Using Social Media to get Permission

[ErGarber]

I am pretty new to detecting and have not asked anyone permission that I don't know yet. I have just stuck to my land my neighbor's and public parks. I found an old property in my town that I want to detect. My question is has anyone got someones name from tax records and them found them on social media? Is there an unwritten privacy line not to cross there?

 

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[dirtscratcher]

I use a site called Montana Cadastral to find out who's paying taxes and just call them. Seems easier.

 

[BigWaveDave]

My two cents...I'd be put off by a contact like that, just the way the world is...
My permissions come with personal contact, I will drive by a property a dozen or more times until I see someone mowing the lawn, sitting on the porch, whatever...
You got to have confidence and practice in asking strangers for permission.... The better you get, the more you will hunt. Good luck!

 

[Loco-Digger]

My two cents...I'd be put off by a contact like that, just the way the world is...
My permissions come with personal contact, I will drive by a property a dozen or more times until I see someone mowing the lawn, sitting on the porch, whatever...
You got to have confidence and practice in asking strangers for permission.... The better you get, the more you will hunt. Good luck!

Great words of wisdom. I do the same.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Use what works for you, but talking to someone allows you to feel them out before you ask or even if you ask. I do some cold knocking but noramlly I like to see them outside and start up a conversation.

 

[worldtalker]

My two cents...I'd be put off by a contact like that, just the way the world is...
My permissions come with personal contact, I will drive by a property a dozen or more times until I see someone mowing the lawn, sitting on the porch, whatever...
You got to have confidence and practice in asking strangers for permission.... The better you get, the more you will hunt. Good luck!

I'll get over a NO yet by gosh!

 

[CoilyGirl]

I don't think I would be quite as apt to let someone look on my property if I got their name from tax records and looked them up on social media,that would kind of maybe scare me a bit. I like what locodigger and Big Dave said,just do a drive by and hope to catch them outside.

 

[ErGarber]

I am pretty good with talking to people in person. I always have been. I have been known to talk to someone if I see them outside. This property I really wanted to go to tomorrow and don't want to drive by stalk all day. That sounds more creepy. I guess I can cold knock but that always makes me nervous.

 

[joee5]

Face to face. That's how you ask. Is the only proper way to do it.
Good luck

 

[NWMP]

We all develop our own approach. Myself, I have furniture busting sex with the housewife, then get her to put the good word in for me. ................ Or, alternatively, I tend to knock then step back to give the person space. I am tall so I will often step down to ground level, off the steps. Smile, make your speal brief, down play finds, just looking for an old penny or nickle etc., emphasize that you will be very careful not to leave a mess on their property and or that this is a one shot deal. I often tell them that I will likely be gone in 10-15 minutes and not return if the yard is small. Dont dress like you slept on the river bank last night, fairly clean clothes at least. I play it by ear, if it is a VERY nice yard and the owner is 50/50 I will volunteer my name and were I am from. I have about 3-4 different styles that I use dependant upon the parameters presented to me. If someone gives me attitude or whatever, I thank them for their time and leave. Once in a blue moon you come a cross a "Silence of the Lambs" type. If my creep radar goes off I am out of there like yesterday. And I never give my name or whatever to someone giving off a creep vibe. There are too many other locations and cool people to spend time on garbage like that. If the yard really coughs some good stuff it might be a nice gesture to give the owner an old coin or whatever. I have kept in the good graces of a few farmers and I get to check their fields year after year. Permissions build up over time, nurture and take care of them by keeping in touch with the owner now and then and or respecting their property. And we all get no at any given request, don't let it get you down. More tend to say yes. I am opportunistic. If I see a freshly ripped up yard for sodding, a garden, big bare patches under old trees I will specificly request those spots. It tends to alleviate some peoples worries about their yard being messed with. Play it by ear and try to see it through their eyes a bit. Make them feel like you are a safe and reasonable person.

 

[flgliderpilot]

When I hear social media I throw up in my mouth a little. It's a narcissistic and impersonal (despite the facade) as it gets.

Ask them in person and take your hat off as you approach the door.

 

[PaJim]

I too am not a social butterfly and have a hard time even just calling people on the phone, let alone cold knocking or just striking up a convo with someone. I have sent out letters explaining why there property might be good for detecting and add my contact info. Hasnt worked out yet...lol. My best permission is this weekend, corporate owned property, so I was able to shoot an email, figuring I would get ignored. Low and behold I got an email back saying to call to discuss. I gathered enough courage and did it, but the hours of research I did would have been wasted if I didnt call. Good luck!

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[roswellborn]

Good goin' PaJim. Next time will probably be a little easier for you to ask - and the time after that, even easier yet.

I'd finally gotten over some of the shyness and begun to ask permission - and now have moved across country and get to start working up the courage for this new area all over again. lol

HH
Nan

 

[SirWalterRaleigh]

Hey man it's the new digital age. I probably would not use social media to ask for cold permissions. However, I would use social media to let your friends know that you were an active metal detecting hobbyist and that you would like to see if any of them would let you detect on their property.

I am a partner in a marketing firm and I am going to use this strategy to reach out to my friends just to see if there's any interest

 

[jimzz977]

I usually drive around if someone outside I'll stop introduce myself and ask so for if work for couple places. I'm going to try door knocking and see what happens. I find a property I like hunt to and and if for sale I'll t h e realtor and add sometimes it works

 

[kcm]

NWMP - WOW! That's the ticket!! Good, sound advice.

First off, I'm not a social person online - other than a couple of prospecting forums and Tnet. If I live 50 more years, you'll never catch me on Facebook, twitter, or the myriad of other "apps" out there. ...But then I'm no 'young pup', either - wasn't raised in a world of telling on social media every time I have to go relieve myself!

Lots of good advice here. I think the best way is in person. You can do all the "behind the scenes" research you want, but if you want to dig on someone's personal property, you need to be willing to ask in person, yourself. Difficult when starting out? Yes.

We live in a farmhouse that sat deserted for many years. One man who was raised here keeps stopping by now and then to visit. He has YET to make his way into the house. Why? Simple - he's too dang pushy!! He "expects" us to open the door wide and let him tromp through his old home....which hasn't existed since we moved in and made it "our own". He came by last summer wanting to swing. Kept laying it on really thick how he'd be careful and how we'd never be able to see where he dug. I finally let him swing a while, but ONLY out of my own personal curiosity - definitely not because of his pushiness!!

 

[bungyboy]

His mammy may have hid a jar in the henhouse.

 

[TrpnBils]

Thought I'd throw this out there. Recent-ish updates to Facebook have almost guaranteed you won't get a response from property owners you don't already know. I don't normally do requests this way but about 3 months ago I did two in the same week. Never heard back (one was a guy I already had permission from on another property so his lack of response surprised me. The other lady got back to me this week and apologized for the delay because we're not friends on FB, my message got filtered to her secondary inbox ("Requested messages") and when that happens, it doesn't alert the user to the message. I never knew about this, and I checked my own secondary inbox and had probably a dozen messages from people I know but am not friends with on there....never knew they had sent them. She happened to find my message by accident the same way.

I ended up getting ahold of the other property owner by phone and the same thing happened there...never knew I had messaged him in the first place. If you're not already friends with the person on FB, I wouldn't bother contacting them that way anymore.