DeMolay Month 2017

March is only a day away, which means one thing, DeMolay Month is upon us. By now, your chapter should already have a solid plan of the activities taking place throughout the month. We ask that you please share these activities with us through social media. Create a story of the events and post it on the PA DeMolay Facebook, take a picture and post it to the PA DeMolay Instgram, or write a status and post it to the PA DeMolay Twitter. You can also send photos and video from these events to our Snapchat account as well. So what events should you post? Well, everything of course, but here is a list of the DeMolay Month events that we look forward to seeing the most: 

1. Senior DeMolay appreciation event
2. Masonic Sponsor appreciation event
3. Devotional Day Observance
4. Receiving a Proclamation from a Government Official
5. Obligating members during the month
6. Community or Masonic based service project
7. Visitation with another chapter
8. DeMolay newspaper article
9. Social Activity
10. Radio or TV announcements

DeMolay Month is the best chance to get our name out to the local community. Let's get out there and promote the greatest youth organization in the world. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

#Giving Tuesday

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to the efforts of giving back to others in a charitable sense. Originally, I thought this was a day DeMolay International created since I've seen it on all of our pages. That was until Facebook told me that they wanted to help give back to a fundraiser as well. From there, I noticed that all charities are supporting Giving Tuesday, and you should too. 

In DeMolay, we have several chances to give back and raise money for charity. We encourage members to raise money for the state charity, which in Pennsylvania is the Children's Dyslexia Center. Chapters and individuals have been known to support multiple other charities as well. I've seen chapters help out with homeless shelters, donate change for the troops, and we all remember the donations made from the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS two summers ago. 

Today, I encourage all members and advisors to take part in the efforts of Giving Tuesday. Choose a charity or program that you support and make a donation. You can even make a donation to the DeMolay Foundation by going to demolay.org/donate. The important thing is that you make a difference in the life of someone.      

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

I AM DEMOLAY!

November is finally here, which means that it's DeMolay Rush Month. DeMolay International has dedicated the entire month of November to promoting this great organization and attempting to bring in new members to DeMolay. This is a way to be proud of the organization that has turned us into the people we are today.

So what are some things that you can do to promote DeMolay in Pennsylvania? The first thing is to wear a DeMolay shirt to school or work. DeMolay International is making every Tuesday a day in which you wear a DeMolay shirt, but why limit it to just Tuesday. Social media posts are another way that can help promote DeMolay. Post a picture of you wearing your DeMolay shirt and post it to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other form of social media (maybe even Myspace.) When posting, please remember to use the #IAMDEMOLAY. This is an attempt to make DeMolay a trending topic all over the world throughout November. 

So what are your waiting for? Get out there and promote the greatest youth organization around. Start posting and start bringing in new members. Pennsylvania is currently in second place with 73 new members. Lets make our way to first place. We can do it!

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

#IAMDEMOLAY

Social Media: Pros and Cons

In the early part of the 21st century, social media has become a staple in the culture of society. Teenagers and adults alike constantly check their Facebook timeline for the latest status updates, browse Instagram for the most recent photos and search Twitter for the most popular trending topics. Just like all  things in life, social media has some advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages to Social Media:

1. Social media allows users to have a worldwide connectivity. It allows a person to connect with other people they haven't seen or talked to in a very long time. It can also introduce users to people they haven't met before. Facebook, among all the others, can help lead a person to find job opportunities, meet love interests and track down product and service referrals

2. Social media allows users to find others with a common interest. Facebook and other forms of media allow you to like or join groups that you may be interested in. This will allow users to meet others with the same interest, creating communication opportunities.

3. Facebook, along with all of the other forms of media, can provide a great promotional tool. Are you trying to promote your local DeMolay Chapter? DeMolay Chapters across the world have created Facebook pages allowing members to connect and promote the activities they have to offer.

4. Information travels at an incredible speed through social media. News topics are promoted on the internet shortly after an event takes place. Facebook, Twitter and others help spread that recognition even faster.

Disadvantages to Social Media:

1. As I stated above, news travels fast. This often times allows false rumors and news headlines to surface. People will share a topic before finding out whether the information is accurate.

2. Although social media can bring people together, it does not have the power to force them to interact with each other in person. Personal social skills are often lost because we're too focused on social media and the internet,

3. We're always told to think twice before acting. With social media, the lesson should be to think twice before posting. Once information is on the internet, it can't be taken back. Employers have access to Facebook as well and often times check a person's page before hiring them. Although it may not seem fair, colleges and employers may use information found on that page to determine whether to accept an application or decline one.

4. Bullying has always been a worldwide problem, but social media introduces a new form of torment; cyber-bullying. As the title describes, this is bullying taking place on the internet and social media for the whole world to see. This can often times be a problem for our youth of today.


These are just a few of the advantages and disadvantages of what can be an ongoing topic. So what should we take out of this post today? It's very simple; be cautious of what is being posted on the internet. Think about the effects of what is being posted on social media before you post it. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others can be essential tools to help us grow in our lives, if used properly and not abused.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin
     

Facing Your Past

One of the consistently trending topics among 18 year olds is the college admissions process. Each year, graduating seniors vie for the college they'd like to attend, usually through complex applications and essays. These documents are read by admissions counselors who then select the students that best fit the institution for which they work. However, as many students are learning, they may not be looking at your application materials only.

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled Web Profiles Haunt Students, several admissions officers are interviewed about their use of Facebook and social media in the admissions process. Specifically detailed are the policies of Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Having spent time at Wake Forest, I can tell you that it is a premier school. It has a reputation for quality students and it actively seeks to maintain that positive image. With an endowment of $1.5 billion (yes, billion, with a "b"), the school can ill afford a scandal or issue arising from poorly vetting students. While Wake may be at the forefront of this issue, they aren't the only college using this technique.

What does this mean for students? Simply, they should vet themselves and clean up their profiles. Any references to drugs or alcohol should be removed. Also, students should monitor their own behavior. This includes using appropriate language, not bullying or teasing others, and double checking old photos for something that might be misconstrued. Taking a few moments to clean up your profile could mean that you get into that school you want to go to. Isn't that worth the effort?

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Facing Your Reputation

One of the most important lessons young people are being forced to learn revolves around their online reputations. At Key Man, the staff hosted a workshop about what you can / should post on the web and how. As I said at the beginning of that workshop, "we aren't trying to say Facebook is the devil and you shouldn't use it. Rather, we want you to harness it's power for good instead of bad." It was a great workshop and I was delighted to find that most of our young men really get it and are careful about their postings.

Conveniently, the folks over at The Art of Maniless have posted a great related article as part of an on-going series. Entitled Manage Your Online Reputation, the piece hits on all of the major aspects of ensuring that you have a good online identity. Give a read, it's certainly worth your time.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Beginnings and Endings

It's going to be a short post day today, as I'm swamped with things to get done after the Rose Croix weekend. The event went very well and I'm sure that all in attendance had a great time! I only have two things on the agenda for the blog today, but they are both important.

1. I have decided to stop doing Trivia with Fezzy on the blog. After a good run of 20 weeks, I feel the idea has run it's course. I'm going to try to concoct some kind of new contest to keep interest in the blog, but for now I am bidding trivia goodbye.

2. If you're on Facebook (and who isn't anymore) you should be participating in the Change Your Profile Picture for DeMolay event sponsored by "Proud DeMolay." Just to go to Facebook, search for"Proud DeMolay" and you'll find an assortment of pictures for you to choose from. This is a simple way for you to get involved in DeMolay month and support the organization, so, give it a whirl!

That's it from my desk today! I promise I'll have something good to rant about on Thursday!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony