| All rights reserved. |
| American Standard |
This is not an effort to "exclude" any one. It is an effort to INCLUDE everyone
who already agrees and follows these simple, widely accepted standards of
operation. It is not a group, a club, or an agreement binding you to the
arbitration of others. It is a celebration of those who follow the guidelines like
we do.
WHY? The goal is to be able to refer groups with whom we share a common
code of conduct to clients or others who ask for help or seek council. It is a
networking tool so that you know if you contact a member whom is linked on
this page you will know that they share our ideals. These groups can be asked
for help, the will share their findings, their evidence, their knowledge and you
will know that it was gained under the same codes of standardized conduct that
you yourself employ.
A few years ago the Sci-Fi Channel premiered a show called Ghost Hunters.
Now, paranormal themed movies, radio shows, podcasts, and television
programs are enjoying much success and interest in all things supernatural are
at a peak. The paranormal community has become a hot bed of activity.
Paranormal researchers, groups, teams and individual ghost hunters are
springing up every where; they are in almost every state and in practically
every major city. The only problem with that is that this is an unregulated
field.
It is an unarguable fact; there are certain groups that just want to investigate
"haunted" locations, for various reasons. Then on the other end of the
spectrum we have groups who invest time, money, and efforts into helping
others, collecting data and attempting to further the field of paranormal study.
It is time for those that are dedicated; those of us who follow a set code of
conduct and support ethics in paranormal research to make a stand.
How can we do that?
I recently stumbled across the answer to that question when I found Minnesota
Ghosts and saw that these intrepid investigators have challenged the
Minnesota teams to step up and join them in setting the bar as far as standards
are concerned. Immediately I knew that this, The Minnesota Standard, was
what I had been struggling to come up with; a way that all of us who are on the
same page can form a more efficient network. A network of like minded people
with the same goals who could work together to further the image of
paranormal investigators, of ghost hunting and of the paranormal community
as a whole. A network of investigators that people can count on and that the
community can be proud of.
It is widely agreed that a set of guide lines, much like the TAPS Family
Requirements, is long over due. The American Standard is an attempt to set
working standards in the field of paranormal investigations that teams may
voluntarily adopt. We can build a strong network of ethical investigators and
show our support of principled codes of conduct. We ask that you join us. Step
up and take a stand.
What is The American Standard?
Read On!
Your probably following it already!
*
1. Maintain a web presence
We are judged by people searching for information about the paranormal
before they ever meet or speak to us. They judge us on the strength of our web
presence. Most groups do this but many do it wrong. You should approach all
visitors like potential clients and your site should be informative, easy to
navigate and easy to read.
Having a registered domain name (this is a .com, .net, .org) is a very good idea.
You have to make it easy for people to remember. The registered domain also
shows others that you are serious about your group because you have put money
into the serious nature of your website. A MySpace.com profile is good for
networking and marketing but is a horrible choice for your ONLY web
presence. The average person is not going to go to Myspace to find answers if
they have questions or need help. They are much more likely to use a search
engine.
However, we are not a watch dog organization. Your web presence type is
entirely up to you. The following considerations are listed as a community
service to suggest the best web presence you can offer a potential client. They
are a guideline.
Please consider these things when building your website
- Feature your members If you are scared about putting your picture on the
internet, then you shouldn't be working with the public. A picture and a
biography will tell a potential client that you are real, down to earth people
with lives and families and professions. It will make them more comfortable
contacting you.
- Feature your investigations. You do not have to have full reports but say
where you have been and when. Feature training investigations when you can
to emphasize that you do organized training sessions as this will also put a
potential client at ease. Name the teams you have worked with or for. If you
have references, offer them. It is important that you show a potential client
that you do active investigations.
- No unrelated ads. It only makes you look unprofessional to have a page
cluttered with winking, blinking, distracting ads. Potential clients are not
going to take you seriously if your web page is full of dating advertisements and
the like.
