Two years ago, I knew very little about “Twitter” the Social Media phenomenon.  I have administered my own website for many years and had set up the North Harrow Lodge website in 2010 , which has proved to be a great success as a tool for recruitment and communication. (See our Progression Sheet)

However, Twitter is also proving to be another great form of communication in promoting Freemasonry in general and our Lodge profile in particular.

Where Freemasons used to know what went on at Lodge meetings in their own Masonic Centre, or at a push, in the Province, now through Twitter,  Freemasons can now find out what’s going on in Lodges throughout Britain and other parts of the world and interact with them.

Social Media is also being embraced by U.G.L.E, where at the recent Grand Lodge Communications, proceedings were Tweeted live and where they now have a following of in excess of 5,000 and it they retweet one of your posts it immediately goes out to 5,000 other Twitter users.

More Lodges than ever are opening Twitter accounts in order to communicate with other like minded people and in most Provinces the practice is encouraged, which has resulted in thousands of Freemasons joining, bringing the fraternity closer and closer…..

Following North Harrow Lodge’s successful sailing weekend on the Solent over the last three years, my idea was, in the absence of any Lodges on the south coast having meetings on the 4th July weekend, to have an informal gathering of the #Twitterati on the back of the boat in Poole Marina, accompanied by fish & chips, a few beers and the odd ‘Dark & Stormy’ (Dark Rum and Alcoholic Ginger beer)

Through the interest on Twitter, this event has escalated with the help of W.Bro. Brian Chidgey, Dorset ProvGReg to at least 100 brethren gathering at the local Masonic Hall on the evening of the 4th July, where I have now agreed to give a presentation on the benefits of website and social media, followed by a meal and a few beers in the dining hall. Book in with Brian via Twitter @dorsetreg if you wish to join us.

This event is now being supported by Provincial Grand Masters and Assistant Grand Masters from most of the South Coast Masonic Provinces. Such is the power of Social Media.

To mark the occasion and to further the benefits of Twitter as a Social Media tool to promote Freemasonry,  W.Bro Paul Hughes, @prhughes, Somerset Provincial Social Media Officer, has produced a Masonic Twitter Pin and along with myself are making them available to all Freemasons with Twitter accounts.

They are now available to buy on eBay as well as at the event in July and have agreed that ALL PROFITS will be divided equally between the Somerset Provincial 2020 Festival in support of The Grand Charity and the Middlesex Provincial 2020 Festival in support of RMTGB, so please give generously.  Both I’m sure you will agree are worthy Masonic causes.

If you’re on Twitter, you can follow us @HarrowFreemason.