Becoming a Ufologist.

Now, I am sure this is a commonly asked question and generally, in most cases, I feel it would be scoffed at but I think, among anywhere else, this would be the best place to ask it.

Ever since I was young I have had a fascination with space, UFOs, the possibility (which I have now come to accept as the truth) of intelligent life outside our solar system and everything else that fits into the category. This sparked from a sighting that I had myself around the time I was twelve years old and I cannot seem to forget. I do my occasional reading on the subject, look into news reports (if they are even covered), and check out newspapers for anything I can but would like to get into all of this more.

Now, my question is, how does one go about becoming a Ufologist?
I don't mean to turn it into a career, but I do have a lot of free time, thanks to a great job oppurtunity that pays the bills and helps save up to get back into school.

My primary concerns are:

Literature: Good sources, bad sources, where to look, where not to look etc etc.

Sources: A bit more general I suppose, but what is the best way to go about confirming sources, or debunking bad videos?

News: Considering the lack of either events in the area I live in, or maybe a general lack of interest by the people I was interested in finding a good news source to get a feel for what is happening where.

Anything else I missed: Obviously I am new to this and will take in any pointers, suggestions, anything really to help me get this moving faster.

If anyone can help me out with an old (maybe?) hobby and it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
-GH

If you're just interested in the literature, pretty much the best thing you can do is read as much as possible. While some of what you read may be bad, it becomes pretty easy to spot pretty quickly. If you want to take a more active role, then joining a group like MUFON is your best bet.

reply to post by GeorgeHale


G'day GeorgeHale

You know.....seriously, you will find some brilliant material & commentary here on ATS.

You'll just need to be patient & take your time working through some of the crazy stuff.

Although I must admit.....the crazy stuff can also be a bit of fun at times!

For starters, if you look at the sticky threads at the top of the UFO forum, you will find threads with a huge amount of material, links to sources, etc...

Then whilst you're in the more general UFO threads, you'll soon discern who makes sense & who doesn't.

See you round the place real soon

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe ot

[edit on 27-2-2010 by Maybe...maybe not]

These are good resources:

Free UFO Researcher Starter Pack

The ATS UFO/Alien Chronological Thread Directory

Now an organization that researches UFOs has this to say:
www.examiner.com...

The following is the unedited and as yet uninvestigated report filed with MUFON. Please keep in mind that most UFO reports can be explained as something natural or manmade.

So when a pro-UFO investigation group tells you "most UFO reports can be explained as something natural or manmade", you already know that the majority of reports fall into one of those two categories, so your job is to find the interesting reports that can't be explained.

Now here's one caution for you, many of the UFO books out there, are written as much (or more) to sell copies, versus presenting an unbiased view of all the facts of the case. So don't put too much faith in any one book or any one researcher's opinion, get multiple views, get all the facts and weigh the evidence and analysis yourself.

This is why the ATS threads are so valuable, you usually get a good presentation of the facts in the OP, then you get multiple perspectives on the cases when people reply to the OP.

There is also a sticky thread called "Some of the best UFO Cases", but I think that should be called "Some of the most popular UFO Cases" because they are popular and they've sold a lot of books, but they really aren't the best UFO cases IMO, in fact at least one of them doesn't even have a UFO in it. In my opinion there are far better and more interesting cases, but you'll only form these types of opinions after doing your own research, so it's an interesting journey you're beginning. Good luck.

Take a look at mufon their fairly organized and can be reached via email and such. Sounds like you want to read more but discuss it IRL more then just forums this may be a good place to start for finding analog people to converse with.

reply to post by GeorgeHale



Well honestly, since ufology is not recognized as an official academic or scientific discipline anyone who knows a good deal about the UFO phenomena could technically be called a ufologist, of course you may have to back that up with actual knowledge, lol so it is best to actually know the subject matter before proclaiming yourself one.

Then, as others said there is places like MUFON, where you can take tests and stuff to become an official "field investigator." So I guess that would be about as "official" as you could get currently. Good luck...

Now, my question is, how does one go about becoming a Ufologist?
...............................................................................................
Well I started by reading Graham Hancock' "Fingerprints of the Gods", it was recommended by a friend of mine, but when I asked him what it was about, he said he hadnt read it yet, but everyone was telling him to read it.
.............................................................................................
My primary concerns are:

Literature: Good sources, bad sources, where to look, where not to look etc etc.

Sources: A bit more general I suppose, but what is the best way to go about confirming sources, or debunking bad videos?

News: Considering the lack of either events in the area I live in, or maybe a general lack of interest by the people I was interested in finding a good news source to get a feel for what is happening where.

Anything else I missed: Obviously I am new to this and will take in any pointers, suggestions, anything really to help me get this moving faster.
...................................................................................................
Well I have spent the last three years researching this issue and I have just enjoyed the hell out of it.

Start with books thats for sure, Good, Dolan, Marrs are good authors and researchers. It will take you about a year to get your head around it, but thats to be expected.

never lose sight of the fact that the biggest issue here is the "COVER UP", look at the sightings, but never lose sight of the fact that this issue is rapidly gaining a momentum worldwide.

ENJOY

[edit on 28-2-2010 by downunderET]

Thank you all for the replies.

I have recently picked up Top Secret/Majic by Stanton T. Friedman, as well as a subscription to UFO Magazine. Regardless of whether or not I am taking all that I can from either I am still enjoying the topic more as well as gettong more motivated myself.

And I also have noticed that the general cover up is almost as fascinating as the UFO's themselves.

I have been looking into MUFON as well, signed up today and will start the process of becoming a Field Investigator when I get my taxes back (Best use of "government" money ever? lol) and get a tiny bit more familiar with the topic in general, at least on a more organized level.

George, why not become a "field investigator?"

Seems like the best learning I ever did was from hands-on experience.

Of course, you should supplement with reading, but why not get in on the ground since you have the time and inclination?

MUFON, NICAP (reborn), CUFOS, and other major organizations welcome volunteers.

From your posts, I'd say you were a natural; and, you could bring first-hand reports to ATS!

If I had the time, I would definitely be doing this.

Give it a try, and keep us informed.

jw

reply to post by GeorgeHale


As for books, you must read the 1st and 2nd editions of Richard M. Dolan's "UFO's and the National Security State."

Objective review of how investigations are conducted, debunked and suppressed.

Also, Jacques Vallee for another objective view -- not a believer, but neither a denier (he was portrayed as LeCompte in "Close Encounters").

For a thoroughly biased, but informative immersion, find Walter Andrus. He's been around and written quite a bit.

Good luck, again.

jw

Gosh, can't top what all the other opinions above suggest. But do suggest it takes time. Here's the name of a book forwarded by Friedman called:

"The UFO INVESTIGATOR'S HANDBOOK
The practical guide to researching, Identifying, and Documenting Unexplained Sightings."

by Craig Glenday
Forwarded by
Stanton T. Friedman

It's an interesting book, full of all kinds of stuff for the starter, including needed equipment.

Decoy

reply to post by GeorgeHale

Originally posted by GeorgeHale
I have recently picked up Top Secret/Majic by Stanton T. Friedman, as well as a subscription to UFO Magazine.

While I'm not saying this is a bad move, just make sure you take everything you read from Stan Friedman and Bill Birnes (publisher of UFO Magazine) with a large grain of salt. I've seen both of these guys in many interviews and Bill has been on UFO Hunters many times, and let's just say that they tend to make unfounded conclusions.

First of all, they are both 100% convinced of an alien origin for all UFO's. The truth is that it is impossible to know for certain exactly what UFO's are from any scientific standpoint... it would be enough just to prove that they exist in the first place. Ufologists should be focused on presenting a credible case for the existence of UFO's, NOT trying to convince people that "reptilians" are invading our planet.

Also, Bill Birnes in particular likes to jump the gun once in a while. In one episode of UFO Hunters, the team had an interview with a man who claimed he had seen a UFO and was subsequently visited by "men in black" (professionals from an unknown organization), who asked him if he had seen anything unusual recently.

Well, ok. That's a fairly interesting interview, right? We're just going off of this guy's word, but still, it's interesting to think about what he has to say. A real ufologist from, for example, MUFON, might take interest in this and jot down some notes, record the information for future reference, etc. But not Bill Birnes. What was Bill's reaction?

He told the man being interviewed that he was, in fact, an alien-human hybrid.

Completely ridiculous and unfounded claims like this give ufology a bad name. Stan Friedman isn't much better. So just be careful what you read.

Edit: On second thought, I guess I shouldn't put Mr. Friedman in the same category as Mr. Birnes. Stanton Friedman may have some established convictions about an alien presence, but at least he's done research based on reliable sources, and has reasons for those convictions.

[edit on 14-3-2010 by Magnus47]

Originally posted by Magnus47
While I'm not saying this is a bad move, just make sure you take everything you read from Stan Friedman... First of all, they are both 100% convinced of an alien origin for all UFO's.

Please supply a quote where Stan Friedman stated that all UFOs are of alien origin. I'd really like to read it.

To the title of OP (iv not red the thread), I would say don't bother. Ufology is a dying race, exo-sp (specie) is the branch you wanna learn since more and more ppl become aware of reality.

Originally posted by tezzajw
Please supply a quote where Stan Friedman stated that all UFOs are of alien origin. I'd really like to read it.

I should have said that Stan and Bill are 100% convinced that -some- UFO's are of alien origin, and I mean that in a scientific sense. I'm fairly convinced myself that this is true, but I don't talk to people about "those aliens" like it's a proven scientific fact, while Stan does.

To be honest I've been looking for Stan Friedman quotes to write a comeback here, but all the quotes I'm finding are actually improving my opinion of him. :/

I guess I should apologize, because in retrospect my opinion of Mr. Friedman was only based on his History Channel interviews, which did little to back up his alien convictions. It looks like he's done a lot of respectable research, however, and in any case I should have done more research myself before calling him out. You win.

But my opinion of Bill Birnes still stands. :|

If lit is your thing then the foia's are a great read. I know theblackvault has some great archives and then the reading on this site is fantastic. If you have time though mufon is your best bet. They should get you out in the field if you opt in for it and with hard work you could really benefit everyone in your gaining knowledge. Hopefully this helps.

Theres a good (pdf) file below which deals with the subject:

Getting involved with UFO studies.


Theres also a good recommended reading site here .

Cheers.

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]