Is Twitter the future of Masonry?

As many of you know, I am not only the blogger here but I host Masonic Central with Greg Stewart.  Masonic Central is a weekly podcast focused on Masonic issues and interests.

In our first show of 2009 (click to download) we discussed the plans for the new year and tackled the changes masonry may have to face.  One item that was discussed was the use of technology to reach the new generation of masons.  Fred Milliken, author of the Beehive blog suggested Twitter may be a great tool for this.  Well I don't think it's the solution to our problems but I have been Tweeting lately and want others to try it and be able to find fellow masons on the service.

With that in mind, I have started a Freemason Twitter group.  All you Tweeters can find it at http://tgr.me/g/mason When you get there just ask to join and sign in with your Twitter account. 

Oops... You mean you don't have a Twitter account???  

Head here and find out what it's about.  Don't ask me to explain.  It's free and you will either love it or hate it, but give it a try just so you can tell your "younger hipper" friends that you did it.  I honestly don't think it is the answer to Freemasonry, but it's a great tool to keep in touch and get your message out.

So you signed up for Twitter and hey you even signed up for the group I mentioned above.  Well how about getting some other friends to Twitter with.  You can find me at "dbk" and I have a second account JUST for the masonic podcast "masoniccentral".  One more guy you can follow is "masonictraveler"  I'm sure Greg will not mind me saying so... 

Have fun Twittering with Masons and the world.... Let me know how it works for you.

PS - If you like it, I recommend a third-party software such as tweetdeck to enhance your Tweet'ing experience.  But start with the basics first... Tweetdeck is a Beta.

Masonic Central talks with Brothers Paul Bessel and Jerry Samet

Tonight should be a great show at Masonic Central!

Date: Sun, August 31, 2008
Time: 09:00 PM EDT
Click here to join the call or just listen along

We talk with Paul Bessel and Jerry Samet. Paul is a prolific author and web publisher of the Masonic website www.bessel.org as well as of many papers, and books, and Bro. Jerry is a Past Grand Master of Washington D.C, Past International Gran Master of DeMolay, creator of the Grand Master's class and champion of eliminating bigotry in Masonry.

We look forward to talking about some of the specific topics of masonry today, including past (and present) segregation in Freemasonry and their work in integration and broadening recognition of Prince Hall, the success (or failure) of the of modern Grand Master Classes , infamously known as "One Day Classes", and some discussion on how to make Masonry interesting and more enjoyable to modern membership if it is to survive. It's going to be a great program and one not to be missed!

Looking to talk on our program?
You are welcome to dial in. During our taping you can dial in directly at (724) 444-7444 and when asked use Call ID: 19162.

We are often asked about equipment for Voip. I've included a budget headset below. I've not used this headset but it looks fine.

Plantronics .Audio 50 Headset


We also have many of our active panel calling in via Skype. I recommend spending the $3 a month for the US/Canada Plan. It's a long distance bill killer as I call it. And you can call in to the show with it.



I hope to talk to you soon!

Masonic Central with Jennifer Emick of About.com

Join me tonight in my other endeavour over at Masonic Central. Tonight we feature Masonic Central with Jennifer Emick of about.com. She is the About.com columnist for alt.religion. She has written about masonry. Listen in or participate as we uncover her thoughts on masonry.

The show starts at 9:00 EST. Log in and you can ask questions live or wait till it's done and download the show to listen at your own time.

Author of "One Mountain, Many Paths" will be on Masonic Central tonight!

Join me as I co-host this Sunday July 13th, 2008 at 9PM EST/6PM PST for an interview with author and Freemason Patrick Swift.
Patrick is the author of "One Mountain, Many Paths" which is billed as "A spiritual companion or gift for family and friends, One Mountain, Many Paths is filled with uplifting quotes from the sacred texts of all of the great religious traditions..." Dr. Patrick Swift is a member of George Washington Lodge 285 in New York, NY & Highland Park Lodge 1150 Dallas, TX. He holds a faculty appointment at NYU Medical Center where he works as a psychologist. Prior to his career in healthcare, Patrick studied to become a Jesuit priest and completed the Ignatian 30-day silent retreat. He has studied Eastern Philosophy and meditation as well as completed a pilgrimage to India on a 75-day trip around the world. A witness to the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 who cared for some of the victims, Patrick is a passionate advocate for interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance. It stands to be an interesting Conversation.

You can visit the Masonic Central website for more info on this show and future shows.

Masonic Central

Come check out the newest masonic podcast to hit the web. Next episode will be featuring Tim Bryce as our guest speaker. If you can't make the live version then just wait and download it so you can listen in during your own time. All episodes are also available on iTunes.

Unbelievable Deal - in my opinion...

This has to be a deal worth blogging about... (and read to the bottom for my special teaser message)
I just renewed my Skype subscription for another year. I pay a year at a time. Why do I pay, you ask? Because Skype is free isn't it? Well yes it's free if you want to just call other people with Skype but if you want to use it to call anyone, on virtually any phone then you need to pay. So I have my long distance now cut down for the next year, unless I get lazy, to a mere $24 roughly. Yup that's ANNUAL, not monthly. And if your in Canada or the US I can call you for free and sit on the line for hours. Don't cost me any more.

I may be a bit of a tech geek but Skype is easy to use. Use this link and get 33% off 3 or 12 month calling subscriptions from Skype until 1st June. That's not far off. And rememebr just to go for the year. It isn't much money anyway. You might want to get a headset to use as well, for better quality calls. Or go all the way and invest in a Skype-enabled phone.

Skype comes in handy for my upcoming masonic podcast program too... And you though I was slow on posting? I have been working on something larger that took my energy elsewhere. Stay tuned!