Everyone has a ghost story. As a ghost hunter, you will hear a lot of them, especially when people find out about your odd little hobby. But what exactly is a ghost?

The problem is that no one knows for sure. The word ectoplasm comes to mind but that term came into vogue during the 19th century, when spiritualism was at its peak. Mediums would sit in darkness supposedly communicating with the dead. Sometimes they were photographed with material coming out of their mouths, noses or ears but usually only after being in the dark for some time. This material was called ectoplasm and was associated with the manifestations of contacted spirits. But most of the time it was really just material secreted into the seance by the medium or assistants during the darkness.

So if ghosts aren't ectoplasm, what are they? You'll get as many answers as there are ghost hunters. We all think we know, yet since ghosts cannot yet be scientifically proven to exist, it's all just hypothesis and not necessarily an educated one.

Let's look at the types of ghosts as categorized by modern ghost investigators. Since this is the "quick and dirty" guide, this website will only deal with terminology and methods used by the modern western ghost hunter. Please note, ectoplasm is not listed.

1. Poltergeists or "noisy ghosts" are manifestations or activity most often associated with the presence of an adolescent child. Activity can include such things as falling rocks, spontaneous fires and other possibly psychokinetic phenomena. It is not certain just how the adolescent causes this but in most cases the activity will wane and cease with time. Most cases.

2. Demons - demonology is a whole 'nother area unto itself. Although not all ghost hunters believe in demons, there is a hypothesis that some conscious entities may have never been human and therefore have not developed any type of moral compass of the type that guide us humanoids. These beings could be major trouble and if you believe that the entities you are investigating might not have ever been human, you may have to call in a specialist.

3. Residual hauntings - These are like recordings etched into the sands of time. It is thought that building materials can act like recording tape since some construction materials contain some of the same elements used for recording. These are not real ghosts per se but simply the playing and replaying of actions that may have taken place many years before. It is possible that atmospheric or geological conditions may play a role in when and how these residual images appear.

4. Interactive-the classic ghost who yells "boo!" may be considered interactive. It's aware of you and it may react to you in some way you don't expect, whether it's speaking, looking at you, reacting to something you do or say.

5. Shadow figures - these black figures can appear anywhere. Some move quickly while others may just stand there. They are often about human-sized or smaller and may or may not appear to have arms/legs/head. In some cases and for reasons unknown, they may appear to wear a wide brimmed hat. Some believe that a ghost attempting to manifest may appear as a shadow figure. Others believe they are unrelated to ghosts and may in fact be some other type of creature.

6. Orbs are the most commonly reported phenomena, usually spotted on digital photographs. It is thought that the round shape of the orb is the most efficient form for a spirit to take while others say that orbs appear around spirits but are not necessarily spirits themselves. But most commonly orb photographs are simply photos of dust, moisture, insects, refracted light and so forth. This means that the typical orb lives only in a camera. Video orbs can be the same thing---camera angles, light refractions, shutter images can all account for orb photographs, so it is a rare orb photo that can't be debunked.

These are the six basic ghost groups, pardon the expression. Though in actuality there are many different forms of paranormal entities, these are the most likely you will encounter.

GHOST HUNTING EQUIPMENT:
The most basic equipment for a technical ghost hunter is as follows:
1. Digital or film camera or both. In digital cameras, the higher the resolution, the better.
2. Video camcorder with night vision feature.
3. Voice recorder, digital or analog for recording notes and looking for EVP (electronic voice phenomena).
4. Flashlights
5. Plenty of replacement batteries
6. Pen and paper to take notes

You can go crazy with equipment, anything from electromagnetic field readers to expensive digital video recorders and more. But the above list should do the beginning ghost hunter just fine.

FINDING A TEAM TO INVESTIGATE WITH:

This is not as easy as it sounds. Most established ghost hunting teams seek a balance among their membership. When they strike the perfect balance with people who get along, complement each other's education and experience and have their own equipment, it is difficult for a newbie to break in.

Some ghost hunting teams have an apprentice-type program where a beginner can go along on investigations for a trial period. Others may demand that a beginner go through a long educational period, including taking tests before admitting a new investigator. Still others will take anyone who wants to join. None of these teams can guarantee that you will get to go on an investigation right away.

The other option is to start your own team, but that can be difficult too. Are you serious about your investigating? If so you had better be prepared to prove it if you want quality people on your team. No one wants thrill seekers investigating their homes or other buildings. Working with a client is very serious and the worst thing you can do to ruin your ghost-hunting reputation is to surround yourself with a bunch of wannabes.

So how do you attract quality people? It helps to be a quality person yourself so get out there and educate yourself. You may not be able to rack up experience right away but no one can stop you from learning and the library is a great place to start.

Finding quality people can be as close as an internet forum, social networking site or meetup group. Find a few good internet forums related to ghost hunting where the signal-to-noise ratio is low. That is, they stay on topic and there's not a lot of flaming or off-topic chitchat. Participate, make yourself known but above all be courteous and thoughtful. No one knows everything, especially not about ghosts.

Skip over those who claim to be experts--they are probably just experts at talking about themselves.

Paranormal-related social networking sites are cropping up all over now. Those might be a good place to connect with people in your area who might be able to help you form your team as well.

Look for thoughtful people who demonstrate a particular knowledge that would benefit your team--psychology, sociology, pharmacology, theology, occultism, audio/video, witchcraft and so forth. My team has an experienced library researcher (me), a ghost investigator with decades of experience and a background in human development and education, a broadcast engineer, a pharmacy technician, an alcohol/drug abuse counselor, a registered nurse, a broadcast equipment technician and more.

So when you've assembled your team, what now? First of all, take some time to get to know each other. Meet for lunch, dinner, or have an actual team launch meeting in a conference room somewhere. This is more important than it may seem. People who seem reasonable and composed when you encounter them on the internet may in actuality but just the opposite in person. You want to winnow out wannabes and those who will be more of a hindrance than a help. Also, people who will always need transportation from someone else should be steered clear of--they will always want to leave too early and fidget when they are kept late. Everyone should have their own transportation and if they share a ride, agree ahead of time that they will stay to the end of the investigation.

Get information on everyone--name, address, phone number, email address. Background checks can be conducted online--look for criminal records or Google them to see if they are involved in other activities that could interfere with your team. Be aware that they may Google YOU too!

Okay, now you have your team and you all like and trust each other. What next?

GETTING OUT IN THE FIELD

Why an investigation of course. But how do you line up investigations? This is the big question but here are a few things that have worked for us.

1. A team website helps a lot. Have a good basic website with your contact info, the region you investigate in and how far you are willing to travel. Ghost hunting groups who charge fees don't last long so state clearly that no fees are involved. It is not necessary to list all your equipment but giving a good professional-sounding description of your team is a must. Typos must be carefully avoided or you could be pegged as a "wannabe".

2. Start talking about your team and your odd hobby. It may sound crazy but it works--every ghost hunter will hear stories from friends, acquaintances but take it a step further--do they want an investigation? THey might.

3. Go to the "free areas" such as cemeteries, public parks and so forth to practice your investigative skills. You can also use your own homes if you aren't afraid of "finding something".

That's about it. I'm out of space. Good luck with your ghost hunting and remember, all ghost hunting groups may be judged by your actions, so keep it above board and be honest at all times. Otherwise, if you are just in it for the thrill, you will be found out quickly and your ride will be over---no one will want to engage your team for investigations.