The North Carolina Mason

May/June 2017

North Carolina Mason

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Dear Mason Editor: I have been sending news items in and sometimes they get in, sometimes they don't. What's up with that? What do I have to do to get into print??? Signed, Baffled Brother Dear Baffled, I'm glad you asked! While there are many, many items I can fit into a 16-page newsletter – this is one very big newsletter – there are often many more that I can't. ere are some good reasons why one news item is perfect and why another won't ever hit print. Why? Here are some reasons … Timeliness. Our news- letter goes out every other month, so it hits mailboxes in mid-to-late February, April, June, August, October and December. So, if you send me a promo for an event happening in the next couple of weeks, I can't use it in the newsletter. e event will be a memory by the time anyone reads about it. If you send me an item that happened a couple of months ago, it will be VERY old by the time it hits print. We're working hard to keep the news in the newsletter as timely as we can, so we can't use anything more than a few weeks old. Send your stories and photos in AS SOON AS YOU CAN after the event ends. at increases your chances of getting a little bit of newsletter real estate. And don't forget – you can post your news on the North Carolina Facebook page! Here's how to find it: http:// bit.ly/2mhrl1a Photos. Everyone and their brother can shoot a picture these days from a smart phone. It's so easy and handy. Trouble is, the pictures are often not very good. Here's what we're up against at the Mason. We create two versions of the newsletter – one for online reading, and the other for print/ mailing. Reading the online version is easier on the eyes because it is so clear and because photos are displayed at higher resolutions. What does that mean? e higher the resolution, the sharper and clearer the image. So, if you send smart phone photos, they must be clear with no blurring or we just can't use them. at's because when they run in the printed version, they will look terrible and you won't be able to tell one face from another. Your goal in shooting photos is to shoot the clearest and best-lit shots you can. If you have a digital camera, choose that over a smart phone. Only the newest smart phones can really take a good photo we can use. Now, a word about who's IN the photo. So many brothers send in shots of large crowds of people lined up and smiling happily. While that's a nice thing to do, making sure everyone is included, the truth is that nobody looks at those photos because there are too MANY faces. Try to keep your group shots to five or so. Remember to list names, left to right, including spelled out titles. (Check your spelling on the names before you hit "send." Subject matter. I want to be up front about this first rule. As proud as we all are of our new officers each December and January, and as much as we thank them for their service, this is a photo we just can't run. ere are more than 300 lodges in NC and virtually all of them send in their officer installa- tion photos each year. Even though the newsletter is a large one, we can't fit them all in. And we can't pick and choose one lodge to highlight over another. I'm sorry about that – it's truly a moment for all of us to celebrate. But take heart. You CAN and SHOULD post those photos and identify your officers on the North Carolina Facebook page. It's there for exactly that purpose! Please "like" the North Carolina Mason page – there's a lot of news there! Missing information. When you send in an item, make sure you have answered these questions: Who, what, when, where, why and how. Who is this about, and who Page 4 The North Carolina Mason May/June 2017 T h e m i s s i o n o f f r e e m a s o n r y i n n o r T h C a r o l i n a i s T o r a i s e T h e m o r a l , s o C i a l , i n T e l l e C T u a l , a n d s p i r i T u a l C o n s C i e n C e o f s o C i e T y b y T e a C h i n g T h e a n C i e n T a n d e n d u r i n g p h i l o s o p h i C a l TeneTs of broTherly love, relief, and TruTh, whiCh are expressed ouTwardly Through serviCe To god, family, CounTry, and self under The faTherhood of god wiThin The broTherhood of man. (USPS 598-260) is published bimonthly by e Grand Lodge of AF & AM of North Carolina, 2921 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27608. ird class postage paid at Oxford, NC 27565. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to e North Carolina Mason, School Of Graphic Arts, Masonic Home for Children, Oxford, NC 27565. Grand Master A. Gene Cobb Jr. Board Of Publication Bill Faison (Chairman) R. Kevin Combs W.E. Warnock John R. Beamon III John S. Dodd Editor Beth Grace Good quality pictures are essential for suitable reproduction. e right to re- ject any submission not suitable for use is reserved. Pictures will be returned to the sender only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Email submissions are welcome; high resolution, unaltered JPGs and Rich Text Format documents are preferred. Submissions and other correspon- dence should be sent to the editor at 2921 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27608 or . Each North Carolina Mason is a subscriber to e North Carolina Mason. If you know a member who is not receiving the paper, please send us his full name, his complete address, and the name and number of his lodge. Masonic widows receive e Mason free upon request. Subscriptions are available to others at a rate of five dollars per year. Subscription inquiries and address changes only should be sent to: e School of Graphic Arts, Masonic Home for Children, 600 College Street, Oxford, North Carolina 27565. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The North Carolina Mason, the Grand Lodge, or Board of Publication. From the editor's desk Grand Master A. Gene Cobb Jr. .............................. gcobb@glnc.us Deputy Grand Master Speed Hallman ...............shallman@glnc.us Senior Grand Warden D. M. "Mack" Sigmon. ... msigmon@glnc.us Junior Grand Warden Shaun Bradshaw ........... sbradshaw@glnc.us Grand Treasurer Lewis R. Ledford (PGM) ......... lledford@glnc.us Grand Secretary T. Walton Clapp III .....................wclapp@glnc.us Senior Grand Deacon R. David Wicker Jr. .......... dwicker@glnc.us Junior Grand Deacon Larry B. ompson Jr. ...lthompson@glnc.us Grand Marshal Kevan D. Frazier. ..........................kfrazier@glnc.us Grand Steward Donald E. Kehler ......................... dkehler@glnc.us Grand Steward Robert W. Rideout ...................... rrideout@glnc.us Grand Tyler William B. Bruton .......................grand.tyler@glnc.us Grand Chaplain Mark M. N. Vickers ....... grand.chaplain@glnc.us Grand Historian Steven A. Campbell ..campmckay1358@gmail.com Grand Lecturer Hugh L. McLaurin III ................... mac542@live.com Everything I know about sending stories to the Mason* NORTH CAROLINA The Mason By Beth Grace Editor ■ see BAFFLED, page 5 *I learned by reading this column

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