- Be organized. People usually come to your site through a search engine and
they are looking for something specific when they arrive. They will leave your
site and chose another if it is hard to navigate your page and they can not find
what they are interested in. This is a point where many otherwise excellent
investigative teams make a less than satisfying impression.
A person terrified by a haunting is not going to want to see horror graphics.
They want answers. They need to be made to feel as if this highly unusual
experience that they have had or are having can be understood if not explained.
They will leave before they will wade through unrelated content for real
information.
- Keep your content current. This is where even I have some trouble but the
extra effort to make the site fresh and update it regularly really pays off.
Outdated holiday wishes or features are going to speak volumes about you as
will screaming acid rock, horror movie sound tracts or graphic, violent or
sexual content.
While on Myspace you can reflect your personal tastes in layouts and music, the
website should be more geared to pleasing the visitor. These visitors are the
ones who will be inviting you in to their homes or businesses. When you give
out your address or pass out business cards, or put yourself in search engines,
web rings or top sites you are trying to reach people who (in most cases) are not
“into” the paranormal.
Examples of a great web presence:
Ghost Vigil --
Look at the volume of information available on their site. This is a site geared
to educating anyone who wants to gather knowledge. They also feature their
investigation reports better than I have EVER seen any other group do. They
handle their evidence well, they are timely and they follow up with their
clients well. This is a team anyone would do well to learn from or use as an
example.
*
2. Team must be made up of adults
Over 21 years of age. Why is that important? Because the client trusts you on
their property, in their homes and businesses and like it or not teenagers are
notoriously unpredictable. I’m not arguing that older teens, over 18, can’t be
great assets to a team but the person representing the group to the public needs
to be adult.
Furthermore there are issues of safety to be considered. Children and teens are
widely accepted as being more open to the spirit world and while you might
think that that sounds like a great way to bring the ghosts out to play it could
pose a threat to the individual. Possession or oppression by the spirits may be
possible. Not to mention that in some of the locations we investigate younger
people might be vulnerable to persons who will not have their best interests at
heart. We spend too much time in the dark with relative strangers for it to be a
good idea to have children on an investigation.
As previously stated we are not a watch dog organization. Your team and your
children are your business. Please use these suggestions as guide lines.
*
3. Investigate FREE of CHARGE
Paranormal ethics frown on taking payment for investigating a haunting.
Reasons vary from how you could guarantee your services when most of what we
do is anecdotal and subjective to individual interpretation to it would be too
easy to deceive innocent people into being dupes. Not taking payment for our
services is a way to stay honest. If you aren’t investigating to help people, then
what are you in it for? Charging money would only PREVENT people from
asking you for help. The goal is to encourage people to ask for help and seeking
pay will turn many away.
Accepting donations and featuring fund raising events would not be considered
as asking for payment.
*
4. Be Honest
You’re trading on your reputation. Your name and team name are all that you
have. As teams come and go and you continue to operate honestly word of
mouth will drive clients to your door. The actions of a few of us do reflect on
the majority. Every bad investigator, every team that falls short of honesty
with other teams, within their own groups or to the public steals our hard won
credibility. The public already thinks we are all crazy, no need to help
perpetuate the negative stereotype by only investigating for trophy “captures”,
manufacturing evidence, fictionalizing stories or being tolerant of those who
do.
Do not emboss, embellish or fictionalize your accounts of investigations or of
evidence. It is not evidence if your peers can't review it, try to duplicate it, work
to authenticate it. If this summarily proves a natural cause for our evidence or
debunks it that is proof that the system is working.
*
5. Act professionally
It should be able to go unsaid but as a supporter points out it bears mentioning.
1. Arrive for investigations on time.
2. Be prepared. Have everything you need with you and ready to use before you
get on the site. This includes new batteries and whats needed to mark and store
your evidence.
3. Be rested. If your not stay at home.
4.Do not go if you are sick or on medication that dulls your senses.
