The mission of Freemasonry in Colorado is to teach and perpetuate a fraternal way of life. That promotes brotherhood and self-improvement. Through education, moral standards, charitable giving and community involvement.

About the Grand Lodge:

Late in the year 1858 a number of gold-seekers had gathered at the junction of Cherry Creek and the Platte River, on land which was then a part of the Territory of Kansas, but which now is within the State of Colorado. This settlement was known as Auraria, and by the first of November a number of cabins had been erected there.

On the evening of November 3, 1858, seven Masons, including William M. Slaughter, held an informal meeting in one of those cabins; and throughout the following winter these brethren and others continued to meet from time to time, having in mind the formation of a new Masonic Lodge at Auraria, provided the proper authorization could be obtained from some Grand Lodge… read more.

Some of what I found on my excursion there:
The Grand Lodge of Colorado is a minimalist website with a lot lot of punch. The site is has everything that one would want in a Grand Lodge site, including events listed on the front page, information of how to contact and find them, and an address (message) from the Grand Master. It has a very clear look and feel for what Colorado is known for, and lays out all of its informational content right on the front page.

Informational Content:
The Grand Lodge of Colorado site is very rich in informational content. In that mix it has a clear history of Freemasonry in the state, what Freemasonry means both in general and in the state. And, it offers a wealth of pdf e-books for the membership and visitors to read on the fraternity and its multitide of meanings. This feature really impressed me in that it included some texts that are not commonly featured on most sites, including: An Exposition of the Mysteries or Religious Dogmas and Customs of Egyptians, Pythagoreans and Druids, Illustrations of Masonry, William Preston, George Oliver editor, 1867, Legenda, (Kadosh and Heirodom), Albert Pike, and many others. If added together, it would represent many thousands of pages of knowledge made available from a Grand Lodge site.

The site does not go for the immediate conversion of interested parties to membership, rather seeking to inform prospective members of what the requirements are and providing information on what membership represents. All of this can be found under their membership button on the top navigation.

The links section also has a diversity of sites, including The Sanctum Sanctorum, the Guild of Masonic Webmasters, Freemasonsonline.com, International Club for Templar Studies, and Paul M. Bessel’s Masonic Pages. This seems to be a growing list, and I’m sure as time progresses more will be added.

Other interesting components of the site are Grand Lodge specific, including information on their educational grants, their Honor Lodge award, and the Traveling Gavel, which is an interesting activity for lodges to promote visitation. The site also has an extensive listing of lodges in the state, which list websites to the lodges. Unfortunately, not all of the websites worked, some not existing at all. Of those that did function, the visitor was further greeted by a local lodge site. I do recommend that if traveling to the Grand Lodge site to stop in and look at the lodge links and virtually visit the various lodges.

Also, hidden on the community pages are press mentions that the Grand lodge has received and programs that it sponsors for community awareness including a Child ID program, a Band Camp Sponsorship, and Teacher of the Year program. Each of these are very noble pursuits and important in and of themselves.

Look and Feel:
As mentioned, the site is a minimalist construction. The two column site, with navigation across the top and on the right, really hits the mark for everything that a Grand Lodge site needs to communicate its information. The events on the front page immediately catch the eye, as does the striking image of the Grand Master with his message below. Each of the pages convey this symmetry and keep the delicate balance of message consistency. I did notice several instances (outside of their on-line library) that pdf’s and .docs were employed which can be challenging for some users (especially for those who do not have the know how to open them) and it also breaks the ability to key in specific search seo by binding up the text in the document making its content essentially invisible to the various search engines.

The site visually has a good balance between negative (white) space and its use of logos and images. It maximizes the use of clean typography for its linkage and transitions, making it easy to use, clear, and articulate in where the visitor is going. It does lose some of its secondary navigation when you dig deep into its pages, but the visitor can quickly use the top nav to get back to its main pages.

Further, the site employs a visual that is specific and unmistakable to the state and its presence in the snow capped Rockey mountains. Not included to be overt, the image of the mountains paint an interesting visual for the site as a whole.

Overall:
The Grand Lodge of Colorado site is really a very clean and elegant site. It is packed with information and content (the pdf library itself a gold mine worth the visit) but in a very easy to use package. Its up-to-date calendar and listing of lodges is an excellent way to connect members to lodges and those interested to something local. It is disappointing to see lodges listed with websites only to find no site present, and this is something I hope gets resolved to broaden the reach in the state. Overall, I can definitely see the site expanding and adding even more information, and I think the layout is fitting to grow with the content.

