Ghost Hunters and Organizations
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Rants
Well, I'm in a mood so be prepared.

As some of you may know, I'm currently forming the Adsagsona Paranormal Society (http://www.apsociety.com) with some friends and fellow paranormal investigators. While I'm having a ball with it, I'm also working my tail off. It's not always easy to do things right, but I'm determined to do that with this organization. And because I'm wanting it done right, I'm being a little picky about who I send out in public to represent the APS. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with wanting someone that knows what they're doing and can behave themselves while they're doing it.

So what's got me on a rant?

Today I received e-mails from two different individuals that both wanted to know what they needed to do in order to go on investigations with us. I told them that we're still working out membership details but one thing I was sure of is that no one will represent the APS on an investigation until we know for sure that they're properly trained, can act professionally, etc. And I even said it nicely!

Here's the thing -- BOTH of them responded to say that was too much work! What in the world?? It's too much WORK to do something properly?

Paranormal investigation isn't widely accepted. There's a certain amount of stigma attached to it because it's not always understood. There's also a certain amount of stigma attached to it because of teenagers (and a few older folks as well) that call themselves investigators and then go out and act like... well, teenagers!

Personally, if you aren't willing to study, train and act professionally then I don't think it's possible for you to do legitimate scientific research on an investigative team, which is what I want to see the APS doing. And another personal note, I don't want you on my team.

Okay, so is that being snobby? Or is that someone that's willing to work hard, produce solid evidence, act professionally, and, hopefully, raise the bar on this issue?

If you'd like to weigh in on the issue, please feel free to join me in the APS Yahoo group. It's free, and we can chat.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adsagsonaparanormal/

Donna

I'm on a rant!
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Rants
Scenario: You suspect your home is haunted, your entire family is frightened, you research hauntings on the Internet, you find a group that seems to know what they're talking about, and you contact them. They get back with you, they seem reasonable enough, and so you set up an appointment for an investigation. Investigation day arrives, and you spend your time cleaning and making your home presentable. You wonder if you should serve refreshments, but you aren't sure of the protocol for paranormal investigations. Then there's a knock at the door. You open the door to your home to find 30 strangers with cameras, tape recorders and a few things you can't identify.

Question: What do you do?

Answer: You ask them to leave and you look for another group to assist you with your possible haunting.

If you believe you're sharing your home with a spirit, then you're possibly feeling vulnerable, confused, frightened, etc. You have enough going on without having 20 or 30 strangers show up at your door expecting to traipse through your clean home poking into your closets and private areas.

So what do you expect from a paranormal investigation group?

1. They tell you EXACTLY the number of investigators that will be in attendance, and this number should NEVER be more than 5 or 6.
2. They tell you about the equipment they'll be bringing, how it will be set up, how it works, etc.
3. They tell you what to expect from the investigation -- duration, procedures, etc.
4. At the investigation's conclusion, they give you a preliminary report and then tell you when to expect YOUR copy of the final report.

And that's the least you can expect. There's much more, but I'll rant about that later.

Donna