Research Group Concept

[Ron Collins]

I have not been actively interested in the UFO phenomenon long enough to develop an overwhelmingly oppressive cynicism. I actually believe that people are basically good and that like minded people with drive and good intentions can hold egos in check and work together for a common goal. This happens everyday in business...sure we can debate ego but the work still gets done.

With this in mind, I am thinking that we might be missing an opportunity to contribute something meaningful to this field. I do not think the UFO topic needs another quasi-hunter expert. I think, just like in any field, that real work is done not by individuals but by specialized teams. Teams that can use their special skill sets to contribute a piece of the puzzle and research aspects of a given event and collaboratively show their findings.

Perhaps this is being done now, I don’t know. But it sure doesn’t seem that way. The roundtable of a couple of weeks ago started me thinking about this.

Would it not be a decent idea to:

1-Gather a group of interested people
2-Discuss how best to organize that group
3-Find an issue to research that holds the interest and excitement of the researchers
4-Assign responsibilities trying to utilize each members special skill sets
5-Make a research plan and distribute that plan to the members
6-Hold weekly progress meetings
7-Hold monthly evaluations of data and member performance. Maybe even reassessing assignments.
8-Collaboratively write an opinion/finding of the issue showing all the data used to generate it.

Clearly this needs a lot more thought, but my point is it may not need huge volumes of cash. It may just need very dedicated, interested people…such as those who participate in this forum, to spend a little more time each week doing something to contribute.

Am I nuts? It just seems to me that many of us are not scientists. That doesn’t mean that we suddenly become unable to objectively research a topic. Do we all not complain that the biggest thing wrong with Ufology is individual ego and lack of objectivity in many of the high profile researchers? Would this have a snowballs chance of working?

 

[The Pair of Cats]

Great idea, Ron, good intentions, but it will never happen.
What the UFO (mine)field really needs is an enema.

 

[CapnG]

Great idea, Ron, good intentions, but it will never happen.
What the UFO (mine)field really needs is an enema.

I dunno Cats, at this point full on colorectal surgery may be needed to shift the amount crap that's blocking actual progress...

 

[The Pair of Cats]

Great idea, Ron, good intentions, but it will never happen.
What the UFO (mine)field really needs is an enema.

I dunno Cats, at this point full on colorectal surgery may be needed to shift the amount crap that's blocking actual progress...

I totally agree Cap!

 

[Aaron LeClair]

Hypothetically speaking, you could get rid of all the nuts in ufology, and still not get anywhere possibly. Thanks to the mentality and ignorance of mainstream science, politicians, and the media. All those are entwined in the reasons for our lack of progress. Kooks in ufology don't help of course. But until a critical mass of people become less ignorant, and stop treating the subject matter like Beavis and Butthead treat sex ed, progress will be be slow. If I was prone to pray, I'd pray for aliens to crash in NY city. That's what it will take to wake people up currently.

I am all for exposing frauds of course. Just because they're annoying, not because it will get us closer to shaking hands, or tentacles with anything "alien"

 

[Don Keyhoe-Ti]

join MUFON, join CUFOS, heck even join APRO. Why re-invent the wheel, unless you reckon you're some sort of redemptive protestant wheel-reshaper.? Those groups already give out little laminated memebership cards... you can be a "card carrying member!". Pass MUFON's investigator exams then some night you'll get a call at 2:12 am to go investigate a sighting 80kms away....right now! On your way driving there you will see oldy-worldy clocks flying away with their hands spinning counter-clockwise maybe, and Rod Sterling pooncing about in a sharp suit. The local short order cook at the local diner will build you a mountain of mashed potato, and then deep fry it, and the train crossing sign will wangle back&forward for no good reason near a volcanic plug, & aliens will teach us all to be good at bmx before we phonehome & sing Neil Diamond tunes.

 

[Ron Collins]

join MUFON, join CUFOS, heck even join APRO. Why re-invent the wheel, unless you reckon you're some sort of redemptive protestant wheel-reshaper.? Those groups already give out little laminated memebership cards... you can be a "card carrying member!". Pass MUFON's investigator exams then some night you'll get a call at 2:12 am to go investigate a sighting 80kms away....right now! On your way driving there you will see oldy-worldy clocks flying away with their hands spinning counter-clockwise maybe, and Rod Sterling pooncing about in a sharp suit. The local short order cook at the local diner will build you a mountain of mashed potato, and then deep fry it, and the train crossing sign will wangle back&forward for no good reason near a volcanic plug, & aliens will teach us all to be good at bmx before we phonehome & sing Neil Diamond tunes.

Gee, thanks for the dripping sarcasm! Its been so long since I heard any of that on this forum. It is so refreshing to read you whitty prose and absorb your insightful intelect! Gosh, thanks for taking the time to respond!

The point is that these organizations aren’t wheels at all. These organizations have no research teams willing to tackle an issue. They are full of individuals running out to attain personal glory or write that next chapter for their book. MUFON field investigators do a pretty good job of conducting an initial interview. Then they submit the case and move on. This isnt what I am talking about at all.

