External Communication

This was a carryover from a comment made on reddit.

We're in the 21st century in the digital, instant information age. Membership overall is in a slow but steady decline. Combating that requires us to "get with the times" to a certain extent.

Email is not some passive, outdated, rarely checked form of communication. The corporate world uses email extensively. I've sent 6 emails from my couch already this morning, and I don't go to work until early afternoon.

We as a fraternity need to do better if we want to continue.

Email: If your lodge has an email address, is it an active account that can be checked by more than just the Secretary? Is your Secretary a tech-saavy brother, or a PM with 50 years in? Can you allow that tech guy to serve as the point of contact and coordinate with the Secty? Can that email account be set up to be accessed or forwarded to multiple officers? Does that email account have auto-response capability (We received your email, please be patient until our Officer can reach out to you).?

Websites: If your lodge is going to have a website, it needs to be a friendly domain. Younger people know the difference between "locallodge49.org" and "freewebsite.com/free/wedontknowwhatweredoing/lodge49.html"

Edit to add: website should have a mobile version/compatibility

Those Grand Lodge or Lodge finder websites with contact info from 2007 don't help. Keep that info current.

It needs to be up to date regularly. Have an events calendar with your stated schedule. Definitely needs a contact form that goes to the active email discussed above. Doesn't need to be extensive, but accurate and informative. Same with FB Pages. Set up Messaging with an auto-response that directs the prospect to your website or contact form.

Lodges that go dark for the summer (or whatever timeframe) should make that somewhat known. "We're on our Summer Break and return in the fall, expect a response in early September" would suffice if communications aren't replied to during that period.

Just ideas, mostly a rant.