I wasn't really sure what I wanted to title this, one either etiquette or organization. I went with the latter but perhaps I should have just called it pet peeves. If you are organizing an event, for goodness sake, ORGANIZE it. I work a desk job for a highly regulated office and industry, my job hinges on organization. Perhaps that's why its a pet peeve of mine. I have been to some very well organized events, St Albans I'm giving you props here. You knew what was going on, when it was going on and where it was going on. Then there are the not so organized ones. The ones that you are all but certain a couple of people just sat down one night and said lets have an event and invite a lot of people but just go with the flow. It reminds me of the quote by Andy Hunt "only dead fish go with the flow". Not only is that frustrating for the attendees but its frustrating for the vendors and volunteers as well. I went to an event where the disorganization started at the door and ran rampant from there. The ticket person didn't know how to take my cash. It was cash, you just put it in the "cash box" and give me a ticket. It took him five minutes to figure that out while I stood there and waited. Once inside there were supposed to be guest speakers, however, there was no schedule, no list of events posted anywhere, online or off. When I asked one of the volunteers, they had no idea and sent me to someone else. I asked three different people and no one knew. I could clearly see the rooms that were equipped with chairs and projectors, but no one knew who was using them or when. There where tours offered, however, each time I showed up at the spot where they were to start, no one was there. I never did see anyone on a tour, probably because there was never a tour guide. Later I learned that the "tour guide" was one of the people I frequently saw walking around socializing. There was also supposed to be several groups and vendors present but only three showed up. More than likely because they didn't know where to be and at what time to be there. This is only one example of many event that I've been to that seemed to be put on at the last minute by very inexperienced people. Surely there had to be one organized person in your circle of friends that you could enlist the help of. I've been to events that where supposed to start at one time and end at another, only to start and hour late and end two hours early and never actually hit all the hot spots. That's very frustrating especially when you paid for the time and didn't get the full experience. At least the other example was free, so I got what I paid for on that one. Alcohol: under no circumstance should alcohol be involved, and especially when it comes to the people who are in charge of the event. Yes I've actually been to events where the "organizers" where knocking on a good buzz before we even got there and out of control by the end of it. Alcohol should never be involved period when it comes to investigating. How are you going to be taken seriously by anyone when you're three sheets to the wind yourself. We already have to deal with skeptics that call us crazy, we don't need to give them ammunition. While we are on pet peeves, oh my goddess, FLASHLIGHTS. These things annoy the piss out of me sometimes. It takes anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes for your eyes to acclimate to the darkness initially. If someone shines a light in your eyes it take 3 - 4 minutes to get your vision back. Now imagine if that happened walking down a flight of stairs in an old building or stumbling over tree trunks in a forest. Its not pleasant or safe. Please Please Please if you are leading a group, have a quick discussion on how to use a flashlight. Most people don't use them very often and don't understand the etiquette. You do not point it up and in someone's eyes, please turn it off when you get to where you are going, and if someone says I think I see something don't turn it on and whip it around. I have been blinded so many times by flashlights and it can be very dangerous. One night we where in a forest that was reported to have children haunting it. We where getting some great activity and EVPs. I was staring off into the woods and I thought I saw a small child peaking out from behind a tree. I stared for a while then whispered to my friend "do you see anything behind that tree", the lady behind me swung around with her flashlight and turned it on and said where. Well of course whatever was there disappeared. Think about it, if apparitions appear in the form of shadows or mist, what happens when you shine a light on them. We use IR lights for a reason. Cell phones are the other thing. The backlight on those things are amazingly bright in the pitch black dark. I have been on public investigations where someone decided to use the voice recorder on their cell phone, but instead of just turning it on and letting it roll, they had to sit there and stare at it the whole time just waiting to see a blip show up, and each time it timed out and dimmed down they would bring it back up. It was like a dying strobe light. It drove my eyes nuts. There is no way they could have seen where they were going. Then there are the people who just don't want to be there so they play games on their phone all night with the volume up. Yes, I know some people use fancy little aps on their phones to investigate and there is nothing wrong with that, but if you are sitting in a small room with 15 other people, have some courtesy and be aware of how bright your backlight is. You CAN adjust it. Another subject that gets me, seeking fame. So many people out there just want to be on TV. Yes we all watch the same shows, me included, but what most people fail to recognize is that those people aren't rich. I've met just about all of them, from all of the shows, you know what they all have in common? A job, they all still work a job. They all struggle just like we do. They are passionate about what they believe and that passion is what got them recognized, not some amateur video their friend produced of them doing an investigation. They certainly didn't get there by acting like they where smarter or better than anyone else. We are all discovering this together, we need to work together and push this field forward instead of competing with each other over it. There is no room in research for drama.
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AuthorLead investigator for Archivees
September 2018
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