"Experts" In The Paranormal Community....

This really opens a can of worms..an expert in a field that really by it's very definition is based on speculation and conjecture,Like cryptozoology which isn't seen as part of the main stream scientific community,anybody who claims to be an expert in the field of paranormal studies is asking to trouble.There are some very good and knownledgable people around who have had alot of experience investigating cases,and then theres the crack pots who claim they"know"whats going on.
I feel theres really NO experts in the field,just some are better than others.I really enjoy investigating places but I am no expert,I spend 75% of an investigation debunking things people say they've seen or heard,and and the rest trying to prove,if to nobody else,to myself theres maybe something happening here.It MUST be solid,no doubt evidence before I'll believe it.
A better question would be WHO do you concider experts in the field..and why?

How can one be an "expert" in a field as boundless as the Paranormal? One can be passionate about it. One can compare ideas with other enthusiasts. But everyday, it seems, there is a new theory about ghosts or the afterlife or any one of the many aspects of the paranormal that challenges previous ideas. That's what makes it so fun and interesting. There's always something new to read, explore and ponder!

anyone who uses that in this field should be hung on the spot enuff said.

I really have to take it on a person by person basis. It's hard to call anyone an Expert in a field so non-normal (or dare i say para-normal) as this. What makes "experience"? Just cause you went to college for 10 years doesn't make you an expert in this field. When looking for a heart surgeon or engineer, I'll call one of them an expert with 10 years of schooling. But, in this scenario, life experience can really play a bigger part. The person that studies bigfoots by sitting in the woods for 2 years can be an expert. the guy who wrote 4 books on the topic sitting in front of his computer for 2 years can also be an expert.

My definition of an expert in this field would be someone of a higher knowledge willing to help out the community to further the education and understand of said topic. Experts that are just a title that are unable/unwilling to speak to aid the advancement of the subject are a dead weight. They hinder those of us that wish to learn, and confuse the others with their inability to see the world through eyes not of their own.

I have been called an expert in a variety of fields. Graphic Design, Local legends, hell I was flown to egypt to study Pufferfish under the title of expert. But, would I tell anyone else that I am one? hell know, I laugh when people said it about me. I'm just someone striving to learn more in this world. When I get a long white beard and climb to the top of the mountain to sit.. maybe then I'll call myself an expert. As for now, I am just a inquisitive person with information that I can share with others.

Just tell me what makes you an "expert" and let me and the rest of the world decide if you are indeed an expert.