5. Dress sensibly for the conditions and consider an investigation the same as a
work place. When dressing for investigations, wear clothes that would be
acceptable in a casual business meeting. This would include shirts and tops
that do not have slogans, pictures or bands on them, etc., jeans or dress pants
that have no holes or rips in them but would be protective and comfortable if
you were outside, or if your team has official designated clothing, you can wear
that.
Do not wear all black, gothic attire, revealing or inappropriate clothing. Capes,
flowing gowns or costumes would not lend any credence to your dedication to
investigating, even if you love the idea of matching camouflage fatigues or
black ninja suits for the whole team.
6. Behave as if you are at work, or your grandmothers house. Remember, you are
not at a friend’s house and although you may or may not end up being long
term friends with the client you are not there to make friends but to gather
data. **I forgot this once, when I was a new investigator and made the mistake
of being too casual on an investigation by asking if I could remove my shoes
during an 18 hour investigation. Apparently from what I have heard this was
offensive. Lesson learned.**
7. Be polite.
8. Be respectful. Always, always, always be on your best behavior.
9. Make an effort to include the client, if they want to be a part of the
proceedings. Explain what you are doing and why to the client and be ready to
answer any questions that they may have for you. Allow them to test the
equipment, monitor the equipment or otherwise give them something they can
do if they show an interest.
10. Be sober. Do not be high or drunk. Period.
*
6. Follow protocols while collecting data
The data you collect should be available for peer review. If it can stand up to
stringent peer review then you may have real evidence. The way you collected
the data is most definitely an issue. If you do not know where your people are or
what they are doing then how can you be sure that isn’t them in a blurred
snapshot or on an EVP? Furthermore, your provenance of the data collected
could make all the difference to your peers when they are reviewing your
evidence. Know what equipment was used, how, when and why and present the
results with no commentary on what you think it is.
*
7. Analyze & present your findings in a timely manner.
What good is having hours of tape from investigations held months ago that
has never been listened to? Your pictures, video and audio should be analyzed
and presented in a report form to your client in a timely manner. Do not take
so much data that it can’t be evaluated in a matter of days.
The report is for the client. Present them with what you got, with as little to
no set up as is possible. For instance present pictures with no commentary of
your own and ask them to tell you what they see before discussing what you
think is in it. Let them listen to possible EVPs without having heard what you
hear in them.
*
8. Maintain client contact after an investigation
Ask if the client would like to set up an ongoing investigation or would like to
be taught how to collect data.
Make sure that they know that activity may increase after an investigation and
make sure you are available to them if it does. Keep in touch with them when it
is appropriate and follow up your report with research.
Offer ongoing support but be sensitive to them and watch for signs that they
are tired of the scene and may need a break from all of it. Some people will not
just say: "We need a break." It’s a fine line and one only learns how to tread it
with experience.
Even then it’s difficult to know how much is enough? Ask them. If they don’t
want to continue that should be their choice.
Don’t leave them hanging.
Don't make yourself a "fixture".
*
We can build a working network of like minded teams and individuals who
support each other:
One team at a time.
Will you stand with us?
If you are following these guidelines or wish to adopt these guidelines for your
team, I want to applaud you for working with a code of conduct, for believing
that protocols are important and for supporting ethics in the field of
paranormal research. Please add one of our banners to your web presence, link
it back to this page explaining what it stands for and then go back to doing the
real work of researching and investigating the paranormal.
We have four banners for you to choose from to display on your page. Two are
copy/paste and two are in html code form. Once you decide to display one, let us
know which one you want. The other two can be seen on my Myspace Profile.
As our network grows so will our reputations, so will our credibility and so
will our ability to help those who are experiencing alleged paranormal activity.
Your input is welcome. If you have something that you feel needs to be added to
the American Standard contact us.
Many of you are adhering to these standards now. If you are why not join The
American Standard and have your group listed on our “Standard Operating
Groups” page? (To be added SOON) It is a small step. Reaching out to others
who believe in paranormal ethics the same way you do. Sharing a banner
placed on your website, Myspace, social community, or in signatures that
proclaims what your standards are. We can make a difference in the
paranormal community; one group at a time.
*
Disclaimers!
