Idea - Magic in Beta

[YenmanMAP]

I have been mulling this over for a while. What if a site was created, (Magic in Beta) in which magicians of any level of experience could post tutorials (video or pdf) for slights of their own creation, and receive feedback on the slight itself, just as software is beta tested for glitches. I think this would accomplish some cool things.

1. This community would encourage proper crediting. Magicians would post the sources of inspiration on their slights, and receive feedback on whether their slight was actually original from more knowledgeable magicians.

2. This community would discourage revealing of other's material, in favor of the creation of your own slights. Any slights recognised as the property of another would be removed.

3. This community would speed creation of interesting and useful new slights by giving the creator quick feedback on performance problems, angles, difficulty, hand size restrictions, noise, and other such things.

4. This community would create a layman-free environment for the sharing of slights.

But I would need:

1. Some Jordan Lapping-esque person to monitor slights for originality.

2. A website that made the posting of videos and pdfs by a person with an account possible, along with the ability for feedback and ratings on them.

3. Someone with the ability to make such a website?

Questions, Comments, Cunundrums?

 

[fercloseupartist]

Something like that already exists


it's called Youtube

 

[YenmanMAP]

youtube is in no way layman free, encurages magicians to reveal others methods, and discurages magicians from revealing their own for fear someone will steal it and give them no credit. Proper crediting is also rare on youtube.

 

[hijackedmagic]

That'd be a very hard site to make, you'd have to pay a professional.

 

[sky_lark]

As far as I can hear, it wouldn't actually be that hard to make. I'm a beginner in web design and development, so this isn't my level, but I can tell you it would be a simple website where somebody makes an account, and posts a video or text.

Kinda of like a group website, like magicians.com.

So I presume you could go that way-free website.

Good idea!

 

[Deechristopher]

I'm sure that if people were to make a post on this forum, decknique or whatever asking for help with some new stuff they were working on they would get some good, honest feedback.

In fact, many people on this forum do post videos, look at all the 'check out my new routine...comments?' posts floating around... It maybe worth looking into encouraging that kind of activity here, where there is already many members with varying skill levels always on the look out for new stuff.

It's a nice idea for sure, but unless there is truly something that draws people to your site, it's just going to end up like all the other sites out there that have forums with 10 posts and get 4 hits a month.

If you think you're capable of creating a market for your idea, by all means go for it and really push to make your site the number one! But don't waste time and money on something that probably won't draw that much attention.


D.

 

[YenmanMAP]

Well waisting time is a hobby of mine, and I was not planning on spending any money on it. I think I might post a tutorial for one of my moves here and see if this website will work as well.

 

[Breen]

In order to make it work, you got to make it very popular. Ever magician got ot know it. That's the first goal you'll probably never get.
In addition, making a site like that, isn't as easy as you might think. I'm sure here are people around who actually can do it, but still, it's very hard. Of course you could just get an upload script (PHP), allow only .pdf's, .txt's, doc's and so on, but that probably won't be safe enough. There are many evil people who want to deface or something like that the site.
Plus you need the webspace/server. If everypody uploads stuff.
Oh I didn't mention the traffic...

I think posting concepts/ideas here on t11, decknique or whatever is the best idea. Din't forget - here are professional magicians around answering posts. You probably won't get this on your site.

Anyways - if you want to do it, there are some suitable plugins for phpBB. Just install it and you're done.
(Upload script, description ,everybody can answer...)

 

[Dylan P.]

I don't know. i'm on the edge. i'll get back when I have a sure statement.

 

[apathy]

It's a good idea, however in order to host the large amount of videos a site like this would require, it would take a server with a lot of space and bandwidth, and I promise you aren't going to find one of those for free. Servers generally start at around $200 per month.

 

[Ben Long]

Hell, you'd need a whole team of quality control just to weed out the crap.

No commercial tricks could be exposed.

I like the idea of a sleight database...

You'd just need to get permission from the creators...

 

[Toby]

Maybe we can ask moderators and owners of T11 forums to make a special forum here, that will have all those things that you mentioned...

 

[YenmanMAP]

A special forum would be awsome.

 

[Tenchu]

Something like that would be cool because there's alot of talented and creative people out there.

 

[sjsawyer]

Yeah I don't know... I'm not really one for all of this exposure stuff, even within a magic-based community. I have a lot of original stuff, however I don't post it anywhere because I know it will end up on youtube under another name under someone else's account, probably done poorly, thereby exposing the methods which took a while to develop and fine-tune. Marp you rubbed off on me damn it

 

[conjure_pitch]

I have a hard time seeing something like this materializing.

 

[OwnerM]

Sorry to bring this back, but you know, I don't think that this is a bad idea.

I'm trying to work out an effect, and I'm not even sure of how to accomplish it, now I'm not nearly as experienced in magic as most of the people here, so I would enjoy their input.

Yet, at the same time, I don't want to expose the effect to everyone who happens to stumble by the site.

My feeling then is that whether it's a website or just an add on to the T11 forum, it should be only accessible via log in. And even that log in has to be something that's earned. Not just a "register here" button. The person who wants to be involved should go through some kind of "test", (don't ask me what exactly, I haven't thought that far), to prove that s/he is a) trustworthy, b) willing to contribute to the group, c) is...well...trustworthy.

Also, once a trick or two is perfected, it could be sold right there on the website, maybe even to T11 or E as a group project. I think it's very doable. Difficult, maybe but doable.


Just my couple o' pennies.

 

[Tenchu]

I like the whole idea.

 

[guiguimanu]

What you described requires a proper qualified staff, you could pull it off by yourself but you mentioned you do not know how to make such a website.

So firstly if you do not know how to make this website you can either: invest money in a staff OR start learning some php, and throw in some actionscript and java if you want the site to look pretty

secondly, how are you going to make it "laymen free"? Not possible.

I am sorry if i am coming off as too negative , but this is a very unrealistic idea