9th April 2009, 01:31 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by drpeterwardle
Dr Peter Head of Purchasing Here
This is certainly not a matter for the IFA it is a matter for advertising standards.
David said: "People do like to make a big thing about being a member of this or that... personally, I leave letters off .. "
what letters do you have after your name David? I use this not to have a go at David but to illustrate just how careful you have to be when making public statements.
The bottom line is simple who is the cheapest person to do the job. I have looked at virtually every archaeological company website and their are some which are questionable.
Peter
I thought it was Dr Peter Wardle not Peter Head, sorry couldn't resist!
It is true that it is a matter for advertising standards, but I doubt they are going to police these matters themselves. In terms of the IfA you could argue that some cases might be bringing the organisation into disrepute.
And yes the bottom line is price, but at the moment there is a serious risk that the bottom line could be pushed a long way down. How many of us really want to go there?
Websites in general are problematic - you can put what you like and as long as it is not illegal, libellous or breaking some other sort of law then who is to contradict it. It's just as bad with people making great claims about their archaeological discoveries/abilities/whatever via their own website. It is effectively a licence to publish your own version of the truth. The only obvious answer is to ban the entire internet! Erm, oh never mind!
And as for the noble tradition of organisations being started in a garage - that's great, but a bit backward looking. How many would want to go back to that? Again, it harks back to this unfortunate conflict in archaeology: we want to be seen as professionals (and have the benefit of decent pay/conditions/etc etc) but we quite like the slightly unorthodox and dare I say it ad hoc and amateurish. What are we to do?