talkmagic.co.uk

Nope, not another endless debate about the merits or worthlessness of one format or the other.

Rather, I've noticed there is some inconsistency in where ebooks are reviewed. Some posters put them with books, which makes a certain amount of sense. Some posters put them with electronic media format, which also makes a certain amount of sense.

If I were posting a review I would probably put them in electronic media, however I don't feel particularly strongly about that opinion.

I was just wondering if we should/could institute some sort of definition as to where they actually belong.

Just make replicant list them in both for his reviews - hes got rat all else to do right now lol.

f x

According to the description for each review forum...

Reviews - Books and other printed formats
Review area devoted to Magic books, leaflets and other printed material

Reviews - Electronic media format
Review area devoted to Reviews of Magic Downloads, DVDs, Videos and similar non printed formats

...e-book reviews should be posted in the Electronic Media Format forum. That's my interpretation, anyway. I wish I had the time and inclination to correct mistakes but then that would suggest I have nothing better to do, and I couldn't possibly give people that impression, no sirree. I'm a busy boy, you know. Ask Snuffy, she'll tell you.

As i have one comming out soon...

( SMOKING! Watch this space for more details )

I hope that there is a place for ebook reviews.


By the way its called smoking for two reasons.

1, some of the items contained are "pipe dreams", and 2...

played right, this stuff kills em!

daleshrimpton wrote: and 2...

played right, this stuff kills em!

Is smoking bad for you?!

daleshrimpton wrote:I hope that there is a place for ebook reviews.

In the interest of clarity: I wasn't suggesting that there wasn't or isn't, just that perhaps we should all agree which place they actually belong in

It's very clear that e-books are considered "electronic format" for the purposes of this forum, as it stands at present.

But it's becoming obvious that the distinction between printed books and e-books is becoming practically nonexistent in the real world. The same title is often available on paper or as download, and we think of PDFs as "things to read" instead of "computer files".

So it may be time to think about moving e-books and similar downloads into the book section, leaving "electronic format" for DVDs and computer programs and the like.

It's difficult to have finite classifications but the general idea is that if the item arrives by post/carrier, in ready printed format - i.e a regular book or document, then it's classed as a book. If it arrives in electronic format, either on CD, download or by logging in somewhere to read on screen, even if you can print it off and read it on the bus/wherever, then it's electronic format. Examples of each kind are Jon Thomson's Naked Mentalism works. NM1 came ready printed and bound by post whereas NM2 was a PDF download. Both are books but one in each camp, so to speak. Tricks on CD or DVD are in the same category.

There will be occasions when these classifications are blurred but we can sort those out as and when, and there's always the chance of a re-think at almost any time!