We reserve the right to limit, restrict or deny access to this list.
who already agrees and follows these simple, widely accepted standards of
operation. It is not a group, a club, or an agreement binding you to the
arbitration of others. It is a celebration of those who follow the guidelines like
we do.
WHY? The goal is to be able to refer groups with whom we share a common
code of conduct to clients or others who ask for help or seek council. It is a
networking tool so that you know if you contact a member whom is linked on
this page you will know that they share our ideals. These groups can be asked
for help, the will share their findings, their evidence, their knowledge and you
will know that it was gained under the same codes of standardized conduct that
you yourself employ.
A few years ago the Sci-Fi Channel premiered a show called Ghost Hunters.
Now, paranormal themed movies, radio shows, podcasts, and television
programs are enjoying much success and interest in all things supernatural are
at a peak. The paranormal community has become a hot bed of activity.
Paranormal researchers, groups, teams and individual ghost hunters are
springing up every where; they are in almost every state and in practically
every major city. The only problem with that is that this is an unregulated
field.
It is an unarguable fact; there are certain groups that just want to investigate
"haunted" locations, for various reasons. Then on the other end of the
spectrum we have groups who invest time, money, and efforts into helping
others, collecting data and attempting to further the field of paranormal study.
It is time for those that are dedicated; those of us who follow a set code of
conduct and support ethics in paranormal research to make a stand.
How can we do that?
I recently stumbled across the answer to that question when I found Minnesota
Ghosts and saw that these intrepid investigators have challenged the
Minnesota teams to step up and join them in setting the bar as far as standards
are concerned. Immediately I knew that this, The Minnesota Standard, was
what I had been struggling to come up with; a way that all of us who are on the
same page can form a more efficient network. A network of like minded people
with the same goals who could work together to further the image of
paranormal investigators, of ghost hunting and of the paranormal community
as a whole. A network of investigators that people can count on and that the
community can be proud of.
It is widely agreed that a set of guide lines, much like the TAPS Family
Requirements, is long over due. The American Standard is an attempt to set
working standards in the field of paranormal investigations that teams may
voluntarily adopt. We can build a strong network of ethical investigators and
show our support of principled codes of conduct. We ask that you join us. Step
up and take a stand.
What is The American Standard?
Read On!
Your probably following it already!
*
1. Maintain a web presence
We are judged by people searching for information about the paranormal
before they ever meet or speak to us. They judge us on the strength of our web
presence. Most groups do this but many do it wrong. You should approach all
visitors like potential clients and your site should be informative, easy to
navigate and easy to read.
Having a registered domain name (this is a .com, .net, .org) is a very good idea.
You have to make it easy for people to remember. The registered domain also
shows others that you are serious about your group because you have put money
into the serious nature of your website. A MySpace.com profile is good for
networking and marketing but is a horrible choice for your ONLY web
presence. The average person is not going to go to Myspace to find answers if
they have questions or need help. They are much more likely to use a search
engine.
However, we are not a watch dog organization. Your web presence type is
entirely up to you. The following considerations are listed as a community
service to suggest the best web presence you can offer a potential client. They
are a guideline.
Please consider these things when building your website
- Feature your members If you are scared about putting your picture on the
internet, then you shouldn't be working with the public. A picture and a
biography will tell a potential client that you are real, down to earth people
with lives and families and professions. It will make them more comfortable
contacting you.
- Feature your investigations. You do not have to have full reports but say
where you have been and when. Feature training investigations when you can
to emphasize that you do organized training sessions as this will also put a
potential client at ease. Name the teams you have worked with or for. If you
have references, offer them. It is important that you show a potential client
that you do active investigations.
- No unrelated ads. It only makes you look unprofessional to have a page
cluttered with winking, blinking, distracting ads. Potential clients are not
going to take you seriously if your web page is full of dating advertisements and
the like.
- Be organized. People usually come to your site through a search engine and
they are looking for something specific when they arrive. They will leave your
site and chose another if it is hard to navigate your page and they can not find
what they are interested in. This is a point where many otherwise excellent
investigative teams make a less than satisfying impression.