One suggestion, as with many state Grand Lodge sites, is the addition of an RSS/XML feed so visitors can stay abreast of changes or updates with a subscription. Or, in lieu of a feed, a newsletter sign up to send information out to those of interest to receive one, as it represent a terrific means to deliver up to date information on what’s going on.

Up Next: The Grand Lodge of Connecticut.

UCLA and the California Grand Lodge to bring Freemasonry into academia.

July 23, 2009 by Greg Stewart

Postdoctoral Fellowship. The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Masonic Grand Lodge of California are pleased to announce a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA from September 15, 2010 through June 15, 2011. The position is open to a recent Ph.D. with a strong interest in the history of civil society, fraternalism and Freemasonry.

This second postdoctoral fellow will teach one course in either American (North or South) or European history with emphasis on Freemasonry, designed in consultation with Prof. Margaret C. Jacob, Distinguished Professor of History, and work with a graduate student research assistant with an interest in any aspect of the field. A $50,000 stipend, office space for the nine-month period, and a modest relocation fee will be provided. The postdoctoral fellow must remain in residence while classes are in session.

Applicants should submit a CV and three letters of recommendation to Prof. Margaret C. Jacob by December 15, 2009. UCLA is an AA/EOE. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Freemasonry is the world’s first and largest fraternal organization. The Masons of California have supported public education since 1850 and are proud to advance academic research and study in the field of Freemasonry and fraternalism.

The Grand Lodge of California

July 15, 2009 by Masonic Traveler

The Grand Lodge of Grand Lodge of California is the next stop on the tour of American Grand Lodges.

Grand Lodge of California Masonic membership:
68,714 – 2006
66,127 – 2007
gain/loss – -2,587
Data from MSANA

State population: 36,756,666 as of 2008 (estimated)

About the Grand Lodge
During the Gold Rush of 1849, thousands of settlers came to California in search of fortune. Those who were Masons brought their rich traditions with them, soon establishing some of California’s first Masonic lodges in the mining towns of the Gold Country. In 1850 — the same year that California became a state — the Grand Lodge of California was established in Sacramento.

The Grand Lodge of California does not have a listing on Wikipedia.

The site includes a brief history of Freemasonry’s origin there, and includes a fun interactive time line of Freemasonry in California.

Some of what I found on my excursion there:

The Grand Lodge site has a very strong URL (freemason.org) which gives it high presence in search engine placement for the term Freemason. Upon a simple search of the term Freemason, the California Grand Lodge ranks as the #3 for that search term.

Visually, the site it very clean and crisp with an immediate appeals to the eye. Both bright and interactive it has a strong professional presence. At the first load of the page is an attention grabber flash image of George Washington laying a corner stone that makes a quick transition from black and white to color introducing a number of interactive boxes for the visitor to explore. In those boxes are several of the elements that Freemasonry promotes including Tolerance, Personal Growth, Family, Philanthropy, Ethics, and Freedom. Each of the images are click able to display an image and an aphorism to the virtue and a member that exemplifies it.

Overall the layout is straight forward and in the places where it needs to delve deep with pull down menus with links to additional pages.

Visually, the site does not link overtly to the state of California in that the graphics could easily be extended to any other state with a quick change of the name California. Using the image of Washington in such a prominent position distracts from the prominence being on the state instead emphasizing a small part of Masonic history.

Prominent on the page at the top is a link to news and events which with a quick click hover over opens a list of items to select from (though disappointedly not events). In the list are several choices of interest to many, including past issues of the California Freemason magazine, press information, and the Grand Masters itinerary. What I did not find was a calendar of events, at least listed as such, as upcoming activities were listed under “news”. In the news section I did find an article on the websites award of excellence for its design and content. (Congratulations!)

The site itself is very flexible as it is a custom build with a great deal of development potential. In many respects the site has been developed out to the extent that it needs to be, as it covers most of what the Grand Lodge needs to communicate including contact info of the Grand Lodge, its leadership, its charitable endeavors and scholarships, public events, and member information.

Informational Content:

The Ca GL site definitely gives you your times worth of material to look at. What makes the content work is that the various sections are short and to the point for what they communicate. In some instances, it leaves the reader wanting more (as in the history), but in most it gives just enough to encourage the reader to take the next step, such as the How to become a mason | information section. It also transitions well from talking about California Masonry and how to become one to a link for “more info”, which takes you to a detailed and smart form for the user to fill in. Interestingly, it does not put as the priority the request to become a member, rather weaving it into it in to the offering of choices making it less about the conversion and more an informed reader’s choice.

