Charging a team out of the blue, fair/ unfair

This is an email conversation that is taking place betweem MIDMIPI and the Ghost Divas, Of Oklahoma, Please start reading from the bottom up. It really upsets me when people charge you with something that even I didn't know about. I responded to a bulletin post on myspace, and this is how it came out...
Matt
This is my opinion, I do not expect everyone to agree.






Who cares if they do anything for FREE, If cleaning up a site makes you feel good about yourself then do it, Why wait for TAPS too take the lead? Why charge them with something like you did out of the blue, Publicly, When you could not even know their schedule? I hope you clean up a site, after all this I will be looking for your post when its complete.
Brought to you by the MID MICHIGAN PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS.

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
To: Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators
Date: May 20, 2009 9:43 PM
Subject: RE: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


TAPS will NEVER do anything for "Free"... it's an honest challenge... brought to you by the Ghost Divas.



----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators
To: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
Date: May 19, 2009 8:32 AM
Subject: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


I for one am not a TAPS family member...But i do not believe TAPS owes this community NOTHING. TAPS has been around for years doing the same thing we are, they were not created by SCI- FI..If anything they have done for us ALL, already, by showing the world, what we do. That in itself is plenty good for us. Maybe you should take the lead, and clean up a site, you shouldn't pin it to someone else to take the lead when it's their for us all to do. BTW what have you given to TAPS? What have I given to TAPS, nothing. So they owe me nothing.
Best wishes, hope the site you clean up is awesome, write a blog about it when your done.

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
To:
Date: May 19, 2009 8:33 AM
Subject: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


DEAR TAPS & TAPS FAMILY MEMBERS-<br />Is TAPS Inc. going to clean up a historical location this year that has been forgotten? JUNE is NATIONAL Paranormal Clean Up month! TAPS should lead by example and go out, sweat and clean up a forgotten historical location or cemetery. TIME TO GIVE BACK TO A COMMUNITY THAT HAS GIVEN YOU SO MUCH DON'T YA THINK?<br /><br /><br />Please REPOST

Well I read this top to bottom i understand fully what there saying and I agree with Matt on this one. TAPS owes us nothing they owe our community nothing! If you want to clean something up do it not because your told to or you feel you have to but do it for yourself don't make one group take the lead take it yourself.

It's not about bragging rights. It's about getting people off their asses to do something ELSE besides trample through cemeteries and flick cigarette butts on the ground outside of investigation sites. It's not about FAME. The only reason it was challenged to them, is so the "Fans" will see that they will not do much charity work, mainly because it cuts into profit venues.

Glad you do work for your community. More people should. You should let people know you are doing good things.. it sets a trend and it's positive for our field. Keeping it a secret is not motivating others to do good deeds... until then, instead of teams "giving back" they will try to do what their "leaders" are doing... which is exploit historical locations for profit and potential to be on TV or the local news as party favors.

Share it when you do something like that.. people will notice and will do it as well. This is the example that should be set, not money grubbing elbow rubbing TAPS wanna be events that are focus these days.

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators
To: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
Date: May 21, 2009 9:18 AM
Subject: RE: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


Actually your Bulletin went out to taps and their family members, Just so you know making personal attacks on anyone in this field just sets you back that much further, it did'nt sound like a challange to me, If I were a Taps family member I wouldn't respond either, But being I am not I feel as though I can respond as a second party. Our clean up was at Pere Cheney michigan, an abandoned ghost town in 1912, Our clean up consisted of over 30 full garbage bags of beer bottles, diapers, and wrappers from all sorts of crap. We do this every year, AND NEVER ASK FOR A CLAIM TO FAME for it. You see its the things you do without bragging about it that makes you a better asset to this community. I can actually see this friendship is not going to work between our teams, I will not allow any of my members to knowingly run down any other team no matter what, Respect those you hate, because by them ignoring you ...THEY WIN..

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
To: Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators
Date: May 21, 2009 9:07 AM
Subject: RE: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


They wont do it because they are money grubbing. We clean up no matter what they do. Everyone claims "Taps is the leader in this field"... well, they should set a positive example instead of charging hundreds of dollars to meet them... why? because Mom & pop teams are trying to do that as well with local conferences. Conferences should be about education, Not a star trek fan convention. They should call it like it is. I think that you are taking my comment about Taps a bit serious. We are not fans of them, not one bit. The challenge has actually went out to anyone that declares themselves to be "para-celebs"... to date, no response from any of them. Keep an eye out on the Ghost Diva Blog for conclusions to this challenge... should be interesting.

Our clean up is June 6th at an old theater. We have 3 more teams helping out from the state.

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators
To: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
Date: May 21, 2009 5:37 AM
Subject: RE: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


Who cares if they do anything for FREE, If cleaning up a site makes you feel good about yourself then do it, Why wait for TAPS too take the lead? Why charge them with something like you did out of the blue, Publicly, When you could not even know their schedule? I hope you clean up a site, after all this I will be looking for your post when its complete.
Brought to you by the MID MICHIGAN PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS.

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
To: Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators
Date: May 20, 2009 9:43 PM
Subject: RE: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


TAPS will NEVER do anything for "Free"... it's an honest challenge... brought to you by the Ghost Divas.



----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators
To: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
Date: May 19, 2009 8:32 AM
Subject: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


I for one am not a TAPS family member...But i do not believe TAPS owes this community NOTHING. TAPS has been around for years doing the same thing we are, they were not created by SCI- FI..If anything they have done for us ALL, already, by showing the world, what we do. That in itself is plenty good for us. Maybe you should take the lead, and clean up a site, you shouldn't pin it to someone else to take the lead when it's their for us all to do. BTW what have you given to TAPS? What have I given to TAPS, nothing. So they owe me nothing.
Best wishes, hope the site you clean up is awesome, write a blog about it when your done.

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigat
To:
Date: May 19, 2009 8:33 AM
Subject: A challenge to TAPS & It's FAMILY MEMBERS!!!


DEAR TAPS & TAPS FAMILY MEMBERS-
Is TAPS Inc. going to clean up a historical location this year that has been forgotten? JUNE is NATIONAL Paranormal Clean Up month! TAPS should lead by example and go out, sweat and clean up a forgotten historical location or cemetery. TIME TO GIVE BACK TO A COMMUNITY THAT HAS GIVEN YOU SO MUCH DON'T YA THINK?


Please REPOST!

Good stuff Matt. Finger pointing and name dropping does nothing for the field. Yeah, TAPS has gained some celebrity, kudos for them. Their work still opens so many eyes to what we do. How much of it is glorified for TV? Who knows. But, they started out just like the rest of us. And I am pretty sure when the cameras are off and America is off on its next new thing, the guys will still be investigating.
Posing a challenge like that is no different than the "celebrity" they are bad-mouthing.
I, for one, am attending one of the events that TAPS is promoting. It will be a trip of a lifetime for me.

"They wont do it because they are money grubbing. We clean up no matter what they do. Everyone claims "Taps is the leader in this field"... well, they should set a positive example instead of charging hundreds of dollars to meet them... why? because Mom & pop teams are trying to do that as well with local conferences. Conferences should be about education, Not a star trek fan convention. They should call it like it is. I think that you are taking my comment about Taps a bit serious. We are not fans of them, not one bit. The challenge has actually went out to anyone that declares themselves to be "para-celebs"... to date, no response from any of them. Keep an eye out on the Ghost Diva Blog for conclusions to this challenge... should be interesting."

My response: Who are these people??????????????
Since when does it cost hundreds of dollars to meet TAPS? Their last appearance up-north cost only $45. I wonder if these ladies have even met any TAPS members in person. Probably not, or they would know their just like the rest of us, REAL PEOPLE. Maybe if the "DIVAS" did'nt catagorize teams as "para-celebs" and "mom and pop" teams they would probably get along with others a little better. If they viewed teams as peers instead of adversaries, they themselves would gain more respect. I personally also believe the same as Matt. Why sit back and wait for someone else to take the lead, no matter who they are? An honest challenge? Or an easy way to put down yet another team for no reason , other than what sounds like the "DIVAS", can't afford to go to a conference.

Or maybe someones been watching too much t.v. and is a little jealous.(HeHeHe). Either way the challenge should go out to all teams.