A person terrified by a haunting is not going to want to see horror graphics.
They want answers. They need to be made to feel as if this highly unusual
experience that they have had or are having can be understood if not explained.
They will leave before they will wade through unrelated content for real
information.
- Keep your content current. This is where even I have some trouble but the
extra effort to make the site fresh and update it regularly really pays off.
Outdated holiday wishes or features are going to speak volumes about you as
will screaming acid rock, horror movie sound tracts or graphic, violent or
sexual content.
While on Myspace you can reflect your personal tastes in layouts and music, the
website should be more geared to pleasing the visitor. These visitors are the
ones who will be inviting you in to their homes or businesses. When you give
out your address or pass out business cards, or put yourself in search engines,
web rings or top sites you are trying to reach people who (in most cases) are not
“into” the paranormal.
Examples of a great web presence:
Ghost Vigil --
Look at the volume of information available on their site. This is a site geared
to educating anyone who wants to gather knowledge. They also feature their
investigation reports better than I have EVER seen any other group do. They
handle their evidence well, they are timely and they follow up with their
clients well. This is a team anyone would do well to learn from or use as an
example.
*
2. Team must be made up of adults
Over 21 years of age. Why is that important? Because the client trusts you on
their property, in their homes and businesses and like it or not teenagers are
notoriously unpredictable. I’m not arguing that older teens, over 18, can’t be
great assets to a team but the person representing the group to the public needs
to be adult.
Furthermore there are issues of safety to be considered. Children and teens are
widely accepted as being more open to the spirit world and while you might
think that that sounds like a great way to bring the ghosts out to play it could
pose a threat to the individual. Possession or oppression by the spirits may be
possible. Not to mention that in some of the locations we investigate younger
people might be vulnerable to persons who will not have their best interests at
heart. We spend too much time in the dark with relative strangers for it to be a
good idea to have children on an investigation.
As previously stated we are not a watch dog organization. Your team and your
children are your business. Please use these suggestions as guide lines.
*
3. Investigate FREE of CHARGE
Paranormal ethics frown on taking payment for investigating a haunting.
Reasons vary from how you could guarantee your services when most of what we
do is anecdotal and subjective to individual interpretation to it would be too
easy to deceive innocent people into being dupes. Not taking payment for our
services is a way to stay honest. If you aren’t investigating to help people, then
what are you in it for? Charging money would only PREVENT people from
asking you for help. The goal is to encourage people to ask for help and seeking
pay will turn many away.
Accepting donations and featuring fund raising events would not be considered
as asking for payment.
*
4. Be Honest
You’re trading on your reputation. Your name and team name are all that you
have. As teams come and go and you continue to operate honestly word of
mouth will drive clients to your door. The actions of a few of us do reflect on
the majority. Every bad investigator, every team that falls short of honesty
with other teams, within their own groups or to the public steals our hard won
credibility. The public already thinks we are all crazy, no need to help
perpetuate the negative stereotype by only investigating for trophy “captures”,
manufacturing evidence, fictionalizing stories or being tolerant of those who
do.
Do not emboss, embellish or fictionalize your accounts of investigations or of
evidence. It is not evidence if your peers can't review it, try to duplicate it, work
to authenticate it. If this summarily proves a natural cause for our evidence or
debunks it that is proof that the system is working.
*
5. Act professionally
It should be able to go unsaid but as a supporter points out it bears mentioning.
1. Arrive for investigations on time.
2. Be prepared. Have everything you need with you and ready to use before you
get on the site. This includes new batteries and whats needed to mark and store
your evidence.
3. Be rested. If your not stay at home.
4.Do not go if you are sick or on medication that dulls your senses.
5. Dress sensibly for the conditions and consider an investigation the same as a
work place. When dressing for investigations, wear clothes that would be
acceptable in a casual business meeting. This would include shirts and tops
that do not have slogans, pictures or bands on them, etc., jeans or dress pants
that have no holes or rips in them but would be protective and comfortable if
you were outside, or if your team has official designated clothing, you can wear
that.
