[meteorite-list] hematie and magnetite IDs... was(no subject) Facbook Meteorite content

[MEM]

I love meteorite-related presence on Facebook BUT moving this thread off on a 
tangent ...  I am often disappointed with the frequency of meteorite enthusiasts 
that automatically offer "hematite or magnetite" IDs to anything they think is 
not a meteorite.  Please do the community a favor and spend at least 10-20 hours 
reading up on mineralogy so that you understand the differences and make more 
informed answers to such requests for IDs.  For the record: everything NOT 
meteorite is NOT automatically hematite/magnetite.  There are many pyroxenes and 
other silicates and smelting artifacts out there and one should acquaint 
themselves with the rest of the world of minerals if they are going to offer 
opinions.  You would not want to get uninformed answers to your questions, so 
show a little restraint, please?.  Do become an informed participant.  Strive to 
both answer an ID question and give justification to your answer. . Above all, 
"do no harm"-- try to refrain from answering just to give an answer.  Thanks  
I've 30+ years in mineralogy and I am still only a serious amateur when compared 
to those mineralogist I look up to.

I and 2 other "learned" mineralogists were just outvoted on "yahoo answers" 
regarding a cracked glass marble being "tanzanite".  Even when the seller, 
themselves, said it was a cracked marble.  Everyone is done a disservice when 
uninformed "ID by photo" is casually answered by those who don't have any 
subject matter expertise but do have equal access to offering an opinion. Your 
answer no matter how right or how wrong stays on the Internet forever.   Soapbox 
: reboot: set to off again

 I long resisted joining Facebook but now find the daily post of meteorite 
photos indispensable in improving my own knowledge.  

Elton



----- Original Message ----
> From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
> To: MIke Antonelli <mfrancis66 at verizon.net>
> Cc: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Sent: Fri, March 11, 2011 10:35:11 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] (no subject)
> 
> Hi Mike and Gang,
> 
> Facebook is quickly turning into a nexus of meteorite  activity.
> Collectors, dealers, hunters, scientists, and curious  onlookers.
> It's also ripe for virtual outreach.  I get questions almost  every day
> from people who know nothing about meteorites, and they are keen  to
> learn more.  I try to answer the majority of them.  Of course,  there
> are also more of the types who send messages like - "here is my  new
> lunar meteorite that I found in Utah, what is it worth and do you  want
> to buy it?" , and the message is accompanied by the  obligatory
> blurry-photo of a lump of hematite or a terrestrial  conglomerate.
> But all in all, it's a very good place to network and "meet"  new
> people who may later turn into collectors or hunters.  And from  a
> dealer standpoint, Facebook is now mandatory.  If you are a  dealer,
> and you do not have an active FB presence, then you are surely  losing
> potential sales.  Used correctly, FB can be a lucrative  marketplace
> and it charges zero fees.  :)
> 
> Best  regards,
> 
> MikeG
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Mike  Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
> 
> Website -  http://www.galactic-stone.com
> Facebook -  http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
> News Feed -  http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
> Twitter -  http://twitter.com/galacticstone
> EOM -  http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=1564
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> On  3/11/11, MIke Antonelli <mfrancis66 at verizon.net>  wrote:
> > Lots of meteorite folks on Facebook! Heres one page I'm familiar  with!
> > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meteorite-Hunting/211197901280?ref=ts
> >  ______________________________________________