Thursday, 6 February 2014

What the PAS in the USA Would be "For"


Tekkie-loving archaeology graduate Lisa McIntyre (February 4, 2014 at 8:30 pm enthuses about setting up a PAS-like scheme in the USA.
The voluntary idea is great. I would be curious as to how many would participate. I especially like the idea of using a university as the repository for those who wish to donate finds. Students could be utilized to organize inventory and documentation.
She seems to think the PAS gathers finds rather than information about them, but then has already expressed a lack of intellectual curiosity about what it is the real PAS does, or about why dealers' lobbyist Peter Tompa is so keen on the idea of PAS. She's a fresh graduate, knows it all, you see. Meanwhile detectorist pal Stout has other problems (February 6, 2014 at 9:16 am):
Have been thinking about the college idea and wondered if detectorists would be protected under such a plan. i.e., could their finds be confiscated or could they be subject to prosecution, etc.? There would have to be upfront guarantees for everyone to feel comfortable with it. JMO.
 Not if they've been detecting illegally. Somehow I do not think the idea has really made it across the Atlantic properly.


Vignette: Do US academic institutions have the right of Sanctuary?
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13 comments:

  1. P2Pinvested6 February 2014 at 13:50

    Hi Paul could you do me a huge favour. Im not very good with technology and only use my phone to post. I have set up a blog, if you get a minute could you click on it through my profile if thats how you do it and post a reply so I know I have set it up ok.

    regards
    Andy

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  2. Paul Barford6 February 2014 at 19:59

    Welcome to the blogosphere, but I cannot see anything on your Google+ profile, just a You Tube channel, is that it?

    Post me a link to the blog or give me the title so a search engine can pick it up.

    Good luck with it. Stout and Howland will have some competition!

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  3. P2Pinvested6 February 2014 at 22:49

    Thanks Paul I think this is the link possibly
    diaryofadetectorist.blogspot.com

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  4. Paul Barford6 February 2014 at 23:13

    The blog is up, looks fine. I will not send a comment as it requires a Google plus account, which for several reasons I am wary of starting. Good luck !!

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  5. Paul Barford6 February 2014 at 23:15

    Would you like me to "plug" it now, or wait until you have got the hang of making a few more posts?

    I think it would be very useful also to get a list going of UK metal detectorists' blogs, there seem quite a few now, both "White" and "Black".

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  6. P2Pinvested6 February 2014 at 23:25

    Is it possible to change it so you dont need a Google plus account. I will have to have a look through the settings

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  7. Unknown6 February 2014 at 23:34

    Hi Paul... a list would be a good idea and it would provide a good signpost to other detectorist's who are more concerned about history and how to act more responsibly.

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  8. P2Pinvested6 February 2014 at 23:55

    I think I may have disabled the google plus thing now.

    Andy

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  9. Paul Barford7 February 2014 at 00:18

    Yes, that's fine now. I can do it from my existing Google account.

    BUT, take it from me, you really need to set it up so you approve the comments. There are two main reasons for that. The first is that if somebody (the foulest-mouthed detectorist in the UK for example) publishes a comment about somebody else (CBA director for example) which is libellous, it is you, the blog owner and publisher that is liable for it (by UK law, US law differs). Not worth the risk.

    The second reason is that the moment you start to get readers, slimy little webmarketeers will send "comments" (usually saying what wonderful stuff you write) which contain a link to their own sites. The more people read your blog,the more exposure they get, they are climbing on the back of your hand work. This is nasty, nasty, nasty and I think we need to fight this type of spamming, and delete such comments instead of posting them.

    Obviously your choice, but it does make sense just to keep an eye on what is going up on your blog. Once you get more than a few dozen posts searching through the comments section post-fact becomes more difficult.

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  10. P2Pinvested7 February 2014 at 00:24

    Thanks for all the tips Paul. I have made it so all comments need to be approved now. Im sure I will get my head around it all soon.

    Regards
    Andy

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  11. Paul Barford7 February 2014 at 00:40

    Yes, I was very intimidated about it at the beginning, but after you've done a bit, the technology is a doddle. The writing takes a bit more effort.

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  12. Paul Barford7 February 2014 at 00:50

    "a list [... ] would provide a good signpost to other detectorists who are more concerned about history and how to act more responsibly"

    It would be more intellectually honest to show the range of opinion. The responsible articulate practitioners would win out numerically anyway, most of the detectorists who are the reason for concern would never start a blog.

    You'll note that in my sidebar I put links to resources of both "pro" and "anti" orientations. [reminds me, I must update that].

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  13. Paul Barford13 February 2014 at 22:34

    It seems from a series of posts on that blog on Thursday, 13 February 2014 ("Dont get sucked into their trap Steve", "Barford strikes out again", "Just when I thought. ...", "A round up of todays events", "Paul loses his cool again") that Mr Baines' gratitude was short lived. Real detectorist-'class'.

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