Do not wear all black, gothic attire, revealing or inappropriate clothing. Capes,
flowing gowns or costumes would not lend any credence to your dedication to
investigating, even if you love the idea of matching camouflage fatigues or
black ninja suits for the whole team.
6. Behave as if you are at work, or your grandmothers house. Remember, you are
not at a friend’s house and although you may or may not end up being long
term friends with the client you are not there to make friends but to gather
data. **I forgot this once, when I was a new investigator and made the mistake
of being too casual on an investigation by asking if I could remove my shoes
during an 18 hour investigation. Apparently from what I have heard this was
offensive. Lesson learned.**
7. Be polite.
8. Be respectful. Always, always, always be on your best behavior.
9. Make an effort to include the client, if they want to be a part of the
proceedings. Explain what you are doing and why to the client and be ready to
answer any questions that they may have for you. Allow them to test the
equipment, monitor the equipment or otherwise give them something they can
do if they show an interest.
10. Be sober. Do not be high or drunk. Period.
*
6. Follow protocols while collecting data
The data you collect should be available for peer review. If it can stand up to
stringent peer review then you may have real evidence. The way you collected
the data is most definitely an issue. If you do not know where your people are or
what they are doing then how can you be sure that isn’t them in a blurred
snapshot or on an EVP? Furthermore, your provenance of the data collected
could make all the difference to your peers when they are reviewing your
evidence. Know what equipment was used, how, when and why and present the
results with no commentary on what you think it is.
*
7. Analyze & present your findings in a timely manner.
What good is having hours of tape from investigations held months ago that
has never been listened to? Your pictures, video and audio should be analyzed
and presented in a report form to your client in a timely manner. Do not take
so much data that it can’t be evaluated in a matter of days.
The report is for the client. Present them with what you got, with as little to
no set up as is possible. For instance present pictures with no commentary of
your own and ask them to tell you what they see before discussing what you
think is in it. Let them listen to possible EVPs without having heard what you
hear in them.
*
8. Maintain client contact after an investigation
Ask if the client would like to set up an ongoing investigation or would like to
be taught how to collect data.
Make sure that they know that activity may increase after an investigation and
make sure you are available to them if it does. Keep in touch with them when it
is appropriate and follow up your report with research.
Offer ongoing support but be sensitive to them and watch for signs that they
are tired of the scene and may need a break from all of it. Some people will not
just say: "We need a break." It’s a fine line and one only learns how to tread it
with experience.
Even then it’s difficult to know how much is enough? Ask them. If they don’t
want to continue that should be their choice.
Don’t leave them hanging.
Don't make yourself a "fixture".
*
We can build a working network of like minded teams and individuals who
support each other:
One team at a time.
Will you stand with us?
If you are following these guidelines or wish to adopt these guidelines for your
team, I want to applaud you for working with a code of conduct, for believing
that protocols are important and for supporting ethics in the field of
paranormal research. Please add one of our banners to your web presence, link
it back to this page explaining what it stands for and then go back to doing the
real work of researching and investigating the paranormal.
We have four banners for you to choose from to display on your page. Two are
copy/paste and two are in html code form. Once you decide to display one, let us
know which one you want. The other two can be seen on my Myspace Profile.
As our network grows so will our reputations, so will our credibility and so
will our ability to help those who are experiencing alleged paranormal activity.
Your input is welcome. If you have something that you feel needs to be added to
the American Standard contact us.
Many of you are adhering to these standards now. If you are why not join The
American Standard and have your group listed on our “Standard Operating
Groups” page? (To be added SOON) It is a small step. Reaching out to others
who believe in paranormal ethics the same way you do. Sharing a banner
placed on your website, Myspace, social community, or in signatures that
proclaims what your standards are. We can make a difference in the
paranormal community; one group at a time.
*
Disclaimers!
We reserve the right to limit, restrict or deny access to this list.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |