tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9659487.post-1159155279058124422006-09-24T21:34:00.000-06:002006-09-24T21:34:00.000-06:00Charging for services rendered is one thing. Charging for something,inherently,free is quite another. Let me explain...<BR/><BR/>Charging five bucks for a disk (which,in my opinon,is a little high considering what a blank cd goes for these days) I wouldn't consider unethical. This guy put together something to make another person's life a little easier. We are surronded by things that make our life easier and they all cost money. <BR/><BR/>The problem is the few paranormal groups/investigators that charge for content (i.e. EVPs...orb photos)on their websites. To me, it's like whoring out the dead. These people are the scum of the earth. Charging a fee to view/listen to something they've obtained for free is a crock. It would be like the government charging you a dollar an hour to breathe.<BR/><BR/>As far as the cost of running a group/website, keep in mind that all of this is a hobby. Like all the other hobbies out there, it is going to cost you money. If this is truly what you love doing,then money should have very little to do with it. If you can't afford to run a group/website, then maybe you've chosen the wrong hobby. Notice I said <B>"hobby"</B> and not <B>"profession"</B>. Even TAPS (since you mentioned them)has a "day job". That "day job" helps to pay for most of their "hobby". Donations (which, I'm sure, are given to them freely. They don't charge for investigations/web content)and merchandise probably help offset the rest of their operation. Merchandising, if done tastefully, is a good revenue generator. IMHO, selling a t-shirt or magazine is not unethical. Selling an item and claiming it is "haunted" is.<BR/><BR/>I run my own paranormal group and I'm a member of another. I pay for <B>everything</B> out of my pocket. I buy equipment when I can afford it. I don't expect others to hand it to me or support me with money. As I've said before, it's a hobby, not a profession.<BR/><BR/>Most commercial websites use advertising to help absorb their operating costs. There used to be an online paranormal magazine (not sure if it's still in operation) that would get advertisements for EMF meters and other paranormal related items/equipment to pay a fee to be displayed on their website. I wouldn't consider this unethical. The magazine was free (You had to create a free account) and the authors of the various articles volunteered their time/talents. A guy, like Dave Oester, that takes stuff that is submitted to him for free and then charges for it, is scum. He also has the audacity to charge for Ghost Researcher Certifications.<I>Do you truly think he's has any more of a clue about the paranormal than anybody else?</I> If you look up the word <B>unethical</B> in the dictionary, you should see a picture of his face there.<BR/><BR/>So, in my opinion, if you are charging to do investigations then you are, without a doubt,unethical.If you can't come up with the necessary funding to support your hobby, you may need to re-think your hobby.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com