One feature that I do like is that each page carries the navigation to the other pages and makes ones visit there easy to get around. This is a function of the sites navigation (both the top and the side) that one can jump from page to page as they explore the site. It also uses the right side to feature ad blocks of relevant items for the visitor to click, such as the upcoming 150^th Grand Lodge communication and opportunities to charitably give. Again, this is a very smart way to entice the visitor (both mason and non) to explore and find out more information.

Something I did not find were a variety of external links to sites not immediately tied to the grand Lodge. This is good in that it keeps the traffic on the site, but bad in that it does not illustrate partnerships or even California lodge sites. My guess is that it functions to keep an unbiased position for one site or another and keeps the specter of bias away from any particular site. This is good and bad in that it keeps bias out (good) but fails to illustrate the breadth of the fraternity in the state, country, or world. Under the related organizations tab there is a list of many Appendant national bodies and links to their websites.

Generally, the informational content is very good, being both enticing and informative setting the tone that Freemasonry in California is a strong and vibrant institution with lot of history and goings on, always giving enough information to make the viewer want to find out more.

Look and Feel.
As I mentioned above, the site is very crisp and clean, with a smart and professional look, while not being overly conservative or “institutional”. The use of warm colors (deep reds, warm grays, with spot photos) definitely makes the pages inviting to the eye. Even the mix of serif and san serif fonts is effective at differentiating between the artistic branding and the content. There is definitely some thought that has been put into the site, which is very evident in its details.

Overall:
From a first time visitor’s point of view, I think that the Grand Lodge site would be very well received and make a very valuable impression on them as to the organization. It is clear, warm, and full of information. It does not try to overtly convert the reader into becoming a member, but rather seems to take the viewer on a journey into the site and its wealth of information. And, on every page is a constant link on how to join, which is a suitable conversion point amidst all of the sites content.

The flip side of that equation is the returning visitor or the member’s visit, which is just as meaningful and interesting. Because there is a frequently updated news section, there is something to continue to come back to regularly and often so as to stay up-to-date on the goings on around the state. With so much content going in, what seems to be missing is a way to subscribe to the news, which could be easily remedied with an RSS feed from it or a newsletter sign up form, which seems just a step away from connecting the site to its membership. Because it necessitates the frequent return trip to pick up the news, it runs the risk of not reaching all the members who may come across the site because the updated news is buried three links in on the news & events section. Moving the news (via a feed or site dynamics) to the front page would easily transform the site from a single destination to a frequent communicator to the membership AND public showcasing all of the activities that they can participate in. Another alternative is a means to subscribe to the news that visitors can opt into. Much like receiving a mailer at home, frequent updates would keep the GL in mind as news rolls out.

Overall I think the site handles its conversion well in that in the information it presents, it portrays the fraternity in a very positive, professional, and meaningful way. It does have a bit of a disconnect from the state in that its use of art seems more a convention of east coast Masonry (Washington and the cornerstone) but once you dig into the site, it loops back in enough of the goings on to illustrate the membership of the state.

Bonus

A feather in the cap of the GL of CA is the Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum which frequently hosts a selection of shows and material of great interest to masonry. With out going into great detail on the collection they do have a fantastic new website that beautifully illustrates its collection and goings on, which presents it as a must see destination of San Francisco art and history collections. You can see the Henry Wilson Coil Museum and Collection live atop Nob Hill in San Francisco.

Coming up next – The Grand Lodge of Colorado

The Grand Lodge of Arizona

April 13, 2009 by Masonic Traveler

The Grand Lodge of Arizona is the next stop on our tour of American Grand Lodges.

Arizona Masonic membership:

9,900 – 2006
9,642 – 2007
gain/loss – -258
data from MSANA

State population – 6,338,755 as of 2007 (estimated),

About the Grand Lodge:

The Grand Lodge of Arizona does not have a listing on Wikipedia.

The website has no information on the formation or history of Freemasonry in Arizona.
Some of what I found on my excursion there:

The site at first approach is very impressive. The URL is catchy and relevant to the site it represents: http://www.azmasons.org. Entering the URL, the splash page opens with a panorama of images of the state (the Grand Canyon, cactus, state flower), which then fade into images of Freemasonry. Behind the images is an impressive score of music to usher in the site. It is a bit surprising, given the volume the music starts at (and that I had my volume turned way up), the auto start music definitely caught my attention.