I am talking about using a team of resources, from all over the world to actively research specific cases, events, or whatever the group decides they want to tackle and get as much information about it as possible. Use the collective abilities of that team to cross check and validate information. Then, compile a report of the findings and provide all the raw research material for inspection by anyone who wants to download it.

When a guy on an aircraft carrier says he and 25 to 3000 people saw two UFO's in 1958, there are allot of things this team can do to investigate it. One investigator can not possibly tackle that large of a scope. There are literally hundreds of cases that can be explored in this manner. Who knows the information that can be garnered from such an effort. It is possible that enough evidence could help sway public opinion of the subject.

In short the organizations you mentioned aren’t really doing this level of research. If they are, they are doing a shitty job of telling people about it. So, instead of sitting around bitching about the state of ufology, I would like to do something. Or at least help in doing something to fix it. Is that so wrong?

 

[Frootloop]

For what its worth, the www.openmindsforum.com have just started the "Open Minds Research Team". he advantage in this type of plan is that members from all over the world can make a contribution of resarch in their local area and colaborative research wih others at a distance.

 

[Ron Collins]

For what its worth, the www.openmindsforum.com have just started the "Open Minds Research Team". he advantage in this type of plan is that members from all over the world can make a contribution of resarch in their local area and colaborative research wih others at a distance.

I will check that out. Thank you very much.

 

[TClaeys]

When a guy on an aircraft carrier says he and 25 to 3000 people saw two UFO's in 1958, there are allot of things this team can do to investigate it. One investigator can not possibly tackle that large of a scope. There are literally hundreds of cases that can be explored in this manner. Who knows the information that can be garnered from such an effort. It is possible that enough evidence could help sway public opinion of the subject.

What is the point of swaying public opinion? If we are interested in the truth, then who gives a crap about what other people think? I see what you are saying in compiling data to be examined, but we end up testimony and that is about it. And when prior groups have presented data, they seem to leave out any contradictory data. This is the same thing they accuse skeptics of.

In reality what ufology needs is more skeptics and the release of all data supporting or contradicting certain events. This is where ufology falls short. Like minded people may be well intentioned, but also subject to certain conclusions. Skeptics are crucial in concluding anything about a sighting. We then become closer to a balanced report representing the closest thing to the truth.

Take for example several witnesses in the Phoenix lights that saw formations of airplanes. We never hear about their testimonies because the data presented seems to always be one-sided and cherry picked. Until we can overcome the possible truth that we are wrong then we won't truly get anywhere. Maybe UFO's exist in the sense that ufologists speculate and maybe they don't. We just never seem to have an accumulation of pro-con data that represents the entire scope.

Sorry, took off in sort of a tangent, but I think it is relevant to the discussion.

 

[Ron Collins]

TClaeys, I don’t disagree. Many skeptical points of view should be represented. This is part of what I meant by placing all of the research material in a centralized location for others to inspect, and possibly add to. If, for instance, an alternative explanation for a portion of the research can be offered it would be given an equal voice.

Obviously there would need to be some basic “jackass” filtering but not a filtering of good well formed alternative explanations. Like any good team finding, it is always subject to alteration given new ideas, research, or explanation. But it would give a single location for people to be exposed to good research. How good? Download the research material and judge yourself.

 

[Don Keyhoe-Ti]

join MUFON, join CUFOS, heck even join APRO. Why re-invent the wheel, unless you reckon you're some sort of redemptive protestant wheel-reshaper.? Those groups already give out little laminated memebership cards... you can be a "card carrying member!". Pass MUFON's investigator exams then some night you'll get a call at 2:12 am to go investigate a sighting 80kms away....right now! On your way driving there you will see oldy-worldy clocks flying away with their hands spinning counter-clockwise maybe, and Rod Sterling pooncing about in a sharp suit. The local short order cook at the local diner will build you a mountain of mashed potato, and then deep fry it, and the train crossing sign will wangle back&forward for no good reason near a volcanic plug, & aliens will teach us all to be good at bmx before we phonehome & sing Neil Diamond tunes.

Gee, thanks for the dripping sarcasm! Its been so long since I heard any of that on this forum. It is so refreshing to read you whitty prose and absorb your insightful intelect! Gosh, thanks for taking the time to respond!

The point is that these organizations aren’t wheels at all. These organizations have no research teams willing to tackle an issue. They are full of individuals running out to attain personal glory or write that next chapter for their book. MUFON field investigators do a pretty good job of conducting an initial interview. Then they submit the case and move on. This isnt what I am talking about at all.

I am talking about using a team of resources, from all over the world to actively research specific cases, events, or whatever the group decides they want to tackle and get as much information about it as possible. Use the collective abilities of that team to cross check and validate information. Then, compile a report of the findings and provide all the raw research material for inspection by anyone who wants to download it.

Ron, I'm being playful not critical. I wasn't sarcastic, I was drunk! My only point was you can fantasize about the ideal form for a ufo group, (and maybe get one off the ground if you're superman,) or you can join one of the existing ufo groups - all of whom may be moribund in this or that way but all of which have resources and enthusiasts to make the desired changes happen.