Before officially launching this I would like to get an indication if enough people are interested in participating to make it worthwhile. 
Now that the snow is flying (in some parts of the country, anyway) perhaps people might be looking for some other hobby-related activities. We have been talking about ways to keep people active here and in the hobby, as well as ways to expand upon this site. We would like to propose the following.
Interested members would write an article or story related to metal detecting, and submit it to us. Those who submit a story would be entered into a raffle. The incentives will be nice... the top prize will be a $200 gift certificate to either Sun Ray accessories or KellyCo, winning member's choice. There will be other prizes too... depending on how many participants we have.... which will include some Minelab and Garrett merchandise (hats, keychains, water bottles, etc but also including a new Minelab insulated outdoor vest) and also some apparel from the store with the American Detectorist logo. Everyone who submitted an article or story would have an equal chance of winning the prizes.... draw names out of a hat style.
The stories/articles would become ours to use and edit as necessary, and may appear in our newsletters (coming soon) or on the forum or elsewhere on the site... with full credit to the author of course. You do not have to be a writer.... stories will not be judged. The only requirement is that the story or article be original, be written by the member, be directly related to metal detecting, and be fairly detailed. The topic could be something that the author in particular is well versed on... how to approach detecting in a particular setting, for example. Or it can be a detailed story about a specific detecting experience the member has had. Or anything else that the members feels he/she can write about. The timeline would probably be within the next three to four weeks.
So what does everything think... any interest in this? Please only indicate interest if you think you may participate.
BTW, all members are eligible (except Angel and I). Forum moderators and mentors aren't involved in planning this and are therefore eligible.
Now that the snow is flying (in some parts of the country, anyway) perhaps people might be looking for some other hobby-related activities. We have been talking about ways to keep people active here and in the hobby, as well as ways to expand upon this site. We would like to propose the following.
Interested members would write an article or story related to metal detecting, and submit it to us. Those who submit a story would be entered into a raffle. The incentives will be nice... the top prize will be a $200 gift certificate to either Sun Ray accessories or KellyCo, winning member's choice. There will be other prizes too... depending on how many participants we have.... which will include some Minelab and Garrett merchandise (hats, keychains, water bottles, etc but also including a new Minelab insulated outdoor vest) and also some apparel from the store with the American Detectorist logo. Everyone who submitted an article or story would have an equal chance of winning the prizes.... draw names out of a hat style.
The stories/articles would become ours to use and edit as necessary, and may appear in our newsletters (coming soon) or on the forum or elsewhere on the site... with full credit to the author of course. You do not have to be a writer.... stories will not be judged. The only requirement is that the story or article be original, be written by the member, be directly related to metal detecting, and be fairly detailed. The topic could be something that the author in particular is well versed on... how to approach detecting in a particular setting, for example. Or it can be a detailed story about a specific detecting experience the member has had. Or anything else that the members feels he/she can write about. The timeline would probably be within the next three to four weeks.
So what does everything think... any interest in this? Please only indicate interest if you think you may participate.
BTW, all members are eligible (except Angel and I). Forum moderators and mentors aren't involved in planning this and are therefore eligible.