The site meets the user with a very clear top and bottom layout. The top header is the anchor art with the navigation sub bar with color coordinated sub menus for the site menus. This is a straight forward arrangement and navigation and a very simple format to expand as data is added.

glofaz — The Grand Lodge of Arizona website

On the front page there is a clear mission statement of the Fraternity, but without any attribution from where it originated. Reading it left me unclear if this was the statement of Arizona Masonry or of Freemasonry in general. There are two calendar entries right on the front page to relevant events, though one was already expired, but only by a few days of my visit.

The site does offer a lot of choices in the navigation. Six main tabs (including a Home tab) with several pages beneath each option, the navigation also repeats on the pages visited on the left side. All of the major navigation is text (HTML) and easily scalable as updates and additions are made.

Additionally, all of the sites in the navigation go to text based pages without any cumbersome PDF’s or Word docs, which is good, but delving into the data, the pages also seem to be free of unique information to the state. I will commend them in that all of the navigation stays in site, which keeps the visitor engaged in the content. Also, there is a very functional calendar with a lot of valuable Grand Lodge data.

Informational Content:

When looking at the site from an informational stand point, I found that it was very light. With every page filled with content, I found very little of it relevant to someone with an interest in becoming an Arizona Mason. It did include entries in their about section on myths and misconceptions, the fraternities history, but that was it. There was no mention of what Arizona Masonry was about. It also includes a page on “How to Join” which does a very good at talking about joining, but without any means to take the reader to the NEXT STEP. Ultimately the site does nothing to help convert the viewer into a lodge visitor, let alone a petitioner. There is no off link to “contact us for more info”, “submit your name and info on line”, or even a phone number for someone to call with questions. It was disappointing that there was no provision in place to convert the visitor in ANY way on the “How To Join page. I do want to say that there is a lodge locator page which would be a good next step link with instructions to contact a lodge for more info. This may be a good interim solution, but would in turn layer more clicks into the visitation process. There is also a contact us page, with the address of the Grand Lodge (and number) and a contact form for all of the Grand Lodge officers, but again, its disassociated from the “How to Join” page.

As with Alaska, there is a certain presumption that there is an infrastructure in place to field those contacts and manage them as they are received. This again speaks to the broader organization and the back end of the site (and Grand Lodge) management. It again raises the question, what is the emphasis of the site: members or prospective members/general public? Perhaps a clearer idea purpose is needed to define who it is to address.

One item of concern I found was in the about us section; it indicated that Masonry in the state is over 11,000 members which must be old data when compared to the date from the 07 MSANA. It may seem a clerical over site, but it does seem to link the site to old information on cross reference.

Also, I found a good many of the links on the sites link page to be broken or connected to non existent pages.

Look and Feel:

The colors choices for the site are very powerful and very Masonic, which I like, but from a non Masonic user, they almost feel overpowering. Dominate Blue and Purple with yellow accents is very strong, and always runs the risk of being TOO powerful. The balance is meaningful content.

The Arizona Grand Lodge site is definitely content driven and not based on images and art. The opening header is excellent as it highlights Arizona Masonry, but there is little to follow it up to show some Masonic activity in the state. Images, I want to stress, are not a mandatory inclusion, but they are an excellent way to tell a story and add value so long as they are relevant. When you couple the lack of images with the generic content it loses its ability to engage the viewer with any relevant message giving it a “work in progress” flavor.

Overall:

The site looks every bit what one would expect a Grand Lodge website to look like. But when you drill down into the pages the visual cohesiveness becomes diluted and difficult to associate with the state it is said to represent. Taking it in a overall context, it feels incomplete. The form is in place, but it seems to be waiting for the fine hand to weave into it the meaningful (and relevant) images and content. Or even for an attentive hand to manage the links so as their connections are relevant.

From a visitor stand point there are lots of questions I’d like to find out about by coming to the site: “When did Arizona Masonry begin”? “What do Arizona Masons do”? “Why would a young Arizona man want to be a Mason”? And “How would he best do that”? These questions are all left unanswered when a visitor comes to the Grand Lodge of Arizona site. By not answering those questions, it leaves a lot of leads (and conversions) unanswered and potentially result in even more turned off and disinterested visitors.

Coming up next – The Grand Lodge of Arkansas