Ron: The Sexmaster aka lots of different famous ghosts...

hey
i just started my group as well.
ntpis
north texas paranormal investigations society. as far as getting permission gos just contact the owners of the property tell them you have a pi group and would like to come investigate. be sure you get your protocols are laid out with your team dos and don'ts etc. make them sign in writhing that they understand your rules, etc to cover your butt so to speak, etc. not sure about the bay area sorry. a dear friend of mine is lead investigator for a taps family group and she helped me get started. if I can help in any way let me know.

hey
i just started my group as well.
ntpis
north texas paranormal investigations society. as far as getting permission gos just contact the owners of the property tell them you have a pi group and would like to come investigate. be sure you get your protocols are laid out with your team dos and don'ts etc. make them sign in writhing that they understand your rules, etc to cover your butt so to speak, etc. not sure about the bay area sorry. a dear friend of mine is lead investigator for a taps family group and she helped me get started. if I can help in any way let me know.

contact me at ntpis@yahoo.com
ghostwatcher

I started my own movie production group. Me train, and goose are all co-owners. Anyone is welcome to apply . We need new members for are up coming movie 😆

I started my own movie production group. Me train, and goose are all co-owners. Anyone is welcome to apply . We need new members for are up coming movie 😆

hmmmm im down 😆

Welcome to the Bay Area's paranormal community, Ron.

The Bay Area is cool, because we have 15+ paranormal groups from Sacramento to San Jose. Though it can feel a little crowded some times, if groups work together, it can work out well for everyone.

To start scouting locations, I would get the book 'The Ghost Hunter's Guide to the Bay Area', by Jeff Dwyer. Jeff is a nice guy and a medical doctor. He lists haunted places by the different areas (North Bay, East Bay, South Bay, San Fran., ect.) There are also phone numbers listed for alot of the locations. Since those places agreed to be in the book, I'd think they would be more open to investigations.

The best way to get permission is, simply, to ask. I know, I know. You knew that already. Heh. But, seriously, the more contact you can have with the person, the better. A phone call is good, most people will be polite on the phone even if they're not interested. A face-to-face meeting would be even better.
If you can avoid it at all, don't email the prospect. It's all too easy for people just to click 'delete', and forget about you. Also, as I unfortunately found out earlier this year, text doesn't do a good job of carrying tone (unless you're a really good writer). When speaking to someone, especially in person, they can tell if you are serious or not, and that really helps to win them over if they're on the fence. Also, if you're talking to them, they almost have to give you some kind of answer.

Before you approach anyone, you should have your methodology down, as well as the core beleifs and practices of your group. Anyone you are going to investigate will have questions for you, so you should have your answers ready before hand.

Questions I've been asked:
-Do you do this full time, or is just a hobby?

-What does an investigation entail, and what are your goals?

-How much does it cost? (some people think investigators charge)

-Do I have to/Can I be present at the investigation?

-How long do investigations usually last?

-Are you like those guys on TV?

-What kind of equipment do you bring?

-What are your views on paranormal activity?

That's just a few.

So, here are the steps I would follow:
1.) Gather a group of like-minded people that you get along with (this is important)

2.) Have some organization meetings to figure out how you are going to structure your group, and how you're going to investigate.

3.) Practice, Practice, Practice. Stage practice investigations. These can be pretty much anywhere, regardless of whether or not the place has activity. If it does, that's icing on the cake, but the important thing here is to streamline your methodology and get some experience under your belt. Stage practice investigations at indoor locations as well as outdoor locations to get used to the environmental factors associated with both. Member's homes work great for indoor practice. See how long it takes to set up and tear down equipment, as well as how long it takes you to review data afterwards. Work on co-ordinating the post-investigation, especially if your team is spread out or work separate schedules. Get to know your equipment, and be able to operate

4.) Begin approaching haunted locations. The book I mentioned earlier is good for this. Know your answers to the above questions. If someone asks, you've already done investigations. Your practice investigations (from step 3) are still investigations that have given you experience.

5.) Practice. Yeah. It's here twice, but that's how important it is. As you gain more experience in the field, you'll want to test out new theories and equipment. It's better to do this on practice investigations than one where people are counting on you to give them answers.

6.) Network with other groups. I think this is sometimes overlooked, especially in an area such as ours where there are groups everywhere. But, I think this is important. Be respectful of other groups and share your findings. There are definitely enough locations to go around, and hauntings tend to be an on-going thing. Try not to fall into the 'everyone's out to get me' trap. Been there. It's not fun. The Bay Area is awesome, and I think we can become a role-model for the rest of the community for putting any differences aside and getting stuff done. 😁 I think LiveSciFi.tv is a good start for this (major kudos to Tim!).

If you have any specific questions, or want to tag along on any of our practice investigations, feel free to PM me or email me at patrick-at-diablovalleyparanormal.com.

Hope this helped

Looking forward to working with you and your group.

Again, Welcome!

Patrick
Diablo Valley Paranormal

thanks so much patrick! that was an amazing read. i'll take every word and put it to practice. i really appreciate you taking the time! cheers!

ron