Phactum sampling

How Can People Help PhACT?

-- by Eric Krieg

I offer the following list of roles for people to volunteer for:

Media Pitbull: This person would respond to mainstream press reports on subjects of interest to skeptics. This response could give praise or admonishment in addition to informing them of our existence. Responses would be in form of phone calls, faxes, letters and emailings to encourage local media to be aware of the skeptical view and introduce us as information sources.
Email Gossip: The email gossip would get email from our members and the national skeptic email service. It would be a central point of dispatch for biweekly updates of information and question for all interested parties. This person collates, separates out noise and redundancy. This would be a more frequent interactive and less formal medium in addition to our existing excellent newsletter.
Phactum Helper: Tom Napier already does a fine job of collecting, editing, and laying out information for the newsletter - he could use help getting the things folded, stamped and mailed out.
Internet Warrior: Dave Koehler and Fred Mitchell have helped us maintain a significant presence. - but we could use someone to act as a cyberspace liaison to other skeptic groups on the web (we at least must make sure other skeptic oriented web sites give us a link.
Uncover Investigator: This person would get leads via "email gossip" and occasionally monitor local proparanormal events collecting information, examining evidence and possibly offering some of our information. (like the major Philly UFO conference coming up)
Other Side Liaison: This friendly person would be in touch with proparanormal groups in the area so that we could possibly get an opportunity to investigate their best evidence. Such groups in the area are: The Astrologers network, the Philly ghost hunters, The Princeton Anomalies Research group, the Doylestown dowsers, Mufon
Emissary to Kindred Groups: This person would give talks or what ever to have us made known among groups that would have similar goals. For example pro-freespeech groups, "free thinkers", media advocacy groups, science support groups, the science fair organization, consumer advocacy groups.
Randi speaker committee: These people would get a local college to host Randi. We'd exploit the publicity opportunity and have Randi privately address our group.

Project ideas:

Local practitioners of Reiki (test whether subjects can feel being healed), Feng Shui or past life regression.
There are many channeling, astrology , spiritualists groups in this area that someone should join undercover.
For coming tests, we need someone willing to solicit and screen subjects.
Homeopathy or aroma therapy would be good - many of them around. I have a friend willing to line up vedic astrologers.
We could use someone willing to be on skeptical email lists and participate on skeptical USNET sites.
Someone could syndicate a Horriblescope This person would enlist aid of Eric (who has written a lot debunking astrology) and help from Media Pitbull to run a column examining astrology accuracy beside regular